Toronto, ON – August 8, 2014

Actor and filmmaker Mark O’Brien is set to reprise his fan favourite role as Des Courtney during the sixth and final season of CBC’s Republic of Doyle. Audiences will also get a taste of Mark’s directorial side once again when he directs the second episode of the new season airing October 2014.

Debuting in 2010, Republic of Doyle is an award winning comedy-drama series set in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The show follows private investigator and former police officer Jake Doyle (Allan Hawco) and his father Malachy Doyle (Seán McGinley) whose cases find them involved in all sorts of dealings – not all of them on the right side of the law.

Mark’s character, Des Courtney, is a young Private Investigator, going from a delinquent to a valued member of Doyle & Doyle Investigations, specializing in the technological side of things.

Mark can be recognized for his roles on several hit series including NBC’s Hannibal, where he played a recurring role as Randall Tier, a psychotic serial killer. He has also been featured on episodes of CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries and Syfy’s Warehouse 13. In 2010, Mark starred in the Sundance Film Festival selection Grown Up Movie Star alongside Orphan Black’s, Tatiana Maslany.

Recently, Mark produced and starred in DENNIS, a short psychological thriller inspired by true events. Hitchhiking the Irish Loop of Newfoundland in the summer of 2010, director Nicole Dorsey learned of a series of unsolved kidnappings and murders that occurred through the 1980s. In this short she follows the story of Dennis, played by Mark, capturing his developing psychosis. DENNIS leaves viewers privy to an unsolved case and the possible reasoning for its occurrence.

Mark’s directorial credits can be seen in select episodes of Republic of Doyle, as well as nine short films including Better People, which showcased in 10 film festivals across Canada and the United States, and Sweetieface, seen in film festivals all across the country. Both films received critical acclaim, winning multiple awards including Best Short Film at the 2013 and 2014 WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. Mark currently has the three features in post-production including The End of Days at Godfrey Global Inventory, Len & Company and The Dark Stranger.

When he’s not busy acting and filmmaking, Mark enjoys reading and playing hockey. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Memorial University.

For more information visit:
www.imdb.com/name/nm1975628

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