NBC Exec Nora O’Brien Passes

NBC Exec Nora O’Brien Passes

VP, Drama Programming

According to new reports, the cast and crew of Parenthood, a remake of the 1989 film starring Steve Martin, had taken an evening break from shooting and a few people, including O’Brien, were playing basketball. O’Brien said she felt dizzy and then she collapsed. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Prior to NBC, O’Brien worked at Trilogy Entertainment Group and the Sci Fi cable channel, where she was a development executive.

At Sci Fi, she worked on such shows as Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis and the miniseries The Lost Room.

In her most recent position at NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, she worked on such shows as Bionic Woman, Kings and The Philanthropist.

O’Brien was born October 2, 1964, in Hartford, Connecticut. She attended Boston College, where she earned a B.A. in economics and communications. She began her career at Reunion Productions in Boston, where she wrote and produced documentary films.

Since her passing, O’Brien’s many friends and associates have sought to organize a fundraiser for one of O’Brien’s favorite causes, Hollywood Heart, a Los Angeles camp for children living with HIV/AIDS. They have also established a Remembering Nora O’Brien page on Facebook, which people are encouraged to visit.

O’Brien is survived by her mother and six brothers and sisters.