Liam Christopher O'Brien (born May 28, 1976) is an American voice actor, writer, and director. He is a regular cast member of the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

'' actual play series ''

Critical Role ''Critical Role'' is an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors play ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The show started streaming partway through the cast's first campaign in March 2015. Campaign one ended in October 2017 aft ...

,'' playing Vax'ildan ("Vax"), Caleb Widogast, and Orym. He has been involved in many video games, cartoons, and English-language adaptations of Japanese anime. His major anime roles include Gaara in ''

Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...

'', ''

Naruto Shippuden ''Naruto'' is a Japanese anime television series based on Masashi Kishimoto's 1999–2014 manga series ''Naruto''. It follows Naruto Uzumaki, a young orphan ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the l ...

'', and ''

Boruto is a Japanese manga series written by Ukyō Kodachi and Masashi Kishimoto, and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto. It is a spin-off and a sequel to the manga series ''Naruto'' by Kishimoto, and follows the exploits of Naruto Uzumaki's son ...

'', Vincent Law in ''

Ergo Proxy ''Ergo Proxy'' is a Japanese cyberpunk anime television series, produced by Manglobe, directed by Shūkō Murase and written by Dai Satō. The series ran for 23 episodes from February to August 2006 on the Wowow satellite television, satellit ...

'', Captain

Jushiro Ukitake This is a list of featured in the manga and anime series ''Bleach'', created by Tite Kubo. Soul Reapers are a fictional race of spirits who govern the flow of souls between the human world and the afterlife realm called the ''Soul Society''. T ...

in ''

Bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...

'', Lloyd in ''

Code Geass , often referred to as ''Code Geass'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise. It was directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, with original character designs by Clamp. Set in an ...

'', Kenzo Tenma in ''

Monster A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes Anxiety, terror ...

'', Akihiko Sanada in ''

Persona 3 is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Atlus that is the fourth main installment in the ''Persona (series), Persona'' series, which is part of the larger ''Megami Tensei'' franchise. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in ...

'', and Nephrite in the

Viz Media Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...

dub of ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters (later reorganized into ...

''. In cartoons, O'Brien has voiced characters in shows such as ''

Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animated science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place 14 years after '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005 ...

'', '' Transformers: Robots in Disguise'', '' Avengers Assemble'', '' Wolverine and the X-Men'', and '' Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.''. In video games, he voiced

Gollum Gollum is a Tolkien's monsters, monster with a distinctive style of speech in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth. He was introduced in the 1937 Fantasy (genre), fantasy novel ''The Hobbit'', and became important in its sequel, ' ...

in '' Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor'' and its sequel, Caius Ballad in '' Final Fantasy XIII-2'' and '' Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII'', War in ''

Darksiders ''Darksiders'' is a hack and slash action-adventure video game franchise created by Vigil Games, now developed by Gunfire Games, which consists of some of the original members of Vigil. The series is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, where ma ...

'', Asura in ''

Asura's Wrath is a 2012 Action game, action video game developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Taking elements from Hindu and Buddhist mythologies and blending them with science fiction, the game follows the titula ...

'', Ieyasu Tokugawa in '' Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes'', Illidan Stormrage in ''

World of Warcraft ''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a 2004 massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows and Mac OS X. Set in the '' Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of War ...

'' and ''

Heroes of the Storm ''Heroes of the Storm'' is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Announced at BlizzCon 2010, it was released on June 2, 2015 for macOS and Windows. The game features various crossover ...

'', Yasuo in ''

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL'', commonly referred to as ''League'', is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for ''Warcraf ...

'', Grimoire Weiss in ''

Nier ''Nier'' is an action role-playing video game developed by Cavia and published in 2010 by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. In Japan, the game was released as for the PlayStation 3 with a younger main character, while an alterna ...

'' and '' Nier: Replicant ver.1.22474487139...'', the Warden in ''

For Honor ''For Honor'' is a Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) action game developed and published by Ubisoft. The game allows players to play the roles of historical forms of soldiers and warriors such as knights, samurai, and vikings, controlled u ...

'', Dimitri Allen and Clark Triton in the

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series and Barker in ''

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''. He is an automated dialog replacement writer for anime and has provided voice direction for over 300 episodes of anime such as ''Naruto''. He has also voice directed for video games such as ''

The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States ...

'', '' Evolve'', ''

Resident Evil 5 ''Resident Evil 5'' is a 2009 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. It is a major installment in the ''Resident Evil'' series, and was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in March 2009 and for Window ...

'', and '' Resident Evil 6''.

Early life

Liam Christopher O'Brien was born in

Weehawken, New Jersey Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the Hudson Waterfront and Hudson Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's po ...

, on May 28, 1976. He's of Irish ancestry His mother, Lois Wiltse O'Brien, worked as an educator as well as a quality assurance trainer and consultant. He has a sister named Cara. His family were Reformed Christians, and he was "raised by a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

mother and attended 15 years of Christian schooling", but would later describe himself as

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to ...

. He began acting in high school at

St. Peter's Preparatory School Saint Peter's Preparatory School (also known as Saint Peter's Prep or simply Prep) is an Private school, independent, College-preparatory school, preparatory, and Single-sex education, all-male day school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jers ...

, resolving to "just be a starving artist" as he knew the chances of success in the field were low. O'Brien moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to attend the

New York University Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

Career

In his early career, O'Brien worked in theater on various productions around the country. He met

Crispin Freeman Crispin Freeman is an American voice actor, voice director, and screenwriter who is best known for voicing characters in English-language dubs of Japanese anime, animation, and video games. Some of his prominent anime roles include Zelgadis Grayw ...

while working on a production of '' Shakespeare's R&J'' in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, which helped him get voice-over work back in New York. He and his partner decided to leave the city in the aftermath of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

and pursued a voice acting career. While he enjoyed theater, he gave up on it as the voice work would better allow him to support and spend time with his family. O'Brien affirms that he often plays characters that are insane or evil geniuses, although he has also voiced comedic characters such as Fukuyama in ''

Girls Bravo is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by and serialized from 2000 to 2005 in '' Shōnen Ace'' by Kadokawa Shoten. The story focuses on a high school boy who is allergic to girls who is transported to a mysterious world with a ...

''. He describes Cumore from ''

Tales of Vesperia is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio. The nineteenth mainline entry in the ''Tales (video game series), Tales'' series, it was released for the Xbox 360 and published in Japan and North America by Namco Bandai Games in ...

'' as "extremely unhinged". In ''

'', he voices the lead character War, one of the

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Bible, a piece of apocalypse literature attributed to John of Patmos, and generally regarded as dating from about AD 95. Similar allusions a ...

. He describes his voicing as deeper than his usual voice, and that he portrayed War as a fairly old soul who isn't surprised at the events around him. In the video game-based film '' Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children'', he voiced

Red XIII ''Final Fantasy VII'', a role-playing video game developed by Square, now Square Enix, and originally released in 1997, features many fictional characters in both major and minor roles. ''VII'' has been followed by multiple sequels and prequels, ...

. In addition to voice acting, he has worked as a voice director and writer on various video games and anime shows.

Critical Role

He is also a cast member of the popular web series ''

'', in which he and other voice actors play ''

''. ''Critical Role'' was both the Webby Winner and the People's Voice Winner in the "Games (Video Series & Channels)" category at the 2019

Webby Awards The Webby Awards (colloquially referred to as the Webbys) are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts a ...

; the show was also both a Finalist and the Audience Honor Winner at the 2019

Shorty Awards The Shorty Awards (also known as "The Shortys") are awards for outstanding and innovative work in digital and social media content by brands, advertising agencies, and creators. The awards, which generally focus on short-term content, honor achiev ...

. After becoming hugely successful, the ''Critical Role'' cast left the

Geek & Sundry Geek & Sundry, Inc. is a commercial YouTube and Twitch (service), Twitch channel and multimedia production company. It was launched on April 2, 2012, by actress Felicia Day with Kim Evey and Sheri Bryant as part of YouTube's YouTube Original Chan ...

network in early 2019 and set up their own production company, Critical Role Productions. Soon after, they aimed to raise $750,000 on

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

to create an animated series of their first campaign, but ended up raising over $11 million. In November 2019,

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

announced that they had acquired the streaming rights to this animated series, now titled '' The Legend of Vox Machina'', O'Brien reprised his role as Vax'ildan. In June 2021, O'Brien was added to the cast of '' Exandria Unlimited'', a spinoff of ''Critical Role''. O'Brien is also one of the narrators for the

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

edition of the novel '' Critical Role: Vox Machina – Kith & Kin'' (2021). O'Brien was the author of ''Critical Role: Der Katzenprinz & Other Zemnian Tales'', with illustration by Charlie Borovsky; the in-universe fairy-tale collection was released on April 8, 2025.

Personal life

O'Brien married voice actress Amy Kincaid in 2002. The couple have two children: a daughter and a son. They live in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He suffers from

hyperacusis Hyperacusis is an increased Hearing, sensitivity to sound and a low tolerance for environmental noise. Definitions of hyperacusis can vary significantly; it often revolves around damage to or dysfunction of the Stapes, ''stapes'' bone, stapedius ...

, a hearing disorder that makes him unusually sensitive to everyday noises.

Filmography

Anime

Animation

Film

Other dubbing

Video games

Live action

Audio books

References

External links

* *
Liam O'Brien
at Crystal Acids Voice Actor Database *
Between the Sheets: Liam O'Brien
– 2018 video interview by ''

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Liam 1976 births 21st-century American male actors Actors from Hudson County, New Jersey Actual play performers American agnostics American former Christians American male screenwriters American male television writers American male video game actors American male voice actors American male web series actors American television writers American voice directors Living people Male actors from New Jersey People from Weehawken, New Jersey St. Peter's Preparatory School alumni Tisch School of the Arts alumni