Quick Facts
GeminiBiography
Emily Roya O'Brien (born May 28, 1985) is an English-born, half Persian actress. She is known for her role as Jana Hawkes Fisher on The Young and the Restless from May 11, 2006 until her character died on May 6, 2011.
Personal life
O'Brien was born in Bedfordshire, England, but moved with her family to Carlsbad, California, when she was nine years old. Her mother is Persian and her father is British. Sister to Natalie O'Brien.
O'Brien's parents, Flora and Michael O’Brien, say, “Acting is the only thing she wanted to do.” She was in plays at Carlsbad High School, where she graduated in 2003, and at MiraCosta College, where she completed a theater major in 2005.
She was named a finalist in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival’s Irene Ryan Acting Competition in 2005, where she was pitted against several hundred students from colleges and universities across the country.
O'Brien speaks Persian fluently and has studied French and Spanish.
Emily has been nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards for her work as Jana Fisher on The Young and the Restless.
She portrayed the role again in November 2008, when a parody of the show was the theme of the 1st showcase on The Price Is Right.
Emily was seen in Pernicious, her first supernatural horror film, directed by James Cullen Bressack.
Filmography
- 2006: What About Brian as Girl at Club (1 episode)
- 2006: The Young and the Restless as Jana Hawkes (Role: April 2006-Feb 2007, June 2007- May 2011)
- 2006: Séance as Girl
- 2009: She is featured as the test subject in a TED talk about recreating human faces in digital, photo-realistic quality. [1]
- 2011: Writer and producer of the award winning short film "Beatrice" winner of best film at BIFF 2012
- 2013: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn as Y'shtola
- 2014: Pernicious as Julia
- 2016: The Bad Batch
- 2016: World of Final Fantasy as Faris Scherwiz
Awards
- ACTF Irene Ryans Theater festival Finalist and 2006 Nominee (2005)
- CHS Film Festival: Best Actress of 2003 Best Film (Pleasant Dreams) of 2003 (2003)
- DTASC Shakespeare Festival : 3rd place award for Othello (2003)
- BEST FEST San Diego Film Festival (2003) 3rd place award for Pleasant Dreams
- Team Power Award Don't Drink the Water from the city of Carlsbad (2002)
- Daytime Emmy Award Nomination: Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series (2008)
- Daytime Emmy Award Nomination: Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series (2009)
- Daytime Emmy Award Nomination: Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series (2011)