Bryan O'Byrne

Bryan O'Byrne
Credits
Roles	Pet Shop Owner Hotel Desk Clerk
Biographical Information
Full Name	Bryan Jay O'Byrne
Birthdate	February 6, 1931
Birthplace	Plattsburgh, New York, United States
Death Date	December 4, 2009 (age 78)
Death Place	Pacifica, California, United States

Bryan O'Byrne portrayed Hotel Desk Clerk in "I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha" and Pet Shop Owner in "Cousin Serena Strikes Again (Part 2)" (1964, 1969). He was uncredited for the first role.

Biography

Bryan O'Byrne was an American character actor and acting coach. He was born Bryan Jay O'Byrne on February 6, 1931 in Plattsburgh, New York. Elmer and Bessie M. Ducatte O'Byrne, his father and mother, were of Irish descent.

He attended St. Peter's Elementary School and Plattsburgh High School. He received his bachelor's degree from Plattsburgh State, now known as the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

He served in the United States Army before becoming an elementary school teacher. He later moved to New York and studied acting under Stella Adler and dance with Martha Graham. He resided in the same New York apartment building as actors James Farentino and Marlon Brando, befriending both of them early in their careers.

Bryan O'Byrne soon moved to Los Angeles to pursue opportunities in film and television. He played, mostly minor and sometimes uncredited roles, in fewer than twenty films, but guest starred, between 1952 and 1991, in over eighty television series, including Maverick, The New Breed, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Untouchables, The Fugitive, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Virginian, My Three Sons, Death Valley Days, My Favorite Martian, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, The Farmer's Daughter, Perry Mason, The Munsters, Batman, Ben Casey, Daniel Boone, The Lucy Show, Occasional Wife, I Dream of Jeannie, Here Come the Brides, Blondie, The Bill Cosby Show, Get Smart, The Partridge Family, Love, American Style, The Magical World of Disney, McMillan and Wife, Happy Days, Maude, Alice, Highway to Heaven, Murder, She Wrote, Davis Rules, and Step by Step.

He also appeared in more than two-hundred television commercials.

O'Byrne also worked as an acting teacher and coach to many early actors. Much of his instruction emphasized repetition and scene study. Film studios sometimes recommended that younger actors work with O'Byrne to improve their performances. O'Byrne coached and mentored many then-unknown film and television actors. Forest Whitaker, Jimmy Smits, and Lou Diamond Philips visited his acting classes early in their careers. In particular, O'Byrne is credited with launching the acting career of Nick Nolte. O'Byrne, who often coached college students, was working with Nolte's college roommate at the time. O'Byrne asked Nolte, who was not an actor at the time, to read a scene they were working on. O'Byrne reportedly recognized Nolte's talent and began coaching him as well. Nolte spent nearly a year sleeping on O'Byrne's couch while working with him to become an actor. O'Byrne cast Nolte in his production of William Inge's play The Last Pad, which effectively launched Nolte's professional career.

He was a member of the Actor's Equity Association, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He served on the Emmy Nominating Committee, based in Los Angeles.

Bryan O'Byrne had one marriage. His only son, Sean Kevin O'Byrne, died as a child.

He retired from acting in the 1990s to care for his sister, Henrietta Bouyea, who was in declining health. He moved to Pacifica, California after retiring where he lived for the last sixteen years of his life.

Bryan O'Byrne died on December 4, 2009 in Pacifica, California. He was 78.

Sources

• Bryan O'Byrne on the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on January 30, 2025. Updated on February 25, 2025.
• Bryan O'Byrne on Wikipedia. Retrieved on January 30, 2025. Updated on February 25, 2025.