Journalist.
Born in Brisbane, Queensland, and educated at St Laurence's College, O'Brien started as a news cadet in 1966, at Channel 9 in Brisbane. He has worked in newspapers, wire service and television news and current affairs, as a general reporter, feature writer, political and foreign correspondent, interviewer, and compére.
After six years heading the ABC's Lateline program, O'Brien moved to The 7:30 Report in 1995. In December 2010, he concluded his long-running role with the program; he later took up hosting Four Corners, in October 2010, a position from which he stepped down in 2015.
He has won many accolades, including six Walkley Awards, among them the Gold Walkley.
After presenting Keating: The Interviews as an ABC series in 2013, he wrote a biography of former Prime Minister Paul Keating, with which Keating co-operated.