Brian Rooney

Brian Rooney was adopted at birth by James Everett (a golf pro) and Joan Bree Rooney (a teacher) - he grew up in San Leandro, CA where his mother put him in the Oakland Children's Fairyland Chorus at the age of six. At twelve, Brian was part of the East Bay Boy's Chorus that made up the Boy's Choir in Leonard Bernstein's MASS! at UC Berkeley with Gilbert Price as the Celebrant. Brian was addicted to theatre instantly . . . and began performing all over the Bay Area. By the time he entered Junior High he had already done several productions. As a Sophomore in High School, Brian lost both his parents and finished High School in the small wheat farming town of Reardan, WA. While he drove a wheat truck during harvest for his uncle, he drove the 50 miles each direction to Spokane Civic Theatre to continue his love of theatre. The High School in Reardan did not have a drama program, so Brian took it upon himself to start a club and direct the first play in many years to appear in the community of Reardan. After High School, Brian went to Los Angeles to attend American Academy of Dramatic Arts - it did not work out and Brian found himself involved in the Rock and Roll industry. A few years later, after moving to Santa Cruz, CA, Brian re-discovered theatre - he did about 35 shows in the 6 years he lived there, got his SAG card and headed back to Los Angeles where he appeared as a regular "under 5" on General Hospital, did Day Player & Extra work for films and took classes. After several unsuccessful attempts to get back into theatre, Brian moved to Portland, OR to finally get a college degree and get back to his theatrical roots. He did this quite successfully, graduating from University of Portland in 2005 with a BA while adding several professional productions to his resume. From Portland, Grad School took him to South Carolina, North Carolina, Milwaukee and finally Chicago where he is enjoying success as a professional stage actor while still dabbling in Independent Film. Brian has more than 150 theatrical credits and about 30 film/television credits. His work ranges from Shakespeare to Musicals to Interactive Improv Comedy - with high critical praises in each.