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Johnny Galecki
Johnny Galecki, July 2008
Born	John Mark Galecki (1975-04-30) April 30, 1975 (age 49) Bree, Belgium
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1987–present
Partner	Kelli Garner

John Mark "Johnny" Galecki (born April 30, 1975 - Bree, Belgium) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as David Healy in the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and as Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

Early life

Galecki was born in Bree, Belgium, to American parents of Polish, Irish, and Italian descent. His mother, Mary Lou (née Noon), was a mortgage consultant, and his father, Richard Galecki, was a member of the U.S. Air Force stationed in Belgium and also worked as a rehabilitation teacher. He has a younger brother, Nick, whom he describes as a mechanical genius in the automotive industry, and a younger sister, Allison. Galecki moved to Oak Park, Illinois, with his family when he was three years old.

During an interview with New Zealand radio station 'ZM', Galecki jokingly recalled his childhood relationship with his mother. As a child, he was well known for making up long, epic stories and tales. In such situations his mother used to make him play the "quiet game" where he had to see how long he could go without talking. He also recalled that despite being a loving mother, she was also very tough. One phrase she would lovingly use was, "I love you, now get out."

Career

Galecki made his acting debut in the 1987 CBS miniseries Murder Ordained with JoBeth Williams and future Roseanne co-star John Goodman. In 1989 Galecki portrayed Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. One of his best known roles was as David Healy (first introduced as Kevin Healy) in the U.S. sitcom Roseanne. Galecki was cast in the 1997 summer slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer and the 1998 dark comedy The Opposite of Sex. In the year 2000, Galecki reunited with Opposite of Sex director Don Roos, who cast him in Bounce.

Galecki continued his film streak with roles in Suicide Kings and brief bit parts in high-profile films such as Bean and a minor supporting part in Vanilla Sky. Galecki played a young delinquent in A Family Torn Apart, a TV movie based on a true story about a serial killer.

Galecki appeared in a first-season episode of My Name Is Earl as a golfer. Without his knowledge, Earl and Randy improve his golf score by making it appear that he got numerous holes-in-one, taking advantage of a custom that a player scoring a hole-in-one must buy a round of drinks. His obsession with improving his golf game without Earl and Randy's assistance destroys his life—he loses his job and girlfriend and is forced to live in his car.

He played a character named Trouty on TBS's sitcom My Boys. He also played the half-brother of the main characters, sisters Hope Shanowski and Faith Fairfield, in the TV sitcom Hope & Faith. In late 2006/early 2007, Galecki starred in the Broadway play The Little Dog Laughed as Alex, a male prostitute. In this role, he was required to do a full-frontal nude scene, the first of his acting career. "At its core, the play is about what we all sacrifice to be successful, whatever our careers or goals," he explains. Galecki originated the role earlier in 2006 at Second Stage Theatre. The widely popular comedy by Douglas Carter Beane had a successful run at Second Stage and moved to the Cort Theatre. The play closed on February 18, 2007, with Galecki taking home a 2007 Theater World Award for his performance.

Galecki currently plays the part of Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, which debuted September 24, 2007. He works alongside two of his former Roseanne cast members, Sara Gilbert, who during his role as David Healy played the role of his longtime girlfriend and later his wife, Darlene Conner, as well as Laurie Metcalf, formerly cast as the role of Roseanne Barr's fictionalized character's sister Jackie. Both have since appeared as recurring characters. Galecki is a cellist and has played cello on the show.

Galecki appeared briefly in the 2008 superhero comedy Hancock, alongside Will Smith and Jason Bateman. He also appears in the music video for the Dave Matthews Band song "Satellite".

In July 2011 Galecki played himself on three episodes of Entourage.

Personal life

Galecki owns 360 acres of land in Santa Margarita, California. There is a log cabin and vineyards on his property. He is also a vegetarian.

While working on The Big Bang Theory, Galecki dated co-star Kaley Cuoco for two years. They kept their relationship private until they broke up.

In March 2012, it was revealed that Galecki is currently dating actress Kelli Garner.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

1. Galecki, Johnny (May 3, 1992). "Johnny Galecki". The Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-10-16. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
2. "Johnny Galecki Biography (1975–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
3. "Conan Show Schedule January 2–6, 2012". Team Coco. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
4. "TV Guide – Johnny Galecki". Tvguide.com. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
5. "ZM's interview with Johnny". Zmonline.com. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
6. Biography page at tv.com
7. "Johnny Galecki On Family & His Life Upstate 01/05/12 – Video @". Teamcoco.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
8. Thomson, Katherine. "Kaley Cuoco & Johnny Galecki Dated: 'Big Bang' Costars Together Two YEARS". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
9. "Kaley Cuoco Secretly Dated Big Bang Theory Costar for 2 Years". US Weekly. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
10. http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2012/03/24/johnny_galecki_has_really_fallen_for_k

External links

• Johnny Galecki at IMDb
• USA Today article from 1998
• Playbill article about the end of The Little Dog Laughed's run at The Cort Theatre
• Movieline interview with Johnny Galecki

Template:Persondata

• 1975 births
• Actors from Illinois
• American child actors
• American film actors
• American people of Irish descent
• American people of Italian descent
• American people of Polish descent
• American television actors
• American vegetarians
• Living people
• Belgian emigrants to the United States
• Military brats
• People from Bree, Belgium
• People from Oak Park, Illinois
• Young Artist Award winners