Johnny Galecki wasn’t content to wait on an acting career. Born in Bree, Belgium, on April 30, 1975 to U.S. Air Force officer Richard Galecki and wife Mary Lou, the family moved to Chicago when he was three years old. Siblings Allison (1980) and Nick (1982) soon followed.
He was determined to get started in showbiz at a young age. “I started talking about it when I was 3, and I have no idea how the word ‘actor’ was even in my vocabulary,” he told Variety in 2018. “No one in my immediate family was an actor, or even in theater or television. We barely had money to go to the movies, let alone
buy a theater seat, so it wasn’t part of my family’s lifestyle, and it was just my answer when people asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I really have no idea how I came upon that, but I feel incredibly blessed that that was the case, because I see people, even in their 30s and 40s, struggling to learn what their calling is, and I think I just knew it as soon as I could speak.”
He first appeared in the Chicago production of Fiddler On The Roof, and received a Joseph Jefferson Citation nomination for playing John Henry in The Member of the Wedding at age 11.
Galecki kicked off his screen career with the family TV movie Time Out For Dad (1987), romantic comedy A Night In The Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988) and holiday family drama Prancer (1989) before enjoying the success of a major hit with the Christmas classic, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989).
“It’s not terrifying when you’re 7,” he told Variety. “It’s terrifying when you’re 27. The stakes aren’t that high when you’re 7 years old. You can always go back to Little League.”
He joined the cast of Roseanne (1988-1997; 2018-2019) in 1992.
Galecki appeared in crime comedy Suicide Kings (1997), horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), romantic comedy The Opposite of Sex (1998), comedy Playing Mona Lisa (2000), romantic drama Bounce (2000) and mystery Vanilla Sky (2001) before landing his biggest role: Outgoing nerd Leonard on the brainy television romantic comedy The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019).
In 2011, he was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on the sitcom.
In February 2024, he told Architectural Digest he wed wife Morgan Galecki, and together they welcomed daughter Oona, born soon after the interview. He is also dad to son Avery Orbison, born in 2019, whose mom is ex-girlfriend Alaina Meyer.
Take a look back at his top 10 movie and TV projects:
10. ‘Bounce’ (2000)
Galecki plays the tell-it-like-it-is gay secretary to alcoholic advertising executive Buddy (Ben Affleck) in this PG-13-rated romantic drama in which the addled businessman must confess to his new love (Gwyneth Paltrow) that he swapped plane tickets with her husband, who was killed when that plane crashed.
9. ‘The Opposite of Sex’ (1998): Johnny Galecki movies and TV shows
Galecki is a dropout who claims high-school teacher Bill (Martin Donovan) molested him in a blackmail scheme after the educator secures a major inheritance. Doesn’t sound like it, but this one is an R-rated romantic comedy.
8. ‘Bookies’ (2003)
Reckless party-boy Jude (Galecki) becomes a bettor with college pals Toby (Nick Stahl) and Casey (Lukas Haas), in this R-rated crime comedy. The Mob gets involved after the guys owe the organized crime gang $100,000.
7. ‘Rings’ (2017): Johnny Galecki movies and TV shows
In the PG-13-rated horror film, Galecki plays shady science professor Gabriel, who perpetuates a video-taped curse that threatens the lives of his students within seven days unless they expose others to the hex.
6. ‘In Time’ (2011)
People stop aging at 25 in this PG-13-rated sci-fi thriller, but are only designed to live one more year. Galecki plays Borel, who is the ill-fated best friend of Will Salas (Justin Timberlake), who is on the run after being accused of murder.
5. ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ (1997): Johnny Galecki movies and TV shows
This R-rated horror mystery focuses on four pals — Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Barry (Ryan Phillippe) and Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.) — trauma-bonded by an accident and followed by a weapon-wielding maniac. Galecki plays Max, who pines for Julie and is jealous of her boyfriend, Ray.
4. ‘Suicide Kings’ (1997)
In this R-rated crime comedy, Ivy-League-bound students Avery (Henry Thomas), Max (Sean Patrick Flanery), Brett (Jay Mohr) and T.K. (Jeremy Sisto) kidnap aging Mafia boss Charles Barrett (Christopher Walken) at the summer beach house of Ira’s (Galecki) parents. Ira wants to clean up fast so he doesn’t get in trouble. “Laughs are provided by the well-cast Galecki,” Variety reported.
3. ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ (1989): Johnny Galecki movies and TV shows
The Griswolds want a “perfect” holiday in this PG-13 holiday comedy, but face hilarious challenges. Galecki plays smartypants Rusty, the youngest brother to sassy Audrey (Juliette Lewis).
2. ‘Roseanne’/’The Conners’ (1992-1997; 2018-2019)
In 1993, Galecki first appeared playing David (who was known as Kevin in his first episode, midway through the fourth season), the longtime boyfriend and later husband (and ex-husband) of Darlene (Sara Gilbert) on the sitcom.
Fun fact: Galecki dated Gilbert in real-life, before she came out as a lesbian in 2010. ““I thought he was super cute and I had a total crush on him,” Gilbert said in 2013 during “Secrets Week” on The Talk. “And we started dating and he would come over and we would, like, make out. And then I would start to get depressed. [I] eventually told him I thought it was about my sexuality, and he was super sweet about it.”
1. ‘Big Bang Theory’ (2007-2019): Johnny Galecki movies and TV shows
Galecki plays physicist Leonard Hofstadter, who shares an apartment with physicist roommate Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) in this brilliant comedy that begins when their aspiring movie star neighbor, Penny (Kaley Cuoco), makes them aware of their social awkwardness.
The main cast also includes engineer Howard (Simon Helberg), astrophysicist Raj (Kunal Nayyar), microbiologist and Howard’s wife Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), and neurobiologist and Sheldon’s wife Amy (Mayim Bialik).
A total of 280 episodes aired of the 10-time Emmy Award-winning show. While Galecki was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2011, the sitcom took home that prize by Parsons in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014, as well as in the category for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Bob Newhart in 2013.
For the second time, life imitated art with Galecki dating costar Cuoco.
“I had a very big crush on Johnny early on,” Cuoco said in the book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series via Vanity Fair in 2022. “I was so not even hiding it. He has such swagger. We were both dating people at the time, but I only had eyes for Johnny. Then, when I found out he had eyes for me too, I was like, Uh‑oh, this is going to be trouble.”
Galecki was clueless.
“I have a healthy ego, but you really have to kind of club me over the head to let me know you’re flirting with me,” Galecki said in the book. “I had zero idea of any sort of crush before Kaley and I began dating.”
