Robert Picardo

Robert Alphonse Picardo was born on October 27, 1953, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended William Penn Charter School, graduating in 1971, and initially enrolled at Yale University as a pre-medical student. However, an early role in Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass” in its 1973 European premiere, where he played a leading part, shifted his focus. Encouraged by Bernstein, Picardo changed his major to drama, earning a Bachelor’s degree from Yale. After graduation, he pursued theatrical work, making his Broadway debut in 1977 in the comedy “Gemini.” He also appeared in “Tribute” (1978) alongside Jack Lemmon and earned a Drama-Logue Award for his performance in “The Normal Heart.”

Picardo transitioned to television in the late 1970s, making appearances in “Kojak” (1977) and “Taxi” (1979). His film debut came in 1981 in Joe Dante’s “The Howling.” He became a frequent collaborator with Dante, featuring in films such as “Innerspace” (1987), “The ‘Burbs” (1989), “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” (1990), and “Small Soldiers” (1998). A notable period in his career occurred between 1988 and 1991 when he simultaneously held recurring roles on two ABC series: Coach Cutlip on “The Wonder Years,” for which he received an Emmy nomination, and Dr. Dick Richard on “China Beach.”

From 1995 to 2001, Picardo gained international recognition for his role as the Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH) in “Star Trek: Voyager,” also directing two episodes of the series. He reprised this role in the film “Star Trek: First Contact” (1996) and on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (1997). Later, from 2004 to 2009, he played Richard Woolsey in the “Stargate” franchise, becoming a main cast member for the final season of “Stargate Atlantis” in 2008. He continues to act, with recent appearances in shows like “Star Trek: Prodigy” (2024) and “Young Sheldon” (2024).