BIOGRAPHY – ROBERT PICARDO as the Doctor
Robert Picardo plays the Doctor on Paramount Network Television’s STAR TREK: VOYAGER. A holographically-projected computer program devised by Starfleet for medical emergencies, the Doctor became the resident physician aboard the Starship U.S.S. Voyager when the ship’s human doctor was killed in the pilot episode.“The Doctor is programmed with state-of-the-art, 24th Century medical information, but his bedside manner needs work,” explains Picardo. “He can be arrogant, rude, impatient and slightly paranoid. I see him as a satire of managed health care.”Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Picardo graduated from the William Penn Charter School. He entered Yale University as a pre-med student, unaware of his destiny to “play” prime-time physicians, first as Dr. Dick Richards on the award-winning ABC drama “China Beach,” and now as the virtual reality doctor on STAR TREK: VOYAGER.While at Yale, Picardo landed a role in Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass,” a musical theater piece originally commissioned for the 1972 opening of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. At the age of 19, Picardo played a leading role in the European premiere of “Mass.” In 1974, armed with a B.A. in Drama from Yale, he enrolled at the Circle in the Square Professional Theater Workshop (fellow alumni include Kevin Bacon and Ken Olin). Picardo’s theatrical work prospered as he appeared in the David Mamet play “Sexual Perversity in Chicago,” and with Diane Keaton in “The Primary English Class.”Picardo made his Broadway debut in the leading role of the comedy hit “Gemini” with Danny Aiello. He went on to co-star with Jack Lemmon in Bernard Slade’s “Tribute” on Broadway and in Los Angeles. His work in theater includes “Beyond Therapy” and “Geniuses” at the Coronet Theater and “The Waiting Room” (another “doctor” role) at the Mark Taper. (http://rxreviewz.com/) He not only earned critical-acclaim for his powerful performance in “The Normal Heart” at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, he won a Drama-Logue Award for his work.The awards and recognition continued as Picardo became involved in television. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role as Mr. Cutlip on the ABC series “The Wonder Years.” Furthermore, he was awarded the Viewers for Quality Television Founder’s Award for his outstanding performances in “The Wonder Years” and “China Beach.”Picardo’s extensive television work has included a starring role opposite Helena Bonham-Carter in the NBC telefilm, “Deadly Deception: The Marina Oswald Story,” the HBO telefilms, “White Mile” and “The Second Civil War” and the NBC mini-series “Deadly Matrimony.” He had recurring roles on “Home Improvement” and “L.A. Law,” and he recently guest-starred on “ER,” “Early Edition,” “Tales From the Crypt” and Showtime’s “The New Outer Limits.” He stars as the voice of Pfish, the singing land shark, in the Cartoon Network’s animated short “Pfish and Chips.”Additionally, Picardo has appeared in the feature films “Wagon’s East,” “Gremlins II”, “Innerspace,” “The Burbs,” “Back to School,” “Star 80,” “Loverboy” and “The Howling.” Picardo can also be seen in the DreamWorks comedy “Small Soldiers.” Picardo resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and two children.
