T. R. Knight Biography

Theodore Raymond "T. R." Knight (born March 26, 1973) is an American actor. Knight's most high-profile role to date was his role as Dr. George O'Malley on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC)'s medical drama, Grey's Anatomy. Having acted on stage since he was 5 years old, Knight has starred on Broadway, Off-Broadway and many theatres in his home state, Minnesota. Knight is openly gay.

Early life

Knight was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he became involved with the Guthrie Theater at the age of 5. He went to Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, for grades K-8. Knight received the Conners Foundation Scholarship as a freshman and apprenticed at the Children's Theatre Company. He also worked at the local Red Owl supermarket alongside his brother. After finishing high school at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Knight enrolled at the University of St. Thomas for a brief period of time. He dropped out and soon landed leading roles at the Guthrie Theater.

Career

Knight moved to New York City and had appeared on Broadway. He played opposite Patti LuPone in the 2001 revival of Noises Off. He also performed in 2003 as Damis in Tartuffe and received a Drama Desk Award nomination in 2003 for his role in the off-Broadway production of Scattergood. Knight also starred in the 2004 drama Boy.

On television, Knight was a regular cast member of the short-lived Nathan Lane/Laurie Metcalf television series, Charlie Lawrence. In 2005, Knight was cast as Dr. George O'Malley on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, O'Malley worked his way up to resident level, while his relationships with his colleagues Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) formed a focal point of the series. Knight auditioned for the show, expecting a one-season run. In 2007, Knight's co-star Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke) insulted him with a homophobic slur, which resulted in the termination of Washington's Grey's Anatomy contract. In 2009, after the conclusion of the fifth season, it was confirmed that Knight would not be returning for the show's sixth season. The actor stated the reason for his departure was due to a "breakdown in communication" with Rhimes, his character's lack of screen time, as well as his decision to be openly gay. Knight received generally positive reviews for his performance as O'Malley, and garnered a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. Despite this, O'Malley's death received mixed feedback.

Knight starred in a production of the musical Parade, opening Oct. 4, 2009, at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles as Leo Frank. Knight returned to Broadway in David Mamet's A Life in the Theatre in 2010, where he played the role of John, opposite Patrick Stewart.

Acting credits

• Charlie Lawrence (2003) as Ryan Lemming
• Sesame Street (2006)
  Season 37, Episode 12 ("Baby Bear Writes a Story Called 'The 3 Astro Bears' ") as Private "I"
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2004)
  Season 4, Episode 17 ("XX") as Zero Adams
• Frasier (2003)
  Season 11, Episode 7 ("Maris Returns") as Alex
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2003)
  Season 3, Episode 10 ("F.P.S.") as Neil Colby
• Grey's Anatomy (2005"2009) as Dr. George O'Malley.
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011)
  Season 13, Episode 4 ("Double Strands") .... in dual role as Gabriel Thomas and Brian Smith
• The Good Wife (2012"Present)

Television

• Charlie Lawrence (2003) as Ryan Lemming
• Sesame Street (2006)
  Season 37, Episode 12 ("Baby Bear Writes a Story Called 'The 3 Astro Bears' ") as Private "I"
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2004)
  Season 4, Episode 17 ("XX") as Zero Adams
• Frasier (2003)
  Season 11, Episode 7 ("Maris Returns") as Alex
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2003)
  Season 3, Episode 10 ("F.P.S.") as Neil Colby
• Grey's Anatomy (2005"2009) as Dr. George O'Malley.
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011)
  Season 13, Episode 4 ("Double Strands") .... in dual role as Gabriel Thomas and Brian Smith
• The Good Wife (2012"Present)

Movies

• Garmento as Daniel
• The Last Request as Jeffery
• 42 as Harold Parrott

Voice-over

• Doc Martens
• Best Buy
• McDonalds
• Max's Words (animated)

Stage

Broadway

• Noises Off (2001 revival) as Tim Allgood
• Tartuffe (2003 revival) as Damis
• A Life in the Theatre (2010) as John

Off-Broadway

• Marvin's Room (1998)
• This Lime Tree Bower (1999) as Joe
• Macbeth (1999) as Donalbain/Messenger
• What Didn't Happen (2000) (Workshop)
• "The Refreshment of the Spirit" (2000)
• Right Way to Sue (2001) as Franklin/Various characters
• The Hologram Theory (2001) as Tweety
• The Fool (2002) (Staged Reading)
• The Lake's End (2003)
• Truth or Consequences (Staged Reading)
• Scattergood (2003) as Brendan Hilliard
• Voices of Peace and Dissent (2003)
• Earth to Bucky (2003) as Bucky
• Boy (2004) as title character
• White People (Staged Reading)
• The Scholar (Staged Reading)
• The Marriage of Bette & Boo (2007)
• Lend Me A Tenor (2009) (Staged Reading)
• On a Clear Day (2010) (Staged Reading)
• Torch Song Trilogy (2011) (Staged Reading)
• June Moon (2011) (Staged Reading)
• Sold (2011) as Michael
• Honeymoon in Vegas (2011) (Staged Reading) as Jack Singer
• The Miser (2012) (Reading) as Cleante
• Romeo and Juliet (2013) as Mercutio

James Bridges Theater at UCLA - Los Angeles, CA

• The Seagull (2012) (radio theater) as Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplev

Mark Taper Forum - Los Angeles, CA

• Parade (musical) (2009) as Leo Frank

Guthrie Theater - Minneapolis, MN

• Amadeus (2001) as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Ah, Wilderness! (1999) as Richard Miller
• A Christmas Carol (1978"1980, 1996) as Tiny Tim, Dick Wilkins/Others
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (1997) as Francis Flute
• Philadelphia, Here I Come! (1996) as Joe
• Racing Demon as Ewan Gilmour (1997)
• Much Ado About Nothing (1998) as Watchman
• She Stoops to Conquer (1996)

Jungle Theater - Minneapolis, MN

• Journey's End as 2nd Lt. Jimmy Raleigh (1995)

Minnesota History Theatre - St. Paul, MN

• Civil Ceremony as Samuel (1996)

Illusion Theatre - Minneapolis, MN

• Angelheaded Hipster: Howl for Allen (1997) as Allen Ginsberg

Women's Club of Minneapolis - Minneapolis, MN

• The Laramie Project (2008)

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres - Chanhassen, MN

• Brighton Beach Memoirs (1993) as Eugene Morris Jerome

Theatre in the Round - Minneapolis, MN

• Gemini (1992) as Randy

Off-Broadway Musical Theatre - New Hope, MN

• Oliver! (1985) as Oliver