Brian Christopher O'Halloran (born December 20, 1969) is an American actor, producer and podcaster best known for playing Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's debut 1994 film Clerks and its 2006 and 2022 sequels Clerks II and Clerks III. He has also made appearances in most of Smith's View Askewniverse films, either as Dante Hicks or one of Dante's cousins.
Brian O'Halloran | |
|---|---|
 Brian O'Halloran at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2023 | |
| Born | Brian Christopher O'Halloran December 20, 1969 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer, podcaster |
| Years active | 1991–present |
Career
editO'Halloran's first role was as main character Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's film Clerks, in 1994.[1] He has returned many times as Dante or another of the Hicks family in films by Smith.
O'Halloran is the lead actor in the 2000 film Vulgar, about a small town clown who is traumatised after he is attacked during one of his performances. Writer/director Bryan Johnson wrote the lead specifically with O'Halloran in mind.
He has worked on theatre productions since high school. He has said on the subject of doing theatre: "Oh, yeah. It's the best training you can do, as an actor. To be in front of a live audience. There's no 'Stop, wait, oh geez, what was that line again?' It just sharpens your reflexes. It sharpens your interaction. And it definitely sharpens your memory because you have to know an entire show from beginning to end."[2]
Since Clerks (1994), O'Halloran has primarily been a stage actor, working with The Boomerang Theatre Company, The New Jersey Repertory Company and The Tri-State Actors Theatre, among others.[citation needed] In 2020, O'Halloran began presenting his own pop culture podcast, The O'HalloRant, on YouTube.[3]
Personal life
editA first-generation Irish-American, with parents from Galway and Roscommon, O'Halloran was born in Manhattan, New York City, and lived in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey from the age of 13.[4] His father died when O'Halloran was 15 years old.[5] He graduated from Cedar Ridge High School.[6] He has two older brothers.[7]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Clerks | Dante Hicks | |
| 1995 | Mallrats | Gill Hicks | |
| 1997 | Chasing Amy | Executive Jim Hicks | |
| 1999 | Dogma | Grant Hicks | As Brian Christopher O'Halloran |
| 2000 | Clerks: The Animated Series | Dante Hicks | Voice |
| Vulgar | Will Carlson/Flappy/Vulgar | As Brian Christopher O'Halloran | |
| 2001 | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Dante Hicks | As Brian Christopher O'Halloran |
| Drop Dead Roses | Shawn | As Brian C. O'Halloran | |
| 2002 | The Flying Car | Dante Hicks | |
| 2003 | Moby Presents: Alien Sex Party | Clerk | |
| 2006 | Clerks II | Dante Hicks | |
| 2007 | Brutal Massacre | Jay | |
| The Junior Defenders | Mitch Stone | Originally titled Groupies; its principal photography occurred in February–March 1997[2] | |
| 2008 | The Happening | Jeep Driver | |
| Hooking Up | Dr. Jordan | ||
| 2011 | Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions | Stadium Announcer | |
| 2011 | Pokémon: Black & White | Mr. Garrison | Episode: "Gotta Catch a Roggenrola!" |
| 2012 | Cry for Revenge | TBA | |
| 2017 | Right Before Your Eyes | John McCann | |
| 2019 | Madness in the Method | Self | |
| Jay and Silent Bob Reboot | Dante Hicks, Grant Hicks | ||
| 2021 | The Retaliators | Obnoxious Guy at XMas Tree Place | |
| 2022 | Clerks III | Dante Hicks | Also executive producer |
| 2024 | The 4:30 Movie | Father Hicks | |
| Delco: The Movie | Pastor Joel Powers | In-production | |
| TBA | Flea | Scavenger | Post production |
| Shooting Clerks | Elis Heimermann | Also associate producer and special thanks |
References
edit- ^ Hoad, Phil (May 7, 2019). "Kevin Smith: how we made Clerks". The Guardian. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ a b "Interview with Brian O'Halloran". View Askew. February 2, 1998. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ^ "The OHalloRANT - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ Cahillane, Kevin. "For the Stars of 'Clerks,' It's Take Two" Archived November 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. July 16, 2006. Accessed February 15, 2011. "Mr. O'Halloran, a resident of Old Bridge since age 13, has not had to go the McJob route."
- ^ Filichia, Peter. "Brian O'Halloran goes from 'Clerks' to 'The Crucible'", The Star-Ledger, July 23, 2010. Accessed March 26, 2011.
- ^ O'Donnell, Chuck. "O'Halloran revisits Central Jersey theater roots", Courier News, August 3, 2015. Accessed October 6, 2019. "Playing Dante Hicks in Clerks has made Brian O'Halloran a working-class hero to generations of register jockeys.... Funny thing is, it all almost never happened. The skinny kid with glasses who once played the titular role of Snoopy at Cedar Ridge High School in the late 1980s had given up acting."
- ^ Brian O'Halloran [@BrianCOHalloran] (May 13, 2018). "Happy Mother's Day to my mom Evelyn. Putting up with my nonsense and raising me & my two older brothers was not the easiest. Thank you for everything you did and have taught me about being a loving and caring person. I love you❣️ #HappyMothersDay https://t.co/p0DsPSbIX3" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022 – via Twitter.
External links
edit- Brian O'Halloran at IMDb
- Brian O'Halloran at NJTheater.com