Robert Gant
Robert Gant | |
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![]() Gant at a 2009 GLAAD summer event | |
Born | Robert John Gonzalez 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.[1] 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 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.
He majored in English literature at the University of Pennsylvania and then studied law at Georgetown University Law Center. It was his career as a lawyer that brought him to Los Angeles when he accepted a position with the LA office of Chicago-based Baker & McKenzie. The international firm's Los Angeles office was closed soon after. Rather than continuing his career in law, he decided to focus on acting.
Television and film career
Between 2002 and 2005, Gant appeared on television in Showtime's Queer as Folk as Ben Bruckner, his best-known role to date. Prior to Queer as Folk, he appeared in recurring roles in Popular and Caroline in the City. Other guest appearances on television programs include Melrose Place, Ellen, Becker, Friends and Nip/Tuck, among others.
In June 2004, Gant starred in the short film Billy's Dad Is a Fudge-Packer!, an homage to 1950s educational films.
In 2005, he appeared in an episode of the television crime drama The Closer.
In 2007, Gant, Chad Allen and Judith Light acted and produced Save Me. The movie about the ex-gay movement was distributed by Mythgarden, the production company formed by Gant, Allen, and Christopher Racster in 2004.
In 2009, Gant appeared in Personal Affairs, a BBC Three-produced drama set in London's financial sector.[2]
He also appeared in the independent films Special Delivery, The Contract, Fits and Starts and Marie and Bruce.
In 2011, Gant made a cameo appearance in season 1, episode 8 of TV Land's Happily Divorced.
In 2015, Gant played Zor-El, the titular character's father in Supergirl.
Personal life
Gant is involved in a number of philanthropic organizations with a great deal of focus going to the issue of aging in the gay community. He currently resides in Los Angeles.
Gant came out as gay in The Advocate magazine in 2002[3][4].[5][6]
Activism
Gant supports such organizations as Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) and Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing (GLEH).
He supported Hillary Clinton in her bid for the Democratic Party's Presidential nomination in 2008.
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 |
Theatre
- Working – The Iron Worker
- Taming of the Shrew (Uta Hagen's Acting Class DVD) – Petruchio
- Little Shop of Horrors – The Dentist (et al.)
- Grease – Danny Zuko; Kenicke
- Whose Life is it Anyway? – John
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Neville Landless / Victor Grinstead
- The Mikado – Koko
References
- ^ Steele, Bruce C. (July 23, 2002). "Robert Gant Works It Out". The Advocate. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Personal Affairs, new drama for BBC Three: The Bosses – Robert Gant plays Rock van Gelder" (Press release). BBC Three. May 27, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Steele, Bruce C. (August 20, 2002). "Robert Gant works it out". The Advocate. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ "Reader Forum". The Advocate. p. 4. Retrieved December 20, 2018 – via Google Books.
- ^ Gant, Robert (May 7, 2008). "Robert Gant: The spying game". Windy City Times (Interview). Interviewed by Andrew Davis. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ Gettell, Oliver (August 26, 2016). "Robert Gant on romancing Debbie Gibson in Hallmark's Summer of Dreams". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
External links
- Robert Gant at IMDb
- 1968 births
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male soap opera actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- Gay actors
- Georgetown University Law Center alumni
- Hispanic and Latino American male actors
- LGBT entertainers from the United States
- LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people
- LGBT rights activists from the United States
- LGBT people from Florida
- Living people
- Male actors from Tampa, Florida
- University of Pennsylvania alumni