Robert Duane Hillis (born November 21, 1970) is an American model and actor. He is best known for playing Hamilton ("Hamm") in the film '' Sharktopus vs. Pteraconda''.

Early life and career

Robert Duane Hillis was born in Suffern, New York, and grew up in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

with his parents, two sisters and brother. Hillis graduated from Newton South High School. He adopted his nickname "Rib" while in the third grade playing with frogs, and enjoyed the sounds that they make. Hillis married a woman four days after their first date but separated in 2008. They have twins. On August 17, 2012, he married ballroom dancer, world champion and former ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

'' pro,

Elena Grinenko Elena Grinenko is a professional ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. She is best known as one of the professional dancers on the American television series ''Dancing with the Stars (U.S. TV series), Dancing with the Stars''. Bi ...

Modeling

During his junior year at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

in Boulder, he was discovered by a modeling agent. Since college, he has worked in Milan, Paris, Barcelona, London, Sydney, New York, Miami, and Los Angeles for such publications as ''Uomo

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', '' GQ'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'', and '' Men's Health'', as well as national and international commercials. In addition, he landed various print campaigns for

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as w ...

Armani Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and ...

and Catalyst Cologne. He appeared in season 4 of ''America's Next Top Model'' in 2005 as a lingerie model in the episode "The Girl Who Pushes Tyra Over the Edge".

Acting

Returning to the United States in spring of 1996, Hillis moved to Los Angeles and landed a role on an episode of '' Baywatch Nights'' as Jeds. His most notable role as an actor came on ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' spin-off '' Port Charles'' as Dr. Jake Marshak. He was on the show from 1997 to 1998. In May 2006, he substituted for Eric Martsolf as

Ethan Winthrop Ethan Winthrop is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV daytime drama ''Passions''. Ethan is played by both Travis Schuldt (July 5, 1999, to July 3, 2002) and Eric Martsolf (July 8, 2002, to August 7, 2008). Rib Hillis temporarily portrayed the ...

on '' Passions'' when Martsolf took paternity leave for his newborn twin sons. Moreover, he has appeared in dozens of television shows such as ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...

'', '' Two and a Half Men'', '' CSI'' and ''

CSI: Miami ''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...

''. He also has a starring role in the feature film ''Propiedad Ajena.'' Hillis played the leading role in the Syfy feature film ''

Piranhaconda ''Piranhaconda'' is an American science fiction B-movie, premiered on June 16, 2012, on the Syfy Channel. It is directed by Jim Wynorski, produced by Forest King and stars Michael Madsen, Rib Hillis, Rachel Hunter and Terri Ivens. Cast * Michael ...

'' in 2012. He played Val Walker in ''Cowboys vs Dinosaurs'' in 2012.

Reality television

Hillis has done two home improvement/building shows, ''Model Citizen'' and '' Get a Grip''. In the fall 2007 TV season, Hillis joined the design team on ABC's '' Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hillis, Rib 1971 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from New York (state) Male models from New York (state) People from Suffern, New York