Theodore Raymond Knight (born March 26, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dr.

George O'Malley George O'Malley, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, a ...

on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...

television series ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'' (2005–2009, 2020), which earned him a nomination for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre, or even gender, specific. Beginning ...

in 2007.

Early life

Knight was born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, where he became involved with the

Guthrie Theater The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions between Sir Tyrone Gut ...

at the age of twelve."Biography. T. R. Knight"
infoplease.com, accessed March 31, 2015 He attended 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 The Children's Theatre Company is a regional theater established in 1965 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializing in plays for families, young audiences and the very young. The theater is the largest theater for multigenerational audiences in th ...

. 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 St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

for a brief period of time.Papatola, Dominic P
"'Grey's Anatomy' star comes home for a project near to his heart"
twincities.com, October 12, 2008 He dropped out and soon landed leading roles at the Guthrie Theater.

Career

Knight moved to New York City and appeared on the stage. He played opposite

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...

in the 2001

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

revival of ''

Noises Off ''Noises Off'' is a 1982 play by the English playwright Michael Frayn. Frayn conceived the idea in 1970 while watching from the wings a performance of ''The Two of Us'', a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave. He said, "It was funnier f ...

''. He performed in 2003 as Damis in ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

''. He performed in the 2003

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production of ''Scattergood'', receiving a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

nomination as Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. Knight also starred Off-Broadway at Primary Stages in the 2004 drama ''Boy''. On television, Knight was a regular cast member of the short-lived

Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. In a career spanning over 40 years he has been seen on stage and screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. Lane has received numerous awards including three Tony Awards, ...

Laurie Metcalf Laura Elizabeth Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress. Often described as a character actor, she's known for her complex and versitile roles across the stage and screen. She has received various accolades throughout her career sp ...

2003 CBS television series ''

Charlie Lawrence ''Charlie Lawrence'' is an American sitcom television series created by Jeffrey Richman, that aired on CBS from June 15 until July 13, 2003. Premise A gay actor gets elected to congress as a representative from New Mexico. Cast *Nathan Lane as C ...

''. In 2005, Knight was cast in his breakthrough role as

Dr. George O'Malley George O'Malley, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes, a ...

on the

medical drama ''

''. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, O'Malley worked his way up to

resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceuti ...

level, while his relationships with his colleagues

Meredith Grey Meredith Grey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional and titular character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series pro ...

(

Ellen Pompeo Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her role on ''Grey's Anatomy'' as the titular Dr. Meredith Grey. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances ...

Cristina Yang Cristina Yang, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which has aired for over 16 years on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was crea ...

(

Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005� ...

Izzie Stevens Isobel Katherine Stevens, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Shonda ...

(

Katherine Heigl Katherine Marie Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and former fashion model. She played Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role tha ...

) and

Alex Karev Alexander Michael Karev, (né Evans), M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, Karev eve ...

(

Justin Chambers Justin Willman Chambers (born July 11, 1970) is an American actor and former model. He is best known for his role as Dr. Alex Karev in the ABC television drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2020. Born in Ohio, he went to Southeastern High S ...

) formed a focal point of the series. When Knight auditioned for the show, he expected a one-season run. 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 said the reason for his departure was due to a "breakdown in communication" with executive producer

Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television screenwriter, producer, and author. She is best known as the showrunner—creator, head writer, and executive producer—of the television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', it ...

, his character's lack of screen time, and his decision to come out as 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 The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 16, 2007, honoring the best in U.S. prime time television programming at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. ...

. Knight starred as

Leo Frank Leo Max Frank (April 17, 1884August 17, 1915) was an American factory superintendent who was convicted in 1913 of the murder of a 13-year-old employee, Mary Phagan, in Atlanta, Georgia. His trial, conviction, and appeals attracted national at ...

in a production of the musical ''Parade'', which opened October 4, 2009, at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. He returned to Broadway in

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

's ''

A Life in the Theatre ''A Life in the Theatre'' is a 1977 play by David Mamet. It focuses on the relationship between two actors, the play's only characters. One, Robert, is a stage veteran while John is a young, promising actor. As the play goes on they are involve ...

'' in 2010, where he played the role of John, opposite

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actor ...

. In 2019, he voiced Sir Cedric, the

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

protagonist in the animated series ''

The Bravest Knight ''The Bravest Knight'' is a 2D animated series, produced by Big Bad Boo Studios and a Hulu original which became the first kids original on the streaming service. The first episodes were added to the streaming service on June 21, 2019 and the o ...

''. In 2016 a sci-fi series called 11.22.63 with James Franco aired one season. Knight plays Johnny Clayton, Francos love interests abusive husband.

Personal life

Knight is

. On October 5, 2013, Knight married Patrick B. Leahy, a ballet dancer and writer, in

Hudson, New York Hudson is a city and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. Located on the east side of the Hudson River and 120 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, it was named for the rive ...

. They had been living together for six years.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

;Broadway Source: Playbill Vault"T.R. Knight Broadway"
playbillvault.com, accessed March 31, 2015 * ''

'' (2001 revival) as Tim Allgood * ''

'' (2003 revival) as Damis * ''

'' (2010) as John * ''

It's Only a Play ''It's Only a Play'' is a play by Terrence McNally. The play originally opened off-off-Broadway in 1982. It was revived off-Broadway in 1986, and on Broadway in 2014. The plot concerns a party where a producer, playwright, director, actors and th ...

'' (2015) as Frank Finger ;Off-Broadway Source: Internet Off-Broadway Database * ''Marvin's Room'' (1998) * ''This Lime Tree Bower'' (1999) as Joe * ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' (1999) as Donalbain/Messenger * "The Refreshment of the Spirit" (2000) * ''Right Way to Sue'' (2001 at HERE Mainstage) as Franklin/Various characters * ''The Hologram Theory'' (2000) at MCGinn/Cazale Theater as Tweety * ''The Lake's End'' (2003) * ''Scattergood'' (2003) as Brendan Hilliard * ''Voices of Peace and Dissent'' (2003) at Worth Street Theatre * ''Boy'' (2004) as title character * ''The Marriage of Bette & Boo'' (2007) * ''Sold '' (2011) as Michael * '' Romeo and Juliet'' (2013) as Mercutio * ''Pocatello'' (2014) (Playwrights Horizons) ;Readings * ''Truth or Consequences'' (Staged Reading) * ''The Fool'' (2002) (Staged Reading) * ''White People'' (Staged Reading) * ''The Scholar'' (Staged Reading) * ''Lend Me A Tenor'' (2009) (Staged Reading) * ''On a Clear Day'' (2010) (Staged Reading) * ''Torch Song Trilogy'' (2011) (Staged Reading) * ''June Moon ''(2011) (Roundabout PlayReading Series) * ''Honeymoon in Vegas'' (2011) (Staged Reading) as Jack Singer * '' The Miser'' (2012) (Reading) ;Regional * ''What Didn't Happen'' (2000) (Workshop at Vassar) * ''Earth to Bucky'' (2003) at Bay Street Theater as Bucky * ''

Parade (musical) ''Parade'' is a musical with a book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The musical is a dramatization of the 1913 trial and imprisonment, and 1915 lynching, of Jewish American Leo Frank in Georgia. The musical premiered o ...

'' (2009) as

at Mark Taper Forum – Los Angeles, CA *''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises t ...

'' (2012) (radio theater) as Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplev, James Bridges Theater at UCLA – Los Angeles, CA ;Guthrie Theater – Minneapolis, MN"Actor TR Knight To Return For Minn.'s Guthrie Gala"
minnesota.cbslocal.com, May 3, 2013 * ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...

'' (1978–1980, 1996) as Tiny Tim, Dick Wilkins/Others * ''

Philadelphia, Here I Come! ''Philadelphia, Here I Come!'' is a 1964 play by Irish dramatist Brian Friel. Set in the fictional town of Ballybeg, County Donegal, the play launched Friel onto the international stage. Plot ''Philadelphia, Here I Come!'' centres around Gareth ...

'' (1996) as Joe * ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th ...

'' (1996) * '' Racing Demon'' as Ewan Gilmour (1997) * ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' (1997) as Francis Flute * ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'' (1998) as Watchman * ''

Ah, Wilderness! ''Ah, Wilderness!'' is a comedy by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on October 2, 1933. It differs from a typical O'Neill play in its happy ending for the central character, and depiction of a ...

'' (1999) as Richard Miller * ''

Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), prolific and influential composer of classical music *Amadeus (name), a given name and people with the name * ''Amadeus'' (play), 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer * ''Amadeus'' (film), ...

'' (2001) as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ;Jungle Theater – Minneapolis, MN * ''

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry comp ...

'' 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 ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'' is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon, the first chapter in what is known as his Eugene trilogy. It precedes '' Biloxi Blues'' and ''Broadway Bound''. Productions ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'' had a pre-Broadway ...

'' (1993) as Eugene Morris Jerome ;Theatre in the Round – Minneapolis, MN * ''

Gemini Gemini may refer to: Space * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac ** Gemini in Chinese astronomy * Project Gemini, the second U.S. crewed spaceflight program * Gemini Observatory, consisting of telescopes in the Northern ...

'' (1992) as Randy ;Off-Broadway Musical Theatre – New Hope, MN * ''Oliver!'' (1985) as Oliver

References

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's pr ...

2006 interview
at

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

2006 article
from

Minneapolis Star Tribune The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, T.R. 1973 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male stage actors American male television actors American gay actors LGBT people from Minnesota Male actors from Minneapolis American people of German descent