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 that 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 and ...

'' as Shane Ramsay. He has also acted in numerous British and American productions.

Career

O'Brien played a regular role in short-lived soap opera '' Starting Out ''(1983), and then had guest roles in '' Carson's Law'' 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 or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...

'' in 1984 and appeared in '' The Henderson Kids''. He was then cast as Shane Ramsay, a regular original character in soap opera ''

'' on the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

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'' 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''. 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'' and '' Gossip Girl''. O'Brien has appeared in numerous miniseries, including '' The Day of the Roses'' and '' Through My Eyes'' (the story of Lindy Chamberlain). He has also guest starred on numerous television series, including '' Halifax f.p.''. For his work, O'Brien has won Australian Film Institute and Logie Awards. 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'' as a new consultant called Stitch. He also appeared in ITV police drama ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'' in which he played corrupt Detective Inspector Peter Cavanaugh. He appeared as Ed in '' The Waters of Mars'', 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, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

''. In 2022, it was announced O'Brien had reprised his role of Shane Ramsay in ''

'' following the news that the serial would be concluding later that year. In November 2024, O'Brien returned to ''Neighbours'' for a guest stint, followed by another in March 2025 for the show's 40th anniversary.

Awards

O'Brien has won several acting awards in his career. He won two Logie Awards - one in 1987 for the 'Most Popular Actor' (for his role in ''

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

Personal life

O'Brien was in a relationship with his ''Neighbours'' co-star Elaine Smith for four years. He married actress Joanna Riding on 24 December 1990, after meeting while they were both starring in a production of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in England. Their separation was announced in December 1993. On 1 January 2003, O'Brien married actress Miranda Otto, after the two had met while performing in '' A Doll's House''. They have one child, a daughter, who was born on 1 April 2005.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

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)