Brenock O'Connor
Brenock O'Connor | |
|---|---|
 O'Connor in the stage performance of Oliver!, portraying The Artful Dodger, in 2013. | |
| Born | Brenock Grant O'Connor 9 April 2000 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Brenock Grant O'Connor (born 9 April 2000) is an English actor and singer best known for his role as Olly in the HBO fantasy TV series Game of Thrones.
Early life and education
O'Connor went to Chatsmore Catholic High School in Goring, and attended The Theatre Workshop Stage School in Brighton.[1] He started performing on stage at the age of six in the Hammond Pantomimes at the Pavilion Theatre in Worthing, and won a theatre scholarship while attending.[1][2]
Career
Brenock O'Connor is perhaps best known as the character Olly in the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones, a character introduced in the show, but does not make an appearance in the books published by George R. R. Martin. The character was introduced originally as a one episode character, in order to further the story between the Wildlings and the Night's Watch at Castle Black, but was later kept on the show to provide more backstory surrounding the deaths of Ygritte and Jon Snow in the fourth and fifth seasons, respectively.[3][4]
Following his character Olly's appearance in the fifth season episode "Mother's Mercy", O'Connor stated that he received many negative messages from fans of the show, with O'Connor responding in an interview, "I'm so, so sorry if any of you were offended, but it was in the script. What could I do?"[5] In the same interview he also stated that he has received other messages from people who understand that the show is "not reality," and praised his performance in the role.[5] In a subsequent interview, O'Connor stated he was content with the controversial reaction to his character, noting "It's very rare for my character to get noticed really, so I was quite happy with the reaction that I got. When you do something bad, you want a bad reaction for it."[6] Olly made his last appearance in the sixth season episode "Oathbreaker", when he was hanged by a resurrected Jon Snow.
O'Connor has also appeared in several other roles, including Peter Cratchit in the BBC One series Dickensian, which premiered in December 2015.[7] He will also star in the British children's adventure film Young Hunters: The Beast of Bevendean.[2] He's appeared in a pop video with Noah And The Whale as well as several television commercials for Haribo, and as a lead character part in one episode of Holby City.[2]
On stage O'Connor has performed in front of audiences on the tour of Cameron Mackintosh's Oliver!, playing the part of The Artful Dodger alongside Neil Morrissey and Samantha Barks.[2]
In addition to acting, O'Connor is a singer and guitarist, and has posted several cover songs on YouTube.[3]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Young Hunters: The Beast of Bevendean | Sam Aldrington | |
| 2016 | Another Mother's Son | Rex Forster | Filming |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Holby City | Angus Peters | Episode: "Blood Money" |
| 2013 | Chickens | Dribbler | Episode: "Rebel Girl" |
| 2014–2016 | Game of Thrones | Olly | 17 episodes Nominated–Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2015) |
| 2015–2016 | Dickensian | Peter Cratchit | 12 episodes |
References
- ^ a b c Holloway, Henry (2014-04-01). "Worthing schoolboy lands Game of Thrones role". The Argus. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
- ^ a b c d "Cast & Crew - Young Hunters: The Beast of Bevendean". Black Rock Films. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
- ^ a b Robinson, Joanna (2015-05-05). "Jon Snow's New Sidekick on Game of Thrones Has an Insane Singing Voice". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
- ^ Brown, Kat (2015-06-16). "Game of Thrones' Olly is the most-hated character in television". Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
- ^ a b Selcke, Dan (2015-06-25). "Brenock O'Connor talks about Olly's incredible unpopularity". Winter is Coming. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
- ^ Saclao, Christian (2015-09-25). "'Game Of Thrones' Star Brenock O'Connor On The Fan Reaction He Got After Olly Stabbed Jon Snow". Design & Trend. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
- ^ Debnath, Neela (2015-09-22). "Game of Thrones star Brenock O'Connor was 'happy' about the reaction to Jon Snow stabbing". Sunday Express. Retrieved 2015-12-27.