Maria O’Brien, actress protocol and Matlockwho also worked as an acting coach Days of our livesShe died on February 24 at the age of 75.
Her cause of death was not immediately available.
O’Brien was born on August 14, 1950, in Los Angeles, and grew up in a Hollywood family, where her father was Academy Award winner Edmund O’Brien and her mother was musical comedy star Olga San Juan. Following in her parents’ footsteps, she received her first screen credit in 1963 in the television series. Sam Benedict.
She also appeared in the 1984 film protocolstarring Goldie Hawn and Chris Sarandon, as well He smiles, good luck, He promised a miracle, The incredibly shrunken woman, Table for five, False arrest and In sickness and in health.
O’Brien’s television credits are included Viva Valdez, Love boat, How did the West win?, The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts, chips, Quincy, I, Magnum, P, Good morning, Miss Bliss, Los Angeles Law, Matlock, Jake and Fatman, Murder, she wrote, Nash Bridges, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction?, Suddenly Susan, Jack and Jill, Spider games and For the people.
Throughout her time in the industry, she has worked alongside Melanie Griffith, Lily Tomlin, Angela Lansbury, Tom Selleck and many more.
Aside from her time on screen, O’Brien has also worked as an acting coach for daytime dramas Sunset Beach and Emotions. This led to her working as an acting coach Days of our lives for 15 years, a job she held until her retirement in 2022.
O’Brien also won a Drama-Logue Award for his film Maids by Jean Genet, which was performed at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
Her father, Edmund, was one of the first celebrities to be publicly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and in 1983, she testified before Congress about the devastation wrought by the disease. Her advocacy was instrumental in securing government funding for Alzheimer’s research at the time.
O’Brien is survived by her brother, actor Brendan O’Brien. three children, Thomas Anderson, Danica Anderson and Shawn Anderson; and her sister, Bridget O’Brien Adelman.
