Barry O'Brien
| Barry O'Brien | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Barry O'Brien 1959 San Francisco, California, United States |
| Occupation | Producer, Writer, Screenwriter |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Terra Linda High School, Santa Clara University |
| Genre | Children's books, suspense, crime fiction, action, adventure, humour |
| Notable works | Hannah Montana |
Barry O'Brien (born 1959) is an American television writer and producer best known as the co-creator of Disney Channel Original Series Hannah Montana. His credits include Happy Days, Perfect Strangers, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Judging Amy, and CSI: Miami.[1]
Life
Barry O’Brien was born in San Francisco, California, to a large Irish Catholic family. He attended Terra Linda High School, before joining Santa Clara University on a football scholarship, studying business and finance.[2]
While convalescing from a knee injury, O’Brien began writing his first television scripts, a successful submission resulting in a commission for the hit television series Happy Days.[3] For the next three decades he would script some of America’s most popular family shows, including Perfect Strangers, Judging Amy, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Alvin & the Chipmunks, Ghostbusters, Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, The Jetsons, Fraggle Rock, and CSI: Miami, where he served as writer and executive producer.[4]
O’Brien’s biggest hit is Disney’s Hannah Montana, a concept he successfully pitched based on the premise of an incredibly famous teenager-with-a-double-life, an idea conceived during a tenure on Nickelodeon’s television series All That, where the (then) teenage American pop singer Britney Spears featured as a guest.[5]
Aside from writing for television, O’Brien co-wrote Jerry Bruckheimer’s Kangaroo Jack,[6] and two junior novels. He currently resides in Los Angeles, with his wife and two children.
Filmography
- Happy Days (1981-1982) (writer)
- Laverne & Shirley (1982) (writer)
- Joanie Loves Chachi (1982) (writer)
- The New Odd Couple (1983) (writer)
- Silver Spoons (1984) (writer)
- Muppet Babies (1985) (writer)
- Moon Dreamers (1986) (writer)
- The Love Boat (1984-1986) (writer)
- Ghostbusters (1986) (writer)
- Blondie & Dagwood (1987) (writer)
- Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987) (writer)
- Beverly Hills Teens (1987) (writer, developer)
- The Jetsons (1987) (writer)
- Fraggle Rock (1987) (writer)
- BraveStarr (1987) (writer)
- Alvin & the Chipmunks (1988) (writer)
- She's the Sheriff (1987-1989) (writer)
- Blondie & Dagwood: Second Wedding Workout (1989) (writer)
- Perfect Strangers (1987-1993) (supervising producer, writer)
- All-New Dennis the Menace (1993) (writer)
- Getting By (1993-1994) (writer, co-executive producer)
- Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1995-1996) (co-executive producer, writer)
- Guys Like Us (1998) (executive producer, writer)
- Between Brothers (1997-1999) (writer, executive producer, creator)
- Titans (2000-2001) (co-producer, writer)
- Kangaroo Jack (2003) (writer)
- Drake & Josh (2004) (writer) (one episode; "Football")
- Judging Amy (2002-2005) (supervising producer) (writer)
- The Einstein Factor (2007-2008) (supervising producer, writer, original concept)
- Hannah Montana (2006-2011) (writer, creator)
- CSI: Miami (2005-2012) (executive producer, writer)
- Touch (TV series) (2013) (co-executive producer, writer)
- King & Maxwell (2013) (co-executive producer, writer)
- Intelligence (2014) (producer, writer)
Selected works
- Hannah Montana Bind Up #2 (Super Sneak/ Truth or Dare), with Laurie McElroy (Disney Press, 2009) (ISBN 978-1423121473)
- Ace London, with John Worsley, Kaj Melendez, and Mirza Javed (Fleetway Publications, 1962; Cuahtemoc Publishing Ltd, 2011) (ISBN 978-0957032101)
Awards and nominations
Nominated for an Edgar Award for (the) Best Television Episode Teleplay of 2008. (CSI: Miami, You May Now Kill the Bride)[7]
See also
- Hannah Montana (Lawsuits)