Maria O’Brien, an actress in Protocol and Matlock, who also worked as an acting coach on Days of Our Lives, died on Feb. 24. She was 75.
Her cause of death wasn’t immediately available.
Born on Aug. 14, 1950, in Los Angeles, O’Brien grew up in a Hollywood family, as her father was Oscar winner Edmond O’Brien and her mother was musical comedy star Olga San Juan. After following in her parents’ footsteps, she landed her first onscreen credit in 1963 on the TV series Sam Benedict.
She also appeared in the 1984 film Protocol, starring Goldie Hawn and Chris Sarandon, as well as Smile, Good Luck, Promised a Miracle, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, Table for Five, False Arrest and In Sickness and in Health.
O’Brien’s television credits included Viva Valdez, The Love Boat, How the West Was Won, The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts, CHiPs, Quincy, M.E., Magnum, P.I., Good Morning, Miss Bliss, L.A. Law, Matlock, Jake and the Fatman, Murder, She Wrote, Nash Bridges, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, Suddenly Susan, Jack & Jill, Spyder Games and For the People.
Throughout her time in the industry, she acted alongside Melanie Griffith, Lily Tomlin, Angela Lansbury, Tom Selleck and many others.
Aside from her time onscreen, O’Brien also worked as an acting coach on the daytime dramas Sunset Beach and Passions. This led her to serve as an acting coach on 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 The Maids by Jean Genet, which was performed at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
Her father, Edmond, was one of the first celebrities to be diagnosed publicly with Alzheimer’s disease, and in 1983, she testified before Congress about the devastation of 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 Sean Anderson; and her sister, Bridget O’Brien Adelman.
