Brian Haley
Encyclopedia
Brian Haley is an American
actor
and stand-up comedian. His stand-up act is characterized by playing his all-American looks against manic outbursts and absurd situations. As an actor he may be best known for his roles as Veeko the incompetent kidnapper in the John Hughes movie "Baby's Day Out
", the over the top football father Mike Hammersmith (aka Spike's dad) in Little Giants
, or Clint Eastwood
's son Mitch in the movie Gran Torino.
family, the fifth of six children. His father was an airline executive and his mother was a homemaker and part time maid. His father is of Irish and Italian decent, which is where he gets his Italian middle name Carlo. At the age of three his family moved to Saint-Jovite, Quebec and he was put in a boarding home where he learned to speak fluent French
. He disliked the experience so much that upon his return to Seattle 18 months later, he refused to speak the language except to translate for his younger sister, who only spoke French. He began acting as a child in the Seattle area doing community and school theater. As a teenager, he stumbled upon the film set of Scorchy (1976) in downtown Seattle. After seeing some of the movie being filmed, jumping into a few shots as an extra and meeting the star, Connie Stevens
, he decided to pursue a career in show business.
At 15 he moved to rural Ellensburg, WA. After high school he took on several jobs, including lumberjack
, hay buck
, and ranch hand. He eventually enlisted in the US Army to join the Special Forces
(the Green Berets). He was in the service from 1980 to 1985 where he won letters of commendation and the Army Achievement Medal, but left early to pursue a career in show business. While in the Army (1983), he was in the play Guys and Dolls starring Joe Namath
at the Ft. Bragg Playhouse.
and was picked up by ABC Television
for a one-year holding deal. However, it was his proverbial big break on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1990 that launched his career in earnest. His first appearance led to a flood of television and film roles and an HBO comedy special.
In 1994, he starred in the movie Baby's Day Out
. The movie was very popular in overseas markets, especially India, where it played at the largest theater in Calcutta for over a year and was even remade with an Indian cast under the title Sisindri
. In 1994, he had a stand out role in the comedy film Little Giants
as over the top dad Mike Hammersmith, aka "Spike's Dad".
In 1995, he replaced Thomas Haden Church
on NBC
's TV series Wings playing the part of mechanic Budd Bronski. That same year he was in a Clio Award winning Super Bowl
ad for Miller Lite
beer playing hard luck football quarterback Elmer Bruker, a man that was on every winning Super Bowl team but never played. In 1997, he portrayed "The Hooded Avenger" on the Weird Al Show. From 1998 to 1999 he played bartender Tom Vanderhulst on the short lived CBS series Maggie Winters
. He has made numerous guest appearances on TV shows such as 30 Rock
, The Drew Carey Show
, and ER
, including reoccurring roles on The Hughleys
, Third Watch
and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
.
He has been cast frequently in dramatic roles, playing a detective in the Coen Brothers
film The Man Who Wasn't There
and Martin Scorsese
's The Departed
and Police Captain Hill in Tony Scott's
The Taking of Pelham 123
. In 2003, he was cast in the television pilot
for the CBS
one hour drama The Brotherhood of Poland New Hampshire as one of three brothers along with Randy Quaid
and John Carroll Lynch
, but was replaced later by Chris Penn
due to story restructuring and his lack of similarity to the other two brothers. In 2009 he played Clint Eastwood
's discontented son Mitch in the award winning movie "Gran Torino".
In February 2007, he appeared on Broadway
as tennis commentator Ryan Becker in the Terrence McNally
play Deuce
, directed by Michael Blakemore
.
He currently lives in New York and has a production company, Haleywood Productions.
booth and several other items from Chasen's
restaurant. He is active with the relief organization World Vision
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and stand-up comedian. His stand-up act is characterized by playing his all-American looks against manic outbursts and absurd situations. As an actor he may be best known for his roles as Veeko the incompetent kidnapper in the John Hughes movie "Baby's Day Out
Baby's Day Out
Baby's Day Out is a 1994 comedy film, written by John Hughes and produced by Richard Vane and John Hughes, and directed by Patrick Read Johnson. The film stars Joe Mantegna, Joe Pantoliano and Brian Haley, as well as twins Adam and Jacob Worton as Baby Bink...
", the over the top football father Mike Hammersmith (aka Spike's dad) in Little Giants
Little Giants
Little Giants is a 1994 family comedy film, starring Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neill as brothers in a small Ohio town, coaching rival Pee-Wee Football teams.-Synopsis:...
, or Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
's son Mitch in the movie Gran Torino.
Early life
Haley was born in Seattle, Washington to a large CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
family, the fifth of six children. His father was an airline executive and his mother was a homemaker and part time maid. His father is of Irish and Italian decent, which is where he gets his Italian middle name Carlo. At the age of three his family moved to Saint-Jovite, Quebec and he was put in a boarding home where he learned to speak fluent French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. He disliked the experience so much that upon his return to Seattle 18 months later, he refused to speak the language except to translate for his younger sister, who only spoke French. He began acting as a child in the Seattle area doing community and school theater. As a teenager, he stumbled upon the film set of Scorchy (1976) in downtown Seattle. After seeing some of the movie being filmed, jumping into a few shots as an extra and meeting the star, Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
, he decided to pursue a career in show business.
At 15 he moved to rural Ellensburg, WA. After high school he took on several jobs, including lumberjack
Lumberjack
A lumberjack is a worker in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
, hay buck
Hay buck
A hay buck, or "bucking hay", is a type of manual labor where hay bales, usually 85 lb. to as much as 150 lb., are stacked by hand in a storage area such as a barn, or stacked on a vehicle for transportation, such as a wagon or semi truck for delivery to where the hay is needed. The act of throwing...
, and ranch hand. He eventually enlisted in the US Army to join the Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
(the Green Berets). He was in the service from 1980 to 1985 where he won letters of commendation and the Army Achievement Medal, but left early to pursue a career in show business. While in the Army (1983), he was in the play Guys and Dolls starring Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
at the Ft. Bragg Playhouse.
Career
After his tour in the Army, he began doing stand-up in his native Seattle and quickly rose to headliner status. In 1988, he moved to Los Angeles where he had immediate success, winning a "Hollywood's Hottest New Comic" competition, appearing on several stand-up comedy TV shows such as An Evening At The ImprovThe Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. Originally, it was a single venue founded in 1963 by Budd Friedman and located in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City on West 44th near the SE corner of 9th Ave. A second location was opened in 1974 at 8162 Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District...
and was picked up by ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
for a one-year holding deal. However, it was his proverbial big break on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1990 that launched his career in earnest. His first appearance led to a flood of television and film roles and an HBO comedy special.
In 1994, he starred in the movie Baby's Day Out
Baby's Day Out
Baby's Day Out is a 1994 comedy film, written by John Hughes and produced by Richard Vane and John Hughes, and directed by Patrick Read Johnson. The film stars Joe Mantegna, Joe Pantoliano and Brian Haley, as well as twins Adam and Jacob Worton as Baby Bink...
. The movie was very popular in overseas markets, especially India, where it played at the largest theater in Calcutta for over a year and was even remade with an Indian cast under the title Sisindri
Sisindri
Sisindri is a 1995 Telugu comedy / family film directed by Shiva Nageswara Rao. It is a remake of Hollywood flick Baby's Day Out . Akhil Akkineni made his debut through this film. The cast includes Nagarjuna Akkineni, Giribabu, Tanikella Bharani, Sudhakar, Aamani, Sarath Babu, Subhalekha Sudhakar...
. In 1994, he had a stand out role in the comedy film Little Giants
Little Giants
Little Giants is a 1994 family comedy film, starring Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neill as brothers in a small Ohio town, coaching rival Pee-Wee Football teams.-Synopsis:...
as over the top dad Mike Hammersmith, aka "Spike's Dad".
In 1995, he replaced Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church is an American actor. After co-starring in the 1990s sitcom Wings, Church became well known for his film roles, including his Academy Award-nominated performance in Sideways and his role as the Sandman in Spider-Man 3.-Early life:Church, the fourth of six children, was born...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's TV series Wings playing the part of mechanic Budd Bronski. That same year he was in a Clio Award winning Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
ad for Miller Lite
Miller Lite
Miller Lite is a 4.2% abv pale lager brand sold by MillerCoors of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Sibling beers include Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life.-History:...
beer playing hard luck football quarterback Elmer Bruker, a man that was on every winning Super Bowl team but never played. In 1997, he portrayed "The Hooded Avenger" on the Weird Al Show. From 1998 to 1999 he played bartender Tom Vanderhulst on the short lived CBS series Maggie Winters
Maggie Winters
Maggie Winters was a short-lived CBS sitcom that ran from 1998 to early 1999. The title character was played by Faith Ford.-Plot:Recently divorced from her dentist husband, Maggie Winters moved in with her mother Estelle in her home town of Shelbyville, Indiana and got a job at Hanley's, a local...
. He has made numerous guest appearances on TV shows such as 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
, and ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, including reoccurring roles on The Hughleys
The Hughleys
The Hughleys is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on the UPN network from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L...
, Third Watch
Third Watch
Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
.
He has been cast frequently in dramatic roles, playing a detective in the Coen Brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
film The Man Who Wasn't There
The Man Who Wasn't There
The Man Who Wasn't There is a 2001 neo-noir film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Billy Bob Thornton stars in the title role. Also featured are James Gandolfini, Tony Shalhoub, Scarlett Johansson, Adam Alexi-Malle and Coen regulars Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, and Jon...
and Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's The Departed
The Departed
The Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
and Police Captain Hill in Tony Scott's
Tony Scott
Anthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
The Taking of Pelham 123
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009 film)
The Taking of Pelham 123 is a 2009 thriller film, directed by Tony Scott, and starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. It is a film adaptation of the novel by Morton Freedgood , and is a remake of the original 1974 film adaptation, which was also remade in 1998 as a TV movie...
. In 2003, he was cast in the television pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
one hour drama The Brotherhood of Poland New Hampshire as one of three brothers along with Randy Quaid
Randy Quaid
Randall Rudy "Randy" Quaid is an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as well as his numerous supporting roles in films, including his Oscar nominated performance in The Last Detail, Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain...
and John Carroll Lynch
John Carroll Lynch
John Carroll Lynch is an American actor, known for his role as Drew Carey's cross-dressing brother on The Drew Carey Show, and for his role as Norm, the unassuming husband of Margie Gunderson in Fargo....
, but was replaced later by Chris Penn
Chris Penn
Christopher Shannon "Chris" Penn was an American film and television actor known for his roles in such films as The Wild Life, Reservoir Dogs, Footloose, Rush Hour, True Romance, All the Right Moves and Pale Rider.-Early life:Penn was born in Los Angeles, California, the youngest son of Leo Penn,...
due to story restructuring and his lack of similarity to the other two brothers. In 2009 he played Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
's discontented son Mitch in the award winning movie "Gran Torino".
In February 2007, he appeared on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
as tennis commentator Ryan Becker in the Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally is an American playwright who has received four Tony Awards, an Emmy, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Council of the...
play Deuce
Deuce (play)
Deuce is a play by Terrence McNally. The Broadway production, directed by Michael Blakemore, starred Angela Lansbury as blue collar Leona Mullen and Marian Seldes as well-bred Midge Barker, two former successful tennis partners, now retired, who reunite to be honored at a women's quarterfinals...
, directed by Michael Blakemore
Michael Blakemore
Michael Howell Blakemore OBE is an Australian actor, writer and theatre director. In 2000 he became the only individual to win Tony Awards for best Director of a Play and Musical in the same year for Copenhagen and Kiss Me, Kate....
.
He currently lives in New York and has a production company, Haleywood Productions.
Personal life
Haley owns the Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
booth and several other items from Chasen's
Chasen's
Chasen's was a restaurant in West Hollywood, California that was a hangout for entertainment luminaries. Located at 9039 Beverly Boulevard near Beverly Hills, it was the site of the Academy Awards party for many years and was also known for its chili. In 1962 Liz Taylor had several orders of...
restaurant. He is active with the relief organization World Vision
World Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
Filmography
- The Caine Mutiny Court-MartialThe Caine Mutiny Court-MartialThe Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is a two-act play by Herman Wouk, which he adapted from his own novel, The Caine Mutiny.Wouk's novel covered a long stretch of time aboard the USS Caine, a Navy minesweeper in the Pacific...
(1988) - Party Guest - Always (1989) - Alex
- Into the SunInto the Sun (1992 film)Into the Sun is a 1992 action comedy film starring Michael Paré and Anthony Michael Hall.- Synopsis :Paul Watkins is an American pilot stationed in the middle east is taken away from his normal duties of protecting the skies, to show an actor everything he needs to know about being a pilot in the...
(1992) - Lieutenant DeCarlo - Clean Slate (1994) - Patient
- Baby's Day OutBaby's Day OutBaby's Day Out is a 1994 comedy film, written by John Hughes and produced by Richard Vane and John Hughes, and directed by Patrick Read Johnson. The film stars Joe Mantegna, Joe Pantoliano and Brian Haley, as well as twins Adam and Jacob Worton as Baby Bink...
(1994) - Veeko - Little GiantsLittle GiantsLittle Giants is a 1994 family comedy film, starring Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neill as brothers in a small Ohio town, coaching rival Pee-Wee Football teams.-Synopsis:...
(1994) - Mike Hammersmith - Mars Attacks!Mars Attacks!Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and based on the cult trading card series of the same name. The film uses elements of black comedy, surreal humour, and political satire, and claims to be also a parody of multiple science fiction B movies...
(1996) - Mitch, Secret Service Agent - That Darn Cat (1997) - Marvin
- "Wings (NBC TV series)" (1995-1996) - Budd Bronski
- McHale's NavyMcHale's NavyMcHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962...
(1997) - Christy - The Weird Al ShowThe Weird Al ShowThe Weird Al Show is a television show hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Produced in association with Dick Clark Productions, it aired Saturday mornings on the CBS TV network from September to December 1997. The show was released on DVD on August 15, 2006...
(1997) - The Hooded Avenger - The Thirteenth YearThe Thirteenth YearThe Thirteenth Year is a 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie. It was released May 15, 1999 and is a mix of comedy and fantasy. The film was directed by Duwayne Dunham, who has directed other children and Disney movies, including Little Giants and Halloweentown...
(1999) - Coach - Pearl HarborPearl Harbor (film)Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American action drama war film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay...
(2001) - Training Captain - The Man Who Wasn't ThereThe Man Who Wasn't ThereThe Man Who Wasn't There is a 2001 neo-noir film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Billy Bob Thornton stars in the title role. Also featured are James Gandolfini, Tony Shalhoub, Scarlett Johansson, Adam Alexi-Malle and Coen regulars Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, and Jon...
(2001) - Officer Krebs - The DepartedThe DepartedThe Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
(2006) - Detective #2 Tailing Queenan - Gran Torino (2008) - Mitch Kowalski
- The Taking of Pelham 123The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009 film)The Taking of Pelham 123 is a 2009 thriller film, directed by Tony Scott, and starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. It is a film adaptation of the novel by Morton Freedgood , and is a remake of the original 1974 film adaptation, which was also remade in 1998 as a TV movie...
(2009) - Police Captain Hill (MTA) - The Adjustment BureauThe Adjustment BureauThe Adjustment Bureau is a 2011 American fantasy romantic thriller film loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story, "Adjustment Team". The film was written and directed by George Nolfi and stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. The cast also includes Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Michael Kelly,...
" (2011) - Officer Maes