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Brendan started his professional career as a teen on the stages of regional theaters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After high school, Brendan took his B.A. from the School of Drama at the University of Washington. He remained in Seattle for several years after college, working as an actor and stage manager until he and his wife set off on a busking journey in 2008. When they returned from their journey, they settled in Los Angeles.

Brendan was born in Seattle, but he moved to the rural Wisconsin community of his father's childhood when he was five. He lived on Bur Oak Farm in a family that supported his interest in theater arts. Brendan's father drove him hours each day to rehearsals, auditions, and classes; became a stage hand and lighting designer to get involved with Brendan's projects; and helped Brendan establish the 4-H Drama Program in their county. Brendan's mother has always been a storyteller, and helped ignite his imagination with her original stories of The Elf and The No-No Man. Brendan's extended family and community came out to his shows and supported him; from aunts and uncles to school and 4-H. Brendan wants to knit communities around him tightly. Communities are why we make art, and are the force for change in the world. They are how we make the world where everyone has power together, and can use that power to ensure each individual has what they need to survive and thrive. Communities are great. Community. Community. Community.

By the time he reached his teens, Brendan had become a regular on First Stage Milwaukee's Equity stage, the 500 seat Todd Wehr Theater. The education, both theatrical and personal, that he received at First Stage continues to have an impact on his career, and he is grateful to the many fine teachers and co-workers he met on stage and in the classroom there, including Todd Denning, James Ridge, Jeff Frank, Kassie Misciewicz, and so many others they'd be impossible to all name here.

Brendan attended the University of Washington from 2000-2004, and took his degree in Drama with minors in Dance and German Language and Literature. During his time at UW, Brendan founded the dramatic dance troupe, Klichet, with Alissa Mortenson and Margaretta Lantz. By the time he graduated, Klichet boasted a rotating cast of ten, and more than a dozen acclaimed shows.

Brendan served as the Artistic Director of the Undergraduate Theatre Society at UW for one year, and was privileged to work with a committed staff that grew and supported the theatre community in UW's School of Drama. For his service in this position and his development of other community projects at the university, a selection committee made up of professors and staff awarded him the Robert Loper Scholarship in 2003.

Brendan appeared in dozens of productions during his time at UW. He worked with professors, grad students, and undergrads, including Mark Jenkins, Shanga Parker, Robin Hunt, Amy Boyce Holtcamp, Josh Costello, Jurg Koch, Nikki Przasnyski, Tim Astor, and dozens of others too numerous to mention. He worked on projects that ranged in scale from 48 hour play festivals to the School of Drama's main season productions. In his final work at UW, Brendan played D in the Polaroid Stories on the Ethnic Cultural Center stage. Polaroid Stories was a joint project between an alumni-founded production company and local homelessness activists.

In Fall of 2004, Brendan became a Stage Manager for Youth Theatre Northwest. He worked with YTN for four years, teaching, directing, and organizing productions made by kids for kids with the support of theatre professionals in the greater Seattle area. He had the opportunity to work with some of the top theatre artists in their field, including Mimi Katano, Kate Swenson, Gillian Jorgenson, Meghan Arnette, Brian Jackson, Meggan Davis, Wes Weddell, and, goodness knows, too many more to name, while supporting the growth and development of young actors, directors, and production staff.

In 2006, Brendan founded Ray Burley Productions with several UW School of Drama alumni and several co-workers at YTN (including too many to name). Ray Burley Productions began with the simple idea that a group of dedicated artists could make quality theatre and pay theatre artists in a fringe theatre town. Ray Burley Productions staged The Tempest in 2007 and Under Milkwood in 2008. Both shows played to often sold-out audiences, and Ray Burley Productions was able to fund their shows and pay their actors a small stipend purely from ticket sales and fundraisers. Ray Burley Productions now produces in Hollywood, and has received tremendous accolades for their productions at the Hollywood Fringe Festivals.

Also during this post-college time, he continued to teach as a freelancer with acclaimed youth programs, including several through Seattle Children's Theatre and First Stage Milwaukee (where he was trained as a child!).

In Fall of 2008, Brendan and his fiancee, Stina, developed a street performance routine they named "...And Juggling", said goodbye to their friends and colleagues at YTN and RBP, and set off on a two-year adventure.

Brendan and Stina persevered through four months of grueling routine rehearsals and performances in Seattle, Wisconsin, and Louisiana before deciding to move to Los Angeles so that Brendan could pursue his Film and Television career.

Before they moved to L.A., though, Brendan and Stina spent a year in Magdeburg, Germany, where they taught English, and Stina wrote the novel that was the first step on her journey to become a full-time author.

Since moving to L.A. in November 2010, Brendan has acted in numerous films. Thanks goodness for IMDB, because he's losing track of them. He performs on the Main Company at ComedySportz, and has written and performed in sketches at Second City. He can be seen online in Daily Fiber Films and We Make Movies sketches. He played Eric in the original series, Top Decking, made some short films with Two White Wines, and appears in several web series, including Liza on Demand, Jane, Welcome to My Life, and Ghost Coppers. He played Macbeth in 2018. In June, 2015, he was Henry Tilney in Catherine at the Hollywood Fringe Festival with Ray Burley Productions.

He's represented by Pacific Talent and Models, inc.










OTHER PROJECTS

Production Manager for Youth Theatre Northwest

Founder of Ray Burley Productions

Founder of Klichet Dramatic Dance Troupe

Founder of Two White Wines

Founder of ...And Juggling

Student, actor, and teacher for First Stage

Writer and actor with We Make Movies

Collaborator with Opera del Espacio