Brian O'Conner

Brian O'Conner is a fictional character and the former protagonist of the Fast & Furious franchise. He is portrayed by Paul Walker and first appeared on film with fellow protagonist Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious (2001). Brian was created by screenwriter Gary Scott Thompson, who was inspired by an article on street racing that was published in the May 1998 issue of Vibe magazine. Walker was directly approached by director Rob Cohen to play the character. O'Conner, under the alias Brian Earl Spilner, first interacts with Dominic as an undercover police officer tasked with bringing him to the law. However, he helps him evade police capture twice, and also helps erase the criminal record of childhood friend Roman Pearce. These events help build many of his attributes: often the second in command to Dominic, Brian is shown to be honorable, honest, and protective, especially in regards to his family and wife, Mia Toretto. Brian is also respectful and believes in delivering fair justice. He is also a keen driver, and challenges Dominic, the implied strongest racer in the group, to races throughout the series. The role's popularity allowed Walker to become a bankable Hollywood star. He won the 2002 and 2014 MTV Movie Awards for Best On-Screen Team with Vin Diesel for his performances, and Walker became strongly identified with the character, with Brian being widely considered among the primary reasons of the longevity of the series. After Walker's death, the character was retired in Furious 7 (2015).