SynopsisSynopsis
Born Conan Christopher O'Brien on April 18, 1963, in Brookline, Massachusetts, Conan O'Brien started out as a TV writer before moving in front of the camera to become a TV talk show host. After writing for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, O'Brien landed a prime spot hosting Late Night and has hosted two shows since: the Tonight Show and Conan.
Early Life
Television talk show host, writer. Born Conan Christopher O’Brien, on April 18, 1963, in Brookline, Massachusetts, the third of six children. His father, Dr. Thomas O’Brien, is a noted epidemiologist, the head of microbiology at Peter Brigham Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. His mother, Ruth Reardon O’Brien, was a partner at Ropes & Gray law firm outside Boston until her retirement in 1997. He has three brothers: Neal, an antique car collector, Luke, a lawyer, and Justin, a business consultant, and two sisters: Kate, a teacher, and Jane, a scriptwriter. Actor and comedian Denis Leary is a cousin.
O’Brien attended Harvard University, where he majored in American History (BA 1985). He was elected as president of the revered parody magazine, The Harvard Lampoon twice (the only other person to hold that distinction was humorist Rober Benchey in 1912). After graduation, O’Brien moved to Los Angeles and began writing for Not Necessarily the News, a series on cable station HBO. He also performed with an improv group, The Groundlings.
Television
Television talk show host, writer. Born Conan Christopher O’Brien, on April 18, 1963, in Brookline, Massachusetts, the third of six children. His father, Dr. Thomas O’Brien, is a noted epidemiologist, the head of microbiology at Peter Brigham Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. His mother, Ruth Reardon O’Brien, was a partner at Ropes & Gray law firm outside Boston until her retirement in 1997. He has three brothers: Neal, an antique car collector, Luke, a lawyer, and Justin, a business consultant, and two sisters: Kate, a teacher, and Jane, a scriptwriter. Actor and comedian Denis Leary is a cousin.
O’Brien attended Harvard University, where he majored in American History (BA 1985). He was elected as president of the revered parody magazine, The Harvard Lampoon twice (the only other person to hold that distinction was humorist Robert Benchley in 1912). After graduation, O’Brien moved to Los Angeles and began writing for Not Necessarily the News, a series on cable station HBO. He also performed with an improv group, The Groundlings.