# Bill O'Brien (actor)

Bill O'Brien is an American television series actor and the Senior Advisor for Program Innovation at the National Endowment for the Arts.

## Political career

O'Brien was appointed to serve as Deputy Chairman of Grants and Awards for the National Endowment for the Arts shortly after the election of President Barack Obama in 2008.
During his time at the NEA, O'Brien led the Walter Reed/NEA Healing Arts Partnership (including Operation Homecoming). This initiative explored the role of the arts in assisting the healing of military service members recovering from traumatic brain injuries and psychological health issues. He also led the State Department's Declaration of Learning initiative.

## Theatre

O'Brien graduated with a degree in Musical Theater from the University of Northern Iowa in 1985. He was nominated as the NEA's Director of Theater and Musical Theater in July 2006. In 2007, he designed and initiated the NEA National New Play Development program, which was administered by Arena Stage and featured the NEA Outstanding New American Play and Distinguished New Play Development selections.
Before joining the NEA, he served for seven years as producing director and managing director for Deaf West Theater (DWT). While there, he received a Tony and a Drama Desk nomination for producing the Broadway sign language production of Big River and received three Ovation Award nominations for his work on the production of Big River at Deaf West as producer, sound designer, and lead actor. The production won three Best Musical awards (Ovation, LADCC, and Back Stage Garland Awards), and the cast of Big River was awarded the 2004 Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre. Other productions he produced for Deaf West include A Streetcar Named Desire (Ovation Award for Best Play) and Oliver! (Ovation Award for Best Musical).
O'Brien has also served as executive vice president on the executive board of the National Alliance for Music Theater and as a task force member, conference speaker, and grant panelist with Theater Communications Group, both national service organizations for the theater and musical theater fields.
O'Brien has performed onstage in 48 states in numerous national touring and regional productions and was an American College Theater Festival Irene Ryan Acting Competition National Finalist.

## Television history

O'Brien has recurred in all seven seasons as Kenny, the ASL interpreter of Joey Lucas (Marlee Matlin), on The West Wing. He learned ASL when working at the National Technical Instituate of the Deaf.

## Filmography

* Gideon's Crossing (2001)
    Two episodes, as Conor McGrath
* Providence (2002)
    Great Expectations episode, as Brian McCulley
* The West Wing (2000–2005)
    22 episodes, as Kenny Thurman (sign language interpreter for Joey Lucas, the role performed by Marlee Matlin).
* Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2007)
    Silencer episode, as Detective Peter Lyons

### Additional credits

Additional Actor/Singer/Composer/Songwriter Credits
* Composed the score for the independent film Church.
* 7 year ensemble member of NBC's The West Wing (as Kenny, Marlee Matlin's sign language interpreter)
* Over 700 performances in 48 states playing Will Rogers in The Will Rogers Follies.
* Performed roles on national tours and in regional theater productions including Buddy in The Buddy Holly Story, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, Mark Twain/voice of Huck in Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
* Composed music for national tours of The Grapes of Wrath and Hand-made Stories (National Technical Institute for the Deaf)