
Acting
O'Brien grew up in nearby Royton and was educated at the Bishop Henshaw Roman Catholic Memorial High School in Rochdale. He began acting at an early age and was the star of a BBC TV series Gruey by the time he was 15. He also featured in several other series at the time in one-off or recurring roles. In 1993, he played the role of Craig Lee in Coronation Street and then the role of Lee Jones in Children's Ward. In 1993 he also became a regular in the detective series, Cracker, playing Mark, the son of central character Robbie Coltrane. In 1999 he made his cinema debut with the film Virtual Sex…

The Following Year
as Ben

Holmes & Watson
as PC Smalls

Peterloo
as Peter Wilkes, a Farrier

The Watchman
as Lee Simpson

The Look of Love
as Jimmy Humphries

Spike Island
as Poster Vendor

The Shock Doctrine
as Narrator (Voice)

Goal II: Living the Dream
as Hughie McGowan

Cracker: Nine Eleven
as Mark Fitzgerald

Elizabeth David: A Life in Recipes
as Charles Gibson Cowan

A Thousand Blows
as Mr Harkness · 1 ep.

Trucking Heavy: Massive Moves
as Narrator · 5 ep.

The Family Pile
as Stuart · 6 ep.

Andor
as Pegla · 3 ep.

Ted Lasso
as James Tartt · 5 ep.

The Cars That Made the World
as Self - Narrator · 4 ep.

Chernobyl
as Khodemchuck · 1 ep.

Years and Years
as Woody · 2 ep.

Trucking Hell
139 ep.

No Offence
as Stone · 1 ep.
24 Hour Party People
2002