| Birth Name: | Brian Christopher O'Halloran |
| Birth Date: | 20 December 1969 |
| Birth Place: | Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actor, producer, podcaster |
| Years Active: | 1991–present |
Brian Christopher O'Halloran (born December 20, 1969) is an American actor, producer and podcaster best known for playing Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's debut 1994 film Clerks and its 2006 and 2022 sequels Clerks II and Clerks III. He has also made appearances in most of Smith's View Askewniverse films, either as Dante Hicks or one of Dante's cousins.
O'Halloran's first role was as main character Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's film Clerks, in 1994.[1] He has returned many times as Dante or another of the Hicks family in films by Smith.
O'Halloran is the lead actor in the 2000 film Vulgar, about a small town clown who is traumatised after he is attacked during one of his performances. Writer/director Bryan Johnson wrote the lead specifically with O'Halloran in mind.
He has worked on theatre productions since high school. He has said on the subject of doing theatre: "Oh, yeah. It's the best training you can do, as an actor. To be in front of a live audience. There's no 'Stop, wait, oh geez, what was that line again?' It just sharpens your reflexes. It sharpens your interaction. And it definitely sharpens your memory because you have to know an entire show from beginning to end."[2]
Since Clerks (1994), O'Halloran has primarily been a stage actor, working with The Boomerang Theatre Company, The New Jersey Repertory Company and The Tri-State Actors Theatre, among others. In 2020, O'Halloran began presenting his own pop culture podcast, The O'HalloRant, on YouTube.[3]
A first-generation Irish-American, with parents from Galway and Roscommon, O'Halloran was born in Manhattan, New York City, and lived in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey from the age of 13.[4] His father died when O'Halloran was 15 years old.[5] He graduated from Cedar Ridge High School.[6] He has two older brothers.[7]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Clerks | ||
| 1995 | Mallrats | Gill Hicks | |
| 1997 | Chasing Amy | Executive Jim Hicks | |
| 1999 | Dogma | Grant Hicks | As Brian Christopher O'Halloran |
| 2000 | Dante Hicks | Voice | |
| Vulgar | Will Carlson/Flappy/Vulgar | As Brian Christopher O'Halloran | |
| 2001 | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Dante Hicks | As Brian Christopher O'Halloran |
| Drop Dead Roses | Shawn | As Brian C. O'Halloran | |
| 2002 | The Flying Car | Dante Hicks | |
| 2003 | Clerk | ||
| 2006 | Clerks II | Dante Hicks | |
| 2007 | Brutal Massacre | Jay | |
| The Junior Defenders | Mitch Stone | Originally titled Groupies; its principal photography occurred in February–March 1997 | |
| 2008 | The Happening | Jeep Driver | |
| Hooking Up | Dr. Jordan | ||
| 2011 | Stadium Announcer | ||
| 2011 | Pokémon: Black & White | Mr. Garrison | Episode: "Gotta Catch a Roggenrola!" |
| 2012 | Cry for Revenge | TBA | |
| 2017 | Right Before Your Eyes | John McCann | |
| 2019 | Madness in the Method | Self | |
| Jay and Silent Bob Reboot | Dante Hicks, Grant Hicks | ||
| 2021 | The Retaliators | Obnoxious Guy at XMas Tree Place | |
| 2022 | Clerks III | Dante Hicks | Also executive producer |
| 2024 | Delco: The Movie | Pastor Joel Powers | In-production |
| TBA | Flea | Scavenger | Post production |
| Shooting Clerks | Elis Heimermann | Also associate producer and special thanks |