robert sean leonard: bio
Robert Sean Leonard was born Robert Lawrence Leonard on February 28, 1969, in Westwood, NJ. If you're wondering why the discrepancy, he took his brother's first name as his middle name professionally. Robert studied history for five years at Fordham University. He has also attended the Columbia University school of General Studies and Continuing Education. He is left-handed, which may explain why he's so creative! Robert is talented actor who, after small roles in The Manhattan Project (1986) and My Best Friend Is a Vampire (1988), scored a major success as Neil Perry, the sensitive student in Dead Poets Society (1989).
A stage veteran since the age of 12, Robert has worked on Broadway in Brighton Beach Memoirs and Breaking the Code and received a Tony nomination for his work as Eugene Marchbanks in a revival of Candida. He has also appeared in the films Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990), Married to It (1993), as Claudio in Kenneth Branagh's version of Much Ado About Nothing (1993), as a jazz enthusiast fighting the rise of Nazism in Swing Kids (1993), and as Daniel Day-Lewis' son in The Age of Innocence (also 1993). In 1994 he costarred in stage production There Goes My Baby.
Also in 1994, Robert was interviewed by Roy Harris, a longtime Broadway stage manager for Harris' book, Conversations in the Wings: Talking About Acting. The book features 13 actors including Stockard Channing and Madeline Kahn. Robert has continued to work on both stage and screen projects, and his ever-growing list of credits includes the critically acclaimed stage revivals of You Never Can Tell (1998) and The Iceman Cometh (1999), with Kevin Spacey, as well as roles in the films The Last Days of Disco (1998) and the television movie A Glimpse of Hell (2001). In between his roles in movies and plays, Robert has managed to narrate some classic works for audio books, including Conrad Richter's A Light in the Forest (1992), Douglas Coupland's Girlfriend in a Coma (1998), and Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia (2001).
In 2001, Robert was honored with a Tony award for his work in The Invention of Love (2001), and went on to star in his first Broadway musical, The Music Man (also 2001). He was again nominated for a Tony in 2003 for his role in Long Days Journey into Night (2003). Robert put theatre on hold temporarily in 2004 when he landed the supporting role of Dr James Wilson on the medical drama "House". The show became a smash hit with critics and audiences, and is currently enjoying it's fifth season on FOX.
On a personal note, Robert married his long-time girlfriend, the adorable Gabby, in August 2008.
* This biography was originally written by Rose - I hate writing bios so much that I will just continually add to her original write-up as time goes on. Thanks, Rose!
