Peter O'Brien is an Australian actor, best known for his role as an original cast member in 1985 of Australian soap opera ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'' as

Shane Ramsay Shane Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Peter O'Brien. He made his first appearance during the show's first episode, broadcast on 18 March 1985. Shane is the son of Max Ramsay ...

Career

O'Brien played a regular role in short-lived soap opera ''

Starting Out ''Starting Out'' is an Australian television soap opera made for the Nine Network by the Reg Grundy Organisation in 1983. Background The five-night-a-week series was created by Reg Watson as the network's replacement for the long-running s ...

''(1983), in then had guest roles in ''

Carson's Law ''Carson's Law'' is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Ten Network between 1982-1984. The series was a period piece set in the 1920s and starred Lorraine Bayly as progressive solicitor Jennifer Carson. The ep ...

'' in 1983 and ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'' in 1984 and appeared in ''

The Henderson Kids ''The Henderson Kids'' is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for Network Ten between 1985 and 1987. It was created and storylined by Roger Moulton, who also wrote 5 episodes in the first series and 2 episodes in the ...

''. He was then cast as Shane Ramsey, a regular original character in soap opera ''Neighbours'' on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

in 1985. He became one of the serial's most popular cast members, continuing in the series until 1987. He then played a leading regular role in drama series ''

The Flying Doctors ''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. ...

'' from 1988 until 1991. In 1994, O'Brien sent up his soap opera star past by taking a regular role in Psycho Ward 10, a soap opera parody in ''

The All New Alexei Sayle Show ''The All New Alexei Sayle Show'' was a comedy sketch show broadcast on BBC2 television for a total of twelve episodes, over two series in 1994 and 1995. The title sequence featured Alexei Sayle as an innocent, newly arrived man in London singin ...

''. O'Brien took on the role of surgical registrar Mr. Cyril "Scissors" Smedley in the popular BBC series ''Cardiac Arrest'' through the second and third series between 1995 and 1996. He later starred in television series '' Queer as Folk'', ''

White Collar Blue ''White Collar Blue'' is an Australian television series made by Knapman Wyld Television for Network Ten from 2002 to 2003. Starring Peter O'Brien as Joe Hill and Freya Stafford as Harriet Walker, the series dealt with a division of the po ...

'', '' Hell Has Harbour Views'' and ''

Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...

''. O'Brien has appeared in numerous mini-series, including ''

The Day of the Roses ''The Day of the Roses'' is a two-part Australian television mini-series, a docu-drama directed by Peter Fisk, based on the events of the 1977 Granville railway disaster. The film was made in 1998 and runs over 3.5 hours. Described as "a dramat ...

'' and '' Through My Eyes'' (the story of

Lindy Chamberlain Alice Lynne "Lindy" Chamberlain-Creighton (née Murchison; born 4 March 1948) is a New Zealand–born Australian woman who was wrongfully convicted in one of Australia's most publicised murder trials. Accused of killing her nine-week-old daught ...

). He has also guest starred on numerous television series, including ''

Halifax f.p. ''Halifax f.p.'' is an Australian television crime series produced by Nine Network from 1994 to 2002. The series stars Rebecca Gibney as Doctor Jane Halifax, a forensic psychiatrist investigating cases involving the mental state of suspects or ...

''. For his work, O'Brien has won

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsib ...

and

Logie Award The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

s. He also appeared as Carl Morgan in '' Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord'', and he appeared in the 1998 Australian/Brisbane comedy television series of '' Minty''. In 2009 he played Sydney underworld figure and racing identity George Freeman in the series '' Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities''. He later reprised his role as George Freeman in the follow up in the ''Underbelly'' series the ''Golden Mile''. O'Brien was part of the cast of BBC Television series ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' as a new consultant called Stitch. He also appeared in ITV police drama ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' in which he played corrupt Detective Inspector Peter Cavanaugh. He appeared as Ed in "

The Waters of Mars "The Waters of Mars" is the third episode of the 2008–2010 specials of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 15 November 2009. The story is set on Mars in the year 2059 where t ...

", the second of the 2009 specials of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

''. In 2022, it was announced O'Brien had reprised his role of Shane Ramsay in ''Neighbours'' following the news that the serial would be concluding later that year.

Awards

O'Brien has won several acting awards in his career. He won two

Logie Awards The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

- one in 1987 for the 'Most Popular Actor' (for his role in ''Neighbours'') and one in 2003 for the 'Most Outstanding Actor' (for his role in ''White Collar Blue'').

Personal life

On 1 January 2003, O'Brien married actress

Miranda Otto Miranda Otto (born 16 December 1967) is an Australian actress. She is the daughter of actors Barry and Lindsay Otto and the paternal half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. Otto began her acting career in 1986 at age 18 and appeared in a variety of ...

, after the two had met while performing in ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' ( Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having be ...

''. They have one child, a daughter named Darcey, who was born on 1 April 2005.

Filmography

References

External links

*
"The Day of the Roses"
– includes cast biographies {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Peter 20th-century Australian male actors 21st-century Australian male actors Australian male film actors Australian male soap opera actors Australian people of Irish descent Living people Logie Award winners Male actors from South Australia Year of birth missing (living people)