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'' (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 Academy of Holy Angels (AHA) is a private, Catholic, coeducational high school in Richfield, Minnesota. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the nationally recognized college-preparatory school educates more t ...

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 revival of '' Noises Off''. He performed in 2003 as Damis in '' Tartuffe''. 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/ Laurie Metcalf 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 '' Grey's Anatomy''. 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 pharmaceutic ...

level, while his relationships with his colleagues Meredith Grey ( Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang ( Sandra Oh),

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, 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 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'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. In 2019, he voiced Sir Cedric, the gay 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 gay. 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 * '' Noises Off'' (2001 revival) as Tim Allgood * '' Tartuffe'' (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)'' (2009) as Leo Frank 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!'' (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'' (1998) as Watchman * '' Ah, Wilderness!'' (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'' (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 {{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