Robert Gant

Robert Gant
Gant at a 2009 GLAAD summer event
Born	Robert John Gonzalez (1968-07-13) July 13, 1968 Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Other names	Robert J. Gant
Alma mater	Georgetown University (J.D.) University of Pennsylvania (B.A.)
Occupation(s)	Actor, producer
Years active	1994–present

Robert Gant (born Robert John Gonzalez; July 13, 1968) is an American actor. He rose to prominence through his role as Ben Bruckner on the hit Showtime series Queer as Folk and was recognized as a pioneer in the LGBT community by coming out publicly as an openly gay leading male actor at a time when very few did.

Early life

Gant was born in Tampa, Florida, of Spanish, Italian, Cuban, Irish, and English descent. He was raised Baptist. Despite his family’s Catholic roots, he was largely raised in the Baptist church. At age ten, he began acting in television commercials in his home state of Florida and became a member of the Screen Actors Guild at the age of eleven. He filmed his first national commercial for the “Monster Cereals” (Franken Berry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula) during his fifth grade year. The commercial was advertising Battlestar Gallactica trading cards that were available in each cereal box. His first spoken line on national television was “Viper fighters in battle!”

While in Tampa, he studied tap and jazz dance with The American Musical Theatre Company, participating in multiple productions. In one of those shows, Robert performed a soft-shoe routine at MacDill Air Force Base with renowned comedian Bob Hope as part of Hope's USO tour.

Gant’s great-grandmother, Winifred Wellington, was a Broadway actress, particularly lauded for her comedic prowess.

Education

Robert attended Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida for his freshman year and Chamberlain High School, also in Tampa, for his remaining years. He graduated in 1986. Throughout high school, Robert played football, performed in plays and musicals, was in the honors programs, president of the Key Club, an officer in multiple student and honors organizations, and a member of four signing groups, including Chamberlain’s pop ensemble, Act One, and its barbershop quartet, The Chieftains.

For his undergraduate studies, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in English literature with both Shakespeare and poetry concentrations. He was a fraternity brother in the Beta Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) and a four year member of Penn’s first a cappella group, the twelve man Pennsylvania Six-5000, which was founded in 1980. Robert was also a member of Penn’s Philomathean Literary Society, the nation’s oldest collegiate literary society. While in college, Robert performed in musicals as well, including playing the Dentist in Little Shop of Horrorsand Neville Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Droodand acted in the school’s Penn Film Foundation film Movements. He was also a member of the Friars Senior Society and the Order of Omega.

For his graduate studies, Robert attended at Georgetown University Law Center, where he was awarded his Juris Doctor (Doctor of Laws) in 1993. At graduation, he served as commencement speaker. While at Georgetown, Gant interned at the DC Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and for the Senate Judiciary Committee during the time of the controversial Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings and Anita Hill testimony. The Committee was then headed by Senator Joseph Biden. During his law school summers, Robert worked for the Department of Justice (in the Executive Office for US Attorneys) and at the law firm of White & Case in its Miami office. He was a member of the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, serving as its Executive Editor. Robert was also a member of the Georgetown Gilbert & Sullivan Society, performing in a number of its productions. Along with several fellows, Gant started a six-man a cappella group, The MetroGnomes, which performed in various venues around Washington, DC.

It was ultimately the legal world that brought him to Los Angeles when he accepted a position with the LA office of the then largest law firm in the world, Chicago-based Baker & McKenzie. When the international firm closed its Los Angeles office shortly thereafter, Robert decided to pursue his lifelong dream of acting and performing. Booking the first two jobs he auditioned for helped ease the stark career transition. From that point on, he focused all his time on the entertainment business.

Career

From television to film, dramatic to comedic, Robert Gant’s portrayals have spanned all genres. In one of his most well known roles, Robert starred as Professor Ben Bruckner in Showtime’s hit television series, Queer as Folk. In that groundbreaking show, Robert explored broad dramatic terrain, including being married in the first legal gay marriage portrayed on television. His character was also lauded as the first HIV-positive character to live a fully realized life (including sexually) without an ongoing focus on the spectre of AIDS. Among Gant’s credits are roles in numerous television series and theatrical films, including portraying television’s first gay spy in the film, Kiss Me Deadly, which was shot on location on New Zealand.

Among his recurring characters, Robert stars as Melissa Benoist’s Kryptonian father Zor-El on Supergirl, as Todd Crimsen on the Netflix series Thirteen Reasons Why, and as Jim Hunter on The Fostersand its spin-off series Good Trouble. Prior to Queer as Folk, Gant recurred as Principal Calvin Krupps in Ryan Murphy’s first television series, Popular, and as Caroline’s boyfriend Trevor in Caroline in the City. His many guest starring roles include a well known turn on the hit TV show Friends, where he played one of two men Phoebe was dating simultaneously. Other guest starring appearances include portraying characters on series such as Melrose Place, Ellen, Becker, Nip/Tuck, The Closer, Hot in Cleveland, Bones, Mike & Molly, Shameless, NCIS, the CSI’s, and Criminal Minds, among others.

In 2004, Robert starred in the short film Billy's Dad Is a Fudge-Packer!, an homage to 1950’s educational films, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2009, Gant was a series regular in the BBC Three-produced drama Personal Affairs, set in London's financial sector and filmed on location in both London and Scotland. Robert was the sole American in an otherwise all British cast. In 2013, Robert portrayed Captain Robert Norton in Dead Space 3, the third installment in the popular Dead Space video game series released from Electronic Arts.

Gant’s experiences in Hollywood are not limited to performing.  He was a producing partner in the production company, Mythgarden. Its feature film, Save Me, a drama set against the backdrop of the ex-gay ministry, stars Robert along with Judith Light and Chad Allen and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Robert also co-produced, co-wrote, and starred in the Netflix-distributed period drama Milada, the true story of Czech heroine Milada Horakova, who was, in 1950, the first woman executed in Czech history by the Communist government. In addition, Robert has completed a draft of his first novel and, with a writing partner, is developing television projects and penning screenplays.

Activism

Gant has given time to a number of philanthropic and political causes and organizations, such as HRC (the Human Rights Campaign, from which he received their National Equality Award), GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, from which he received their Davidson/Valentini Award for the promotion of equal rights in the LGBT community), and Lambda Legal. Robert has placed particular focus on highlighting the issue of aging in the gay community. He’s supported such organizations as SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders), which named him their first Honorary Elder, and GLEH (Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing (GLEH).; now a part of the Los Angeles LGBT Center), for which he served as a Board Member. In 2016, Robert received the ADL Heroes Award from the Anti-Defamation League for his work on behalf of the LGBT and aging communities.

Gant has also been involved politically, stumping at presidential campaign events for both Howard Dean (in LA, San Francisco, and NY) and Hillary Clinton (in Pennsylvania and Texas), alongside Rob Reiner, Gavin Newsome, and Chelsea Clinton. For the 2020 presidential election, Robert expressed his support for Pete Buttigieg to become the Democratic nominee and next President of the United States.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Bitter Vengeance	Bookstore customer	Television film
1994	Cityscrapes: Los Angeles	Policeman B
1996	Jane Street	Jay
1999	Teaching Mrs. Tingle	Professor
2001	Uta Hagen's Acting Class	Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew	Direct-to-video
2002	The Contract	Gene Collins
2002	Fits and Starts	Ian
2004	Marie and Bruce	Bartender
2004	Billy's Dad Is a Fudge-Packer!	Billy's dad	Short film
2007	Save Me	Scott	Also co-producer
2007	Live!	Casting director
2008	Kiss Me Deadly	Jacob Keane	Television film
2008	Mask of the Ninja	Chief Garver	Television film
2008	Special Delivery	Nate Spencer	Television film
2010	Walter	Jim Benjamin / God	Short film
2012	Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean	The Famous Director
2015	A Million Happy Nows	Dr. Hansen
2016	Summer of Dreams	Noah Burns	Hallmark movie
2016	Love Is All You Need?	Pete Santilli
2016	The Thinning	Vince Davi	Filming
2017	Milada	Bohuslav Horák
2018	Wedding of Dreams	Noah Burns	Hallmark movie

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Ellen	Dr. Garber	Episode: "The Dentist"
1994	My So-Called Life	Gunther	Episode: "Pressure"
1994	Melrose Place	Room service waiter	Episode: "Just Say No"
1995	My Wildest Dreams	Stewart	Episode: "Sister's Mister"
1995	Step by Step	Fireman	Episode: "Three Girls and a Baby"
1996	High Tide		Episode: "Old Friends"
1996	Melrose Place	Deputy Tom	Episode: "Moving Violations"
1997	Night Stand with Dick Dietrick	Frank Thatcher	Episode: "Leave Your Job or I'm Leaving You"
1997	Life with Roger	Rod Davis	Episode: "The Boxer Rebellion"
1997	Friends	Jason	Episode: "The One with Ross's Thing"
1997	Hangin' with Mr. Cooper	Robin Hood bartender	Episode: "Party, Party"
1997	Silk Stalkings	Kevin	Episode: "Night of the Parrot"
1997	Head over Heels	Blake	Episode: "Hot Guy"
1997–1998	Caroline in the City	Trevor	Recurring role; 9 episodes
1998	Style & Substance	Matthew	Episode: "Terry, We Hardly Knew Ye"
1998	Fantasy Island	Dave Sullivan	Episode: "Estrogen"
1999	Becker	Doug	Episode: "Cyrano De-Beckerac"
1999	Rude Awakening	Jim	Episode: "Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder"
2000	Linc's	Dr. Brad Wheeler	Episode: "I Just Want to Testify"
2000–2001	Popular	Principal Calvin Krupps	Recurring role; 11 episodes
2000	Veronica's Closet	Bernie	Episode: "Veronica Sets Josh Up"
2002	V.I.P.	Arthur Goodwin	Episode: "Val Cubed"
2002–2005	Queer as Folk	Professor Ben Bruckner	Main role; 55 episodes
2002	Providence	Dancing groom	Episode: "It's Raining Men"
2005	The Closer	Julian Carver	Episode: "Batter Up"
2006	Pepper Dennis	Benny Gold	Episode: "Celebrity Twin Could Hang"
2007	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Lewis Greyburg	Episode: "Empty Eyes"
2008	Nip/Tuck	Jeff Morris	Episode: "Magda and Jeff"
2009	Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World	Mayor Mayer / another student	Voice; episode: "The Only Straight in the Village"
2009	CSI: NY	Felix Redman	Episode: "Green Piece"
2009	Tracey Ullman's State of the Union	Buzz	Season 2, episode 6
2009	Personal Affairs	Rock van Gelder	Recurring role; 5 episodes
2009	Castle	Ron Bigby	Episode: "Deep in Death"
2009	CSI: Miami	Lloyd Arrington	Episode: "Hostile Takeover"
2010	Bones	Coach Jason Hendler	Episode: "The Dentist in the Ditch"
2010	Hot in Cleveland	Steve	Episode: "Birthdates"
2010	90210	Dr. Wright	Episode: "Catch Me If You Cannon"
2011	Mike & Molly	Kyle	Episode: "First Valentine's Day"
2011	Happily Divorced	Marc	Episode: "A Kiss Is Just a Kiss"
2011	The Secret Life of the American Teenager	Mr. Martin	Episode: "4-1-1"
2011	Free Agents	Mark	Episode: "The Kids Are Probably Alright"
2012	Shameless	Greg Garvin	Episode: "Father's Day"
2013	Vegas	Rick Kent	Episode: "From This Day Forward"
2013	NCIS	Lt. Michael Dunkel	Episode: "Detour"
2013	Anger Management	Dr. Konner	Episode: "Charlie and the Hot Nerd"
2013	Baby Daddy	Steve	Episode: "The Christening"
2013	Sean Saves the World	Chase	Episode: "Date Expectations"
2013–2014	The Young and the Restless	David Sherman	Recurring role; 4 episodes
2014	The Tomorrow People	Peter	Guest role; 2 episodes
2014	Hit the Floor	Lewis Jason	Episode: "Full-Court Press"
2015	Criminal Minds	Warden Miles Tate	Episode: "Lockdown"
2015-2016	Supergirl	Zor-El	Guest role; 3 episodes
2016	K.C. Undercover	Jackson Cleveland	Guest role; 2 episodes
2017	13 Reasons Why	Todd Crimsen	Recurring role; 4 episodes
2018	The Fosters	Jim Hunter	Recurring role; 3 episodes

Personal Life

While open about his sexuality throughout most of his private life, Gant came out publicly and professionally as a gay man on the cover of The Advocate magazine in August 2002. He had a chocolate lab named Bodhi for twelve years. Robert currently resides in Los Angeles.

External links

• Robert Gant at IMDb