Dylan O'Brien
Dylan O'Brien | |
|---|---|
 O'Brien in 2025 | |
| Born | Dylan Rhodes O'Brien[1] August 26, 1991 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2011–present |
Dylan Rhodes O'Brien (born August 26, 1991)[2] is an American actor. His first major role was as Stiles Stilinski in the MTV supernatural series Teen Wolf (2011–2017). He achieved further prominence for his lead role in the science fiction Maze Runner trilogy (2014–2018), which led to more film appearances.
O'Brien played Deepwater Horizon explosion survivor Caleb Holloway in the disaster film Deepwater Horizon (2016), fictional counterterrorist Mitch Rapp in the action thriller American Assassin (2017), and voiced the title character in the Transformers installment Bumblebee (2018). He also played the lead role in the adventure film Love and Monsters (2020) and the horror film Caddo Lake (2024). He received critical acclaim for his lead role in the independent film Twinless (2025).
Early life and education
O'Brien was born in New York City, the son of Lisa (née Rhodes), a former actress who ran an acting school, and Patrick O'Brien, a camera operator.[3][4] He grew up in Springfield Township, New Jersey, until the age of twelve, when he and his family moved to Hermosa Beach, California.[5][6][7] He is of Irish, Italian, English, and Spanish descent.[8] After graduating from Mira Costa High School in 2009, he considered pursuing sports broadcasting and possibly working for the New York Mets.[9]
At 14, O'Brien began posting original videos onto his YouTube channel. In his senior high school year, a local producer and director approached him about working for a web series.[4] While working on the series, O'Brien met an actor who connected him with a manager. O'Brien subsequently changed his plans to attend Syracuse University[10] as a sports broadcasting major to pursue acting.[11]
Career
Before beginning his acting career, O'Brien produced, directed and starred in a number of short comedy films which he released through his personal YouTube channel, "moviekidd826".[12] He was also the drummer for the independent rock band Slow Kids at Play.[13]
O'Brien's acting break came when he landed one of the main roles in MTV's Teen Wolf, a series loosely based on the 1985 film. He was intended to play Scott, but after reading the script, he wanted to audition for the part of Stiles instead.[14] After four auditions, he was cast,[4] and started playing the role in 2010.[15] He received several Teen Choice Awards and a Young Hollywood Award for his work on the series.
In 2011, O'Brien was introduced to audiences in the entirely improvised independent comedy film High Road. The next year, he starred in the romantic comedy The First Time.
In 2013, while on hiatus from Teen Wolf, he co-starred in the comedy film The Internship; and that summer, filmed The Maze Runner (2014),[16] playing the lead role of Thomas. Yahoo! Movies named him as one of the 15 Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2014.[17] He reprised the role of Thomas in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, released on September 18, 2015.[18]
In March 2016, O'Brien was seriously injured on set while filming a stunt for Maze Runner: The Death Cure. He was in a harness on top of a moving vehicle when he was unexpectedly pulled off the vehicle and hit by another vehicle. His injuries included facial fractures, a concussion, and brain trauma.[19][20] He later said that the accident "'broke most of the right side'" of his face; he underwent reconstructive facial surgery.[21] After months of recovery, he eventually began filming other projects, and his March 2017 return to The Death Cure set marked his complete return to health.[22] The film premiered January 26, 2018.[22][23]