Brian Haley

Brian Carlo Haley, born on February 12, 1963 in Seattle, Washington, is a versatile American actor and comedian whose career spans more than three decades. Raised as the fifth of six children in a large Catholic family, Haley’s early life was marked by a nomadic childhood: his family moved to Saint‑Jovite, Quebec when he was three, where he lived in a boarding home and became fluent in French before returning to Seattle. He began performing in community and school theater as a child, and a chance encounter with a film set in Seattle at age twelve sparked his ambition to pursue show business. After high school he held a variety of rugged jobs—lumberjack, hay buck, ranch hand—and later enlisted in the U.S. Army’s Green Berets from 1980 to 1985, earning commendations and the Army Achievement Medal before leaving to follow his passion for performance.

Haley’s breakthrough came after relocating to Los Angeles in 1988, where he won “Hollywood’s Hottest New Comic” and secured a holding deal with ABC. A memorable appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1990 launched him into a flood of television and film roles, including the bumbling kidnapper Veeko in Baby’s Day Out, the over‑the‑top football dad Mike Hammersmith in Little Giants, and the gritty detective in the Coen Brothers’ The Man Who Wasn’t There. He later portrayed Mitch Kowalski, the discontented son of Clint Eastwood’s character in Gran Torino, and appeared in iconic projects such as The Departed and The Taking of Pelham 123. Beyond acting, Haley has performed on Broadway, contributed commentary for NFL Blitz, and runs his own production company, Haleywood Productions. He resides in New York City, is married to Marj McCoshen Haley, and is the proud father of five children.