Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#384
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Conan O'Brien represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 25 years in, and Conan is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Conan O'Brien appears in 28 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Conan. Toy Story 5 is the clearest case: a film rated 8.2 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for animation, family, comedy. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Andrew Stanton, Morgan Neville, Colin Hanks and others, Conan O'Brien helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Toy Story 5 (2026) as Smarty Pants (voice) · Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2013) as David Endochrine (voice) · John Candy: I Like Me (2025) as Self - Comedian & Podcast Host
Career snapshot
Ranked #384 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
28
2001–2026
Career length
25 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.2
Toy Story 5
Average Nutevio score
6.6
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.1
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Most frequent director
Andrew Stanton
2 films together
Longest collaboration
2×
With Andrew Stanton
Most common genre
Comedy
15 titles
Average runtime
1h 38m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.0
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.6
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2010s
7.1 average MV
The 2010s are where the work and the material meet. Dads, Fyre, The Lego Batman Movie — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2010s
7.1
Across 10 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2010s
7.1
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
2000s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. The Great Buck Howard, Bewitched, Storytelling.
Most productive era
2020s
13 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.61 film | 6.62 films | 6.31 film |
| Action | 5.11 film | 7.64 films | — |
| Thriller | — | 7.31 film | — |
| Comedy | 5.74 films | 6.85 films | 6.16 films |
| Crime | — | 7.31 film | — |
| Romance | 5.92 films | — | — |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
2001Storytelling
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Himself.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
2026Toy Story 5
8.2 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2026Toy Story 5
The current state of the argument, as Smarty Pants (voice).
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
28 of 28 films
as Smarty Pants (voice)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
as David Endochrine (voice)
Directed by Jay Oliva
as Self - Comedian & Podcast Host
Directed by Colin Hanks
as Smarty Pants (voice)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
as Glaxxon 5000 (voice)
Directed by Mike Rianda
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Showing 24 of 48 titles · 56 total credits · active 1969–2026
Lorne
2026 · Self
Toy Story 5
2026 · Smarty Pants (voice)
Chris Fleming: Live at The Palace
2026 · Executive Producer
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
2026 · TV · Self - Comedian
Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model
2026 · TV · Self Host, Late Night with Conan O'Brien (archive footage)
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
2025 · Therapist
John Candy: I Like Me
2025 · Self - Comedian & Podcast Host
Downey Wrote That
2025 · Self
Everybody's Live with John Mulaney
2025 · TV · Self (Pre-Tape Segment) (uncredited)
The Beast in Me
2025 · TV · Executive Producer
BRATS
2024 · Self (archival footage) (uncredited)
Conan O'Brien Must Go
2024 · TV · Self - Host · Creator · Executive Producer
Mr. McMahon
2024 · TV · Self (archive footage)
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
2023 · Self
Gary Gulman: Born on 3rd Base
2023 · Executive Producer
The Playboy Murders
2023 · TV · Self (archive footage)
SmartLess: On the Road
2023 · TV
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
2022 · Andy Warhol
Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special
2022 · Self
Murderville
2022 · TV · Conan O'Brien
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
2021 · Glaxxon 5000 (voice)
You Cannot Kill David Arquette
2020 · Self (archive footage)
Becoming
2020 · Self
James Veitch: Straight to VHS
2020 · Executive Producer
The defining work
#1
Smarty Pants (voice)
Toy Story 5 (2026)
Performance score8.2
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Smarty Pants (voice) gives Conan O'Brien a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
David Endochrine (voice)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2013)
Performance score7.8
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. David Endochrine (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Self - Comedian & Podcast Host
John Candy: I Like Me (2025)
Performance score7.7
John Candy: I Like Me asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Self - Comedian & Podcast Host is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Smarty Pants (voice)
Toy Story 5 (2026)
Performance score7.5
Toy Story 5 asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Smarty Pants (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Smarty Pants (voice)
Start here. Toy Story 5 is the clearest statement of what Conan O'Brien does — accessible, 100 minutes, and rated 8.2 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Conan at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2013)
Keeps the animation register of Toy Story 5 but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
Keeps the animation register of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns but asks for a colder reading of it.
John Candy: I Like Me (2025)
A deliberate change of key after The Mitchells vs. the Machines — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Toy Story 5 (2026)
A deliberate change of key after John Candy: I Like Me — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Jay Oliva
Director
2 films together
Notably Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Andrew Stanton
Director
2 films together
Notably Toy Story 5
Louis C.K.
Director
1 film together
Notably Pootie Tang
Cameron Crowe
Director
1 film together
Notably Vanilla Sky
Nora Ephron
Director
1 film together
Notably Bewitched
Casey Affleck
Director
1 film together
Notably I'm Still Here
Greg Mottola
Director
1 film together
Notably Clear History
Ben Stiller
Director
1 film together
Notably The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Louis Leterrier
Director
1 film together
Notably Now You See Me
Chris Smith
Director
1 film together
Notably Fyre
Bryce Dallas Howard
Director
1 film together
Notably Dads
Nadia Hallgren
Director
1 film together
Notably Becoming
Mike Rianda
Director
1 film together
Notably The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Jeff Tomsic
Director
1 film together
Notably Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special
Eric Appel
Director
1 film together
Notably Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Rob Reiner
Director
1 film together
Notably Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
Andrew McCarthy
Director
1 film together
Notably BRATS
Brent Hodge
Director
1 film together
Notably Downey Wrote That
Colin Hanks
Director
1 film together
Notably John Candy: I Like Me
Morgan Neville
Director
1 film together
Notably Lorne
Tom Hanks
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Tim Allen
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Joan Cusack
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Greta Lee
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Craig Robinson
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Shelby Rabara
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Tony Hale
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Scarlett Spears
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Jay Hernandez
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Lori Alan
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Bonnie Hunt
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Kristen Schaal
Actor
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 5
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Andrew Stanton
Director
2 films together · 7.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Toy Story 5Jay Oliva
Director
2 films together · 7.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Batman: The Dark Knight ReturnsColin Hanks
Director
1 film together · 7.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
John Candy: I Like MeMike Rianda
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Mitchells vs. the MachinesLouis Leterrier
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Now You See MeRob Reiner
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Albert Brooks: Defending My LifeNadia Hallgren
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BecomingBen Stiller
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Secret Life of Walter MittyBryce Dallas Howard
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DadsChris Smith
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
FyreMorgan Neville
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
LorneCameron Crowe
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Vanilla SkyEric Appel
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Weird: The Al Yankovic StoryJeff Tomsic
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Norm Macdonald: Nothing SpecialGreg Mottola
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Clear HistoryAndrew McCarthy
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BRATSCasey Affleck
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
I'm Still HereNora Ephron
Director
1 film together · 5.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BewitchedLouis C.K.
Director
1 film together · 5.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Pootie TangBrent Hodge
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Downey Wrote ThatSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
as David Endochrine (voice)
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Toy Story 5
as Smarty Pants (voice)
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
as David Endochrine (voice)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Fyre
as Self (archive footage)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Toy Story 5
as Smarty Pants (voice)
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Conan O'Brien has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
| Nutevio Performer Score | 7.5 | 8.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Career ranking | #632 of 681 | #9 of 681 |
| Awards on file | Unknown | 3 recorded |
| Oscar wins | Unknown | 2 |
| Oscar nominations | Unknown | 6 |
| Average Nutevio score | 8.2 | 8.6 |
| Genres | Animation, Family, Comedy | Animation, Family, Comedy, Drama |
| Directors | Andrew Stanton | Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont |
| Performance DNA | Emotional range, Comedy, Quiet performance | Emotional range, Quiet performance, Screen presence |
| Career timeline | 2026–2026 | 1999–2026 |
| Most iconic role | Smarty Pants (voice) — Toy Story 5 | Paul Edgecomb — The Green Mile |
| Most rewatchable film | Toy Story 5 | The Green Mile |
| Filmography | 1 catalogue film | 2 catalogue films |
Films together
Toy Story 5
Shared directors
andrew-stanton
Shared collections
Animation Movies, Comedy Movies
Collaborators in common
Andrew Stanton · Tim Allen · Joan Cusack · Greta Lee · Craig Robinson · Shelby Rabara · Tony Hale · Scarlett Spears
Tom Hanks edges ahead here — a higher floor across a comparable body of work.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
25 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
15 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
as David Endochrine (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
as David Endochrine (voice)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Toy Story 5
as Smarty Pants (voice)
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
as David Endochrine (voice)
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
as David Endochrine (voice)
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
The Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III
as Zuckuss (voice)
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
as Conan O'Brien
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Toy Story 5
as Smarty Pants (voice)
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
Across the library
Every Nutevio collection this name turns up in, and how high they rank there.
Collection footprint
Appears in 2 Nutevio collections
Keep reading
From the magazine
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Have your say
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Reference
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