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, 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 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, where his fellow alumni include Kevin Bacon and Ken Olin. He also 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 stage work includes “Beyond Therapy” and “Geniuses” at the Coronet Theater and “The Waiting Room” (another “doctor” role) at the Mark Taper. He not only earned critical acclaim for his powerful performance in “The Normal Heart” at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, he also won a Drama-Logue Award for his efforts.
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,” as well as being awarded the Viewers for Quality Television Founder’s Award for his outstanding performances in “The Wonder Years” and “China Beach.”
His extensive television work includes a starring role opposite Helena Bonham-Carter in the NBC telefilm, “Deadly Deception: The Marina Oswald Story,” the HBO tele-films “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 recently guest-starred on “ER,” “Early Edition,” “Tales From the Crypt,” Showtime’s “The New Outer Limits” and “Ally McBeal.” 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 “Wagons East,” “Gremlins II,” “Innerspace,” “The Burbs,” “Back to School,” “Star 80,” “Loverboy,” “The Howling” and “Small Soldiers.”
He resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and two children.
