Parry O'Brien was born on 19 January 1932 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He was married to Terry Bakondi. He died on 21 April 2007 in Santa Clarita, California, USA.
At his peak, O'Brien won 116 consecutive competitions. He was the first shot-putter to exceed 60 feet and extended the world record from 59 feet, 3/4 inch in 1953 to 63 feet, 4 inches in 1959, raising it 16 times.
