# Brian Haley
**Brian Haley** (birth name Brian Carlo Haley) is an American actor and stand-up comedian, born in 1963 in Seattle, Washington, known for playing Veeko the kidnapper in *[Baby's Day Out](https://www.edgepedia.org/babys-day-out)* (1994), overzealous sports father Mike Hammersmith in *Little Giants* (1994), and [Clint Eastwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/clint-eastwood)'s son Mitch Kowalski in *Gran Torino* (2008).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/brian_haley) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-haley/credits/3000510684/) His screen persona, a strong-jawed, all-American physical presence, is used both for stern supporting characters and as the backdrop for a comedy act built on outrageous antics.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/brian_haley)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963, Seattle, Washington, USA[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/brian_haley) |
| Professions | Actor and writer; began as a stand-up comic in Seattle in the mid-1980s[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-haley/credits/3000510684/) |
| Breakthrough | Stand-up appearance on *The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson* in 1990, followed by an HBO special and a two-year development deal at Fox[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) |
| Signature film roles | Veeko in *Baby's Day Out* (1994); Mike Hammersmith (Spike's dad) in *Little Giants* (1994); Mitch, the president's Secret Service agent, in *Mars Attacks!* (1996); Mitch Kowalski in *Gran Torino* (2008)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) |
| Television | Budd Bronski on *Wings* (NBC, 1995–1996); Tom Vanderhulst on *Maggie Winters* (CBS, 1998); The Hooded Avenger on *The Weird Al Show* (CBS, 1997)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963) |
| Comedy awards | Second place and People's Choice winner, San Francisco Stand Up Comedy Competition, 1988; Hollywood's Hottest New Comic award, UCP, 1988[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963) |
| Other background | Served five years in the United States Army (Special Forces per one career reference); married Marjorie in 1987, five children[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963) • [5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/brian-haley.html) |
## Stand-up beginnings
Haley acted in Seattle theater as a child and began working professionally as a stand-up comic in the Seattle area in the mid-1980s.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) Before comedy he worked as a ranch hand, logger, and hay buck, and a career reference lists military service in the U.S. Army Special Forces; a biographical profile states he served in the Army for five years.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963) • [5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/brian-haley.html) In 1988 he took second place and the People's Choice award at the San Francisco Stand Up Comedy Competition and received UCP's Hollywood's Hottest New Comic award.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963)
His break came in 1990 with a stand-up appearance on *The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson*, which led to an HBO special and a two-year deal at Fox television for his own show, though no series was produced.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) While at Fox he wrote and starred in short comedy films for the series *The Sunday Comics* (1991).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963)
## Film roles in the 1990s
The *Sunday Comics* work led to a starring role as Veeko, one of the incompetent kidnappers, in the John Hughes comedy *Baby's Day Out* (1994).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) The same year he played Mike Hammersmith, an over-the-top sports parent known as Spike's dad, in *Little Giants*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) He then appeared as Mitch, the president's Secret Service agent, in [Tim Burton](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-burton)'s *Mars Attacks!* (1996), and as the muscular dope Christy in *McHale's Navy* (1997), the lowest-rated film on his Rotten Tomatoes record at 3 percent.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/brian_haley) During the 1995 [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) he appeared in a popular [Miller Lite](https://www.edgepedia.org/miller-lite) commercial as Elmer Bruker, a hard-luck quarterback who was on every winning Super Bowl team but never played; a profile credits this appearance with a Clio Award.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/brian-haley.html)
## Television work
On the NBC sitcom *Wings*, Haley replaced Thomas Haden Church's character Lowell in 1996, playing Budd Bronski, a recurring role credited for 1995–1996.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963) In 1997 he played The Hooded Avenger on CBS's *The Weird Al Show*, and in 1998 he was bartender Tom Vanderhulst on the short-lived CBS sitcom *Maggie Winters* opposite [Faith Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/faith-ford).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963) His many guest appearances include *Quantum Leap* (1990), *Baywatch* (1990), *The Drew Carey Show* (1995, uncredited as a Drew look-alike), *The Hughleys* (1999–2000, as Officer Sweeney), *Third Watch* (2003), *ER*, *30 Rock*, *Blue Bloods*, *The Blacklist*, *Orange Is the New Black*, and *Escape at Dannemora* (2018, as David Favro).[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-haley/credits/3000510684/) • [5](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/brian-haley.html)
## Later film career
Haley has also played serious roles, including detectives in the [Coen brothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/coen-brothers)' *The Man Who Wasn't There* (2001, as Krebs) and Martin Scorsese's *The Departed* (2006, as [Detective](https://www.edgepedia.org/detective) #2 tailing Queenan).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963) His most prominent later part is Mitch Kowalski, Clint Eastwood's ungrateful and irritated son, in *Gran Torino* (2008), the highest-rated film on his Rotten Tomatoes record at 81 percent.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/brian_haley) Other credits include the training captain in *Pearl Harbor* (2001), Police Officer Maes in *[The Adjustment Bureau](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-adjustment-bureau)* (2011), Police Captain Hill in *The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3* (2009), and the uncredited NFL Commissioner in *Draft Day* (2014).[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963) • [6](https://www.archytele.com/person/brian-haley/movies-and-tv-shows)
## Return to stand-up and personal life
After years working solely as an actor, Haley returned to stand-up around 2007, having relocated to the New York area and playing small- to medium-sized clubs on the East Coast.[7](https://sheckymagazine.com/2007/02/brian-haley-spotted/) He lives in New York and owns the production company Sky Blue House Productions.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083) • [4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963) He married Marjorie in 1987 and the couple have five children.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963)
## References
1. [Brian Haley, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355083)
2. [Brian Haley Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/brian_haley)
3. [Brian Haley List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-haley/credits/3000510684/)
4. [Haley, Brian 1963–, Encyclopedia.com (Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/haley-brian-1963)
5. [Brian Haley, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/brian-haley.html)
6. [Brian Haley Filmography: Every Movie & TV Role, archytele](https://www.archytele.com/person/brian-haley/movies-and-tv-shows)
7. [Brian Haley spotted, SHECKYmagazine](https://sheckymagazine.com/2007/02/brian-haley-spotted/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames H to Ha*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license