Acting

Vince O'Brien

Born — Died

1919-01-11 — 2010-06-19

Place of birth

New Britain, Connecticut, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

6 titles

Vincent J. O'Brien (January 11, 1919 – June 19, 2010) was an American character actor, who appeared as a doctor in Woody Allen's film Annie Hall (1977) and appeared on television and in print ads as the Shell Answer Man. O'Brien grew up in New Britain, Connecticut and served in the United States Army during World War II. He attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1949 with a major in drama. In 1950 he moved to New York City, where he started his acting career. O'Brien's balding, mature look helped gain him roles as authority figures, with his son recalling that "he always had that older look" even in his early acting days In the 1950s,…

Known for

Law & Order poster
7.3

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

Law & Order

1990

Annie Hall poster
7.7

New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.

Annie Hall

1977

Quiz Show poster
7.2

Herbert Stempel's transformation into an unexpected television personality unfolds as he secures victory on the cherished American game show, 'Twenty-One.' However, when the show introduces the highly skilled contestant Charles Van Doren to replace Stempel, it compels Stempel to let out his frustrations and call out the show as rigged. Lawyer Richard Goodwin steps in and attempts to uncover the orchestrated deception behind the scenes.

Quiz Show

1994

The Dain Curse poster
6.7

Hard-boiled private detective Hamilton Nash investigates a supposed family curse linked to stolen diamonds, which unravels into a complex mystery involving murder, drugs, and a cult.

The Dain Curse

1978

Six Degrees of Separation poster
6.4

The story of a young, gay, black, con artist who, posing as the son of Sidney Poitier, cunningly maneuvers his way into the lives of a white, upper-class New York family.

Six Degrees of Separation

1993

The Hoodlum Priest poster
5.9

Venturing into some of the roughest slums of St. Louis, Jesuit priest Rev. Charles Dismas Clark dedicates himself to helping young ex-convicts who are struggling to rejoin a society that fears and rejects them. An especially wrenching case for the Reverend is Billy Lee Jackson, a troubled thief whose personal demons constantly tempt him back to a life of crime — and may ultimately make him pay the highest price for a few desperate decisions.

The Hoodlum Priest

1961

Film credits

Series credits