Lily Brooks O’Briant
Lily Brooks O’Briant (born July 10, 2006) is an American child actress and singer. She plays the role of Mandy Wight on the Netflix series, The Big Show Show. O'Briant began her career playing Matilda in the Broadway production of the same name and also starred alongside Dolph Lundgren in the 2015 film, Shark Lake.
Lily Brooks O’Briant | |
---|---|
Born | Lily Brooks O’Briant July 10, 2006 |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Actress |
Television | The Tick The Big Show Show |
Awards | Wasserman Award (Marina & Presentation) New York City Independent Film Festival award (Best Actress - Short film) |
O'Briant's played the lead role in the short film, Marina. She received multiple awards for the portrayal of Marina, winning a Wasserman Award and a New York City Independent Film Festival award.
She has since starred as Young Dot in Amazon's The Tick, before appearing on the main cast of Netflix's The Big Show Show in 2020.
Early life
O'Briant was born in Memphis, Tennessee.[1]
Career
O'Briant began her on-screen career aged eight when she appeared in the film Shark Lake alongside Hollywood legend, Dolph Lundgren. Filming began in January 2015 and was directed by Jerry Dugan with a reported budget of $2 million.[2] She portrayed Carly Gray, the daughter of Clint, black market dealer played by Lundgren. The dealer is responsible for releasing a dangerous shark into Lake Tahoe.[3]
During the same year, O'Briant was announced as lead in the US tour of the musical Matilda.[4][5] She held the role of Matilda for until mid-2016,[6] playing in various cities across the US.[7][8]
Following the role of Matilda, O'Briant moved into short films and received credits for a number of productions between 2016 through 2018. This included Marina, where she played the lead role. The story follows a young girl who inherits Spinal Muscular Atrophy from her mom. O'Briant received a number of nominations and awards for her portrayal in the film. In 2018, she won three awards for Marina, a Wasserman Award,[9] a New York City Independent Film Festival,[10] and also the Five Continents Film Festival. All three awards were in the category for the best young actress and she was also nominated for a similar award at the Utah Film Awards.[11] She also received an award for the short film Presentation, at the Independent Shorts Awards.[12]
In 2019, O'Briant secured her first major TV role in Amazon TV series, The Tick.[13] During the same year, she became part of the leading cast in The Big Show Show.[14] The first season aired in spring 2020.[15][16] Later that year, O’Briant recorded remotely for the award-winning musical The Perfect Fit. She appeared alongside Laura Benanti and others in Joshua Turchin's production.[17]
References
- "Lily Brooks O'Briant". WATN-TV.
- Scheck, Frank. "'Shark Lake': Film Review". Hollywood Reporter.
- Tsai, Martin (October 1, 2015). "Review: Brackish water floods 'Shark Lake'". LA Times.
- "Meet the girls playing 'Matilda'". WKYC. May 11, 2016.
- Meacham, Andrew (February 25, 2016). "Review: 'Matilda the Musical' shows it's never too late for a happy childhood". Tampa Bay Times.
- Jones, Chris (March 25, 2016). "Matilda is a superhero onstage, and knowledge is her power". Chicago Tribune.
- Weiss, Hedy (March 25, 2016). "Matilda The Musical - A Warped Fairy Tale for Our Time". Chicago Sun Times.
- "Short & Sweet Critic Holly Daigle reviews Matilda with Diana Martinez of Broadway in Chicago". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois).
- "2018 Wasserman Awards". New York University Tisch School of the Arts.
- Burke, Kimberly (May 19, 2018). "NYC Independent Film Festival Award Winners". Green Room NYC.
- "2018 Nominees and Awards". Utah Film Awards.
- "Award Winners: July 2018". Independent Shorts Awards.
- "Lily Brooks O'Briant Cutting your Own Hair". WREG-TV.
- Petski, Denise (July 30, 2019). "WWE Star Big Show To Headline Netflix Live-Action Family Comedy Series". Deadline.com.
- McMahon, Mike (April 28, 2020). "The Big Show: How The Netflix Series Came Together". Den of Geek.
- "Lily Brooks O'Briant on quarantine and The Big Show Show". KSL-TV.
- "13 Year Old Joshua Turchin Explains How He Made The Perfect Fit". Broadway World.