Adam O'Brian (born 21 August 1989) is a Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter.

Early life

O'Brian was born in

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, West Glamorgan. He was raised in Minehead,

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, before leaving to study acting in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Career

Acting

O'Brian began training as an actor at the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...

in 2006. He appeared in several National Youth Theatre productions, including performances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Beijing National Stadium, the Soho Theatre, the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

.Adam O'Brian- Imdb Resume
He completed his acting training at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, graduating in 2010. While still training at drama school, he performed at Shakespeare's Globe as part of the 2010 Sam Wanamaker Festival. His professional career began at Theatre by the Lake when he appeared in the 2010

repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

season as Tom Wingfield in '' The Glass Menagerie'',Glass Menagerie Review
Laurence in '' Shining City''Shining City Review
and Nicholas in '' What the Butler Saw''.What the Butler Saw Review
He returned to Theatre by the Lake in 2012 to appear as Pony William in David Harrower's ''Knives in Hens''.Knives in Hens Review
. In 2012, O'Brian starred as Frédéric Bourdin in the film '' The Imposter''.The Imposter Review
The film premiered in competition at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

, and went on to win awards at several film festivals later that year, including the

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and Jun ...

, the Miami International Film Festival, and the Zurich Film Festival. It was selected as part of the "Festival Favourites" category at

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and was nominated for five Cinema Eye Honors, including one for Best Film. Wikipedia Page- The Imposter, It was nominated for three London Film Critics Circle Awards, including one for Best Film, and won the for Documentary of the Year award. It was nominated for six

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports, and promotes British independent cinema and film-making talent in the United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early Nov ...

, including Best Film and Best Director, and went on to win the award for Best Documentary. The film was also nominated for a Critic's Choice Movie Award, and for a South Bank Sky Arts Award for Best Film. It was listed as one of the 'Top Ten Best Films of 2012' by several publications including

Total Film ''Total Film'' was a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly with a summer issue added, between the July and August issues, every year since issue 91, 2004) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and of ...

and

Time Out New York ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 333 cities in 59 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition became ...

.Imposter Awards Sheet
It was shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary, and after being nominated for two

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

s, including one for Best Documentary, it went on to win the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Director or Producer.Academy Award Shortlist Announced
BAFTA Nominations Announced
/ref> BAFTA-winning director Bart Layton described O'Brian's performance as "really brilliant and clever".Adam O'Brian- Official Website
, O'Brian has toured with the English Touring Theatre, appearing as Billy in Tom Stoppard's ''The Real Thing'' in 2012, a joint production with the West Yorkshire Playhouse.The Real Thing Review

Writing and directing

O'Brian has worked as a writer and director for Poleroid Theatre. He has also written for Undeb Theatre, and performed his own writing at the Royal Court Theatre as part of the RWCMD Actors Showcase.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:OBrian, Adam Welsh male stage actors 1989 births Living people Welsh male film actors Male actors from Swansea National Youth Theatre members 21st-century Welsh male actors People from Minehead Male actors from Somerset Welsh expatriates in Australia