Brendan McCarthy was born in Camp Pendleton, California to Alice and Dr. Michael McCarthy. Brendan is the youngest of five children. Both his parents are of Irish and German decent. McCarthy graduated from the University of San Diego High School, then the University of San Diego where he obtained a degree in Business Management and a minor in Studio Art. Brendan was a left-handed pitcher on the baseball team as a walk-on, and after moving to Los Angeles after college he got his first role in HBO's baseball movie 61*. He is most known for his recurring bad-boy roles on F/X's Justified and HBO's Trueblood.