Actor Robert Joy was born on August 17, 1951 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in Newfoundland, eventually joining the Newfoundland Company as an actor, director and composer, before he took up a scholarship at Oxford. Upon graduation, he moved to New York, where he pursued an acting career. While already taking screen roles in the mid-1970s, he initially focused on stage, making his off-Broadway debut in 1978’s The Diary of Anne Frank. He went on to originate a role in the musical Big River, and play mysterious actor Julian Hyde in the stage play Hyde in Hollywood, as well as its television adaptation.
Joy made his film debut in 1981’s Atlantic City: while his was a minor role, it was his character (and his murder) that set the film’s tone. He went on to appear alongside Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan and in the Woody Allen film Radio Days, apart from supporting roles in later films such as Pharaoh’s Army and Waterworld. His more recent film roles include those in the films Perfume, It’s A Boy Girl Thing, Land of the Dead, and as Stephen Hawking in the spoof comedy Superhero Movie.
Joy had less appearances on television, especially during the early part of his career. Apart from sporadic guest appearances, he was a regular in the television series Codco. In recent years, he began taking recurring roles in shows such as Boston Legal, as well as a regular role in MDs. In 2005, he joined the cast of CSI: NY, appearing as controlled coroner Sid Hammerback.