Robert Sean Leonard first attended Fordham University, before moving (and eventually graduating) from Columbia University. He made his stage debut in the early 1980s, ultimately making his Broadway debut in 1983. His first on-screen role was in the 1986 television movie My Two Loves.
Leonard's break out role came in 1989, when he appeared alongside Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke in the seminal film Dead Poets Society. His three films in 1993 - Much Ado About Nothing, alongside Kenneth Branagh; Swing Kids, alongside Christian Bale; and The Age of Innocence, alongside Daniel Day-Lewis - also saw massive success.
Leonard's screen career slowed down after, although he kept busy with several films, as well as work on stage. (His only major acting award to date is a Tony, in 2001, for his part in the play The Invention of Love.) He eventually began appearing in television, taking guest roles in The Outer Limits and Wasteland. In 2004, he joined the cast of House, appearing as troubled doctor James Wilson.
Leonard is married to show jumper Gabriella Salick, with whom he has a daughter.
- He shared his actual name with another actor, so he borrowed his brother Sean's name for his Screen Actors Guild membership.
- He grew up on the same block as actor Casper Van Dien.
- He co-founded a theater company called Malaparte with Ethan Hawke, Frank Whaley, and Steve Zahn.
- He was the first actor to be cast in House.
- Tony Award, Best Featured Actor in a Play, 2001 (for The Invention of Love)
FILM:
- The Manhattan Project (1986)
- My Best Friend Is A Vampire (1987)
- Dead Poets Society (1989)
- Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990)
- Married to It (1991)
- A Dog Race in Alaska (1993)
- Swing Kids (1993)
- Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
- The Age of Innocence (1993)
- Safe Passage (1994)
- I Love You, I Love You Not (1996)
- Killer: A Journal of Murder (1996)
- Standoff (1998)
- The Last Days of Disco (1998)
- Ground Control (1998)
- Tape (2001)
- Driven (2001)
- Chelsea Walls (2001)
- The I Inside (2004)
TELEVISION:
- House (regular, 2004-present)
On his experience on House: "I didn't want to be the lead guy. That's too much work. But I thought that it might be fun to be the lead guy's friend. I'd have days off, and still get a paycheck every week. Hugh Laurie, who plays House, is remarkable. I lean in the door and say, 'Hey, what do you think about egg salad [for lunch]?' Then I have two days in a row off. It's a great gig."
"When I was 16, I was cast by [Stephen] Sondheim for a six-week workshop of Into the Woods. One day, Sondheim came in, with [the just-written song] 'Giants in the Sky.' He pointed to me, and said, 'This is for Bobby.' I pretty much could have died."