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Robert Lawrence Leonard (born February 28, 1969 in Westwood, New Jersey), better known by his stage name of Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor who plays Dr. James Wilson, Gregory House's best friend.

Leonard is also known to international audiences for his role as Dr. James Wilson in the medical drama, House MD and also for his role as the tragic character, Neil Perry in the 1989 movie, Dead Poets Society.

Early Life[]

Leonard was born Robert Lawrence Leonard on February 28th, 1969 in Weswood New Jersey. He grew up in Ridgewood, where he attended Ridgewood High School before moving on to Fordham University and later Columbia University School of General Studies (GS).

Career[]

Because he shares his birth name with another actor, Leonard uses the name of his brother Sean for his Screen Actors Guild membership.

Leonard is a three-time Tony Award nominee (1993, 2001 and 2003), winning in 2001 (Best Actor – Featured Play) for his role as A. E. Housman in Tom Stoppard's The Invention of Love. He had a prior association with Stoppard's work, playing the role of Valentine in the New York premiere of Arcadia at Lincoln Center in 1995. His 2003 Tony nomination was for his portrayal of Edmund Tyrone in a well-received revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night that co-starred Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brian Dennehy and Vanessa Redgrave. Leonard has also appeared in Broadway musical productions, in 2001 replacing Craig Bierko as the lead performer in a successful revival of The Music Man. On February 8, 2011, it was announced that Leonard would co-star as Paul Verrall in the 2011 Broadway revival of Born Yesterday beginning in March.

In 1997 Leonard received rave reviews for his role in the Christopher Reeve-directed television film, In the Gloaming. Entertainment Weekly said that, in the film, Leonard "does a first-rate job of juggling Danny's mixture of despair, neediness, and mordant jokiness."

From 2004 he played Dr. James Wilson, head of the oncology department, on the FOX TV series House, M.D., until the series ended in 2012. In 2007 Leonard appeared on Entertainment's Weekly's 100 list as "Dr. Underrated".

Personal Life[]

Leonard maintains a good friendship with House, M.D. co-star Hugh Laurie as well as childhood friend, Dead Poets Society and Tape co-star, Ethan Hawke with whom he founded the Malaparte theater company, along with James Waterston, Steve Zahn, and Frank Whaley.

Leonard has two daughters, Eleanor and Claudia, with his wife, Gabriella Salick.

Filmography[]

Film and TV

  • 1986- My Two Loves- Larry Taylor.
  • 1986- The Manhattan Project- Max- (credited as Robert Leonard).- with Cynthia Nixon
  • 1987- Bluffing It (TV Movie)- Rusty Duggan.
  • 1988- My Best Friend Is A Vampire- Jeremy.
  • 1989- Dead Poets Society- Neil Perry.- with Kurtwood Smith and Dylan Kussman
  • 1990- Mr. & Mrs. Bridge- Douglas Bridge.
  • 1991- Married to It- Chuck Bishop
  • 1993- Swing Kids- Peter Müller.- with Frank Whaley
  • 1993- Much Ado About Nothing- Claudio.
  • 1993- The Age of Innocence- Ted Archer.
  • 1993- A Dog Race in Alaska- (short).
  • 1994- Safe Passage- Alfred Singer.
  • 1995- The Boys Next Door- Barry Klemper.
  • 1996- Killer: A Journal of Murder- Henry Lesser.- with Anthony Tyler Quinn
  • 1996- I Love You, I Love You Not- Angel of Death.
  • 1997- In the Gloaming- Danny.- with David Strathairn
  • 1998- Standoff- Jamie Doolin.
  • 1998- The Last Days of Disco- Tom Platt.- with Mackenzie Astin
  • 1998- Ground Control- Cruise.- with Jack Plotnick
  • 1999- Wasteland- (TV Series)- My Ex-Friend's Wedding- Jesse's Ex.- with Sasha Alexander
  • 2000- The Outer Limits- Robby Archer- Season 6, Episode 20.
  • 2001- Tape- Jon Salter.
  • 2001- A Glimpse of Hell- Lieutenant Dan Meyer.
  • 2001- Driven- Demille Bly.- with Kip Pardue, Stacy Edwards and Brent Briscoe
  • 2001- Chelsea Walls- Terry Olsen.
  • 2002 - Corsairs - with John Larroquette
  • 2003- The I Inside- Peter Cable.- with Piper Perabo
  • 2003- A Painted House- Jesse Chandler.- with Geoffrey Lewis
  • 2003- Malcolm in the Middle- Agent-Season 5, Episode 12.
  • 2004–2012- House, M.D.- Dr. James Wilson- Main Cast.
  • 2010- The American Experience (TV Series documentary)- Herman Melville.
  • 2013- Falling Skies- Dr. Roger Kadar- Recurring.
  • 2013- The Blacklist- Frederick Barnes- Episode 7.- with Harry J. Lennix
  • 2013-2014 - Falling Skies - Roger Kadar
  • 2014 - The Good Wife - Del Paul
  • 2015 - Battle Creek - Brock - with Kal Penn and Meredith Eaton
  • 2015 - Law & Order: SVU - A.D.A. Kenneth O'Dwyer - with Andre Braugher
  • 2017 - Blue Bloods - William Holt
  • 2019 - The Good Doctor - Shamus O'Malley - with Lisa Edelstein

Trivia[]

  • Next to Hugh Laurie, Robert Sean Leonard has the most appearances in the show with 174 episodes. The only two episodes that Leonard doesn't appear in are Broken Part II and 20 Vicodin.
  • Is now friends with his co-worker, Hugh Laurie. Robert also stayed close friends with fellow star of Dead Poets Society, Ethan Hawke.

Robert Sean Leonard at IMDB

Robert Sean Leonard at Wikipedia

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