
Acting
Robert Hegyes
Birth Date
May 7, 1951
Death Date
January 26, 2012
(passed away at 60)
Place of Birth
Perth Amboy, New Jersey, USA
Popularity
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Biography
Robert Hegyes was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, to an Hungarian-American father, Stephen, and an Italian-American mother, Marie Dominica (Cocozza). He is the eldest of their children. The others are: Mark Hegyes, MD - Billings, Montana, Ms. Stephanie Hegyes - Princeton, New Jersey, and Ms. Elizabeth Cocozza - Los Angeles, California. Robert began studying acting in earnest at Metuchen High School under the direction of Dr. Barton Shepard, Ph.D, in the mid-1960s. He was accepted into the Theater Program at Rown University of New Jersey (formerly Glassboro State College) and, in the early 1970s, graduated with a BA in Theater & Secondary Education. Hegyes then ventured into New York City to practice his trade, immediately taking up with the "Greenwich Village Children's Repertory Companies", "Theater in a Trunk", and "The NYC Children's Puppet Ensemble". In short order Robert hooked up with his third Greenwhich Village troupe, "Jack LaRumpa's Flying Drum & Kazoo Band", performing improvisational anti-war comedy in Washington Square and the Provincetown Playhouse. Within a year of graduating from Rowan, Hegyes was cast to co-star in the Manhattan Theater Club Emsmble's highly-acclaimed drama, "Naomi Court", which starred another young actor, Brad Davis (of Midnight Express (1978)). After completing that successful engagement Robert was tapped to co-star for Tony Award-winning actor/director Len Cariou, A Little Night Music (1977) & Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982), in the Broadway drama, "Don't Call Back", starring Arlene Francis at the Helen Hayes Theater. It was during the run of that Broadway drama that he was cast by producer James Komack to star in the award-winning comedy series, Welcome Back, Kotter (1975) and, at the age of twenty-five, became one of the show's directors. Robert has guest-starred in over thirty episodic series, including Saturday Night Live (1975) with host Quentin Tarantino, Diagnosis Murder (1993) with Dick Van Dyke and The Drew Carey Show (1995). He has starred in the award-nominated "Passat" commercial, "The Chase", for director Kinka Usher and in the feature films, Honeymoon Hotel (2004) opposite Jane Kaczmarek, Underground Aces (1981) with Melanie Griffith, Bob Roberts (1992) for director Tim Robbins, Purpose (2002) starring Mia Farrow, and Bar Hopping (2000) alongside Kevin Nealon. Hegyes made his Los Angeles stage debut to rave notices as Chico Marx in Arthur Marx's play, "An Evening with Groucho", and was shortly thereafter cast as a series regular starring in the award-winning drama, Cagney & Lacey (1981). Robert has been awarded a lifetime artist-in-residence status at his alma mater and has taught there and continues to guest lecture regularly. He is also a California Certified Secondary Education Teacher and teaches for the Los Angeles Unified School District at Venice High School. As a long-time resident of Venice, California, Robert and partner Craig Titley, (Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)) developed the original Internet series, "The Venice Walk".
Photos


Saturday Night Live
Self (uncredited)
1975 • 1 episode

The Love Boat
Danny
1977 • 1 episode

The Mike Douglas Show
Self - Guest
1961 • 4 episodes

Diagnosis: Murder
Mr. Wolf
1993 • 1 episode

The Drew Carey Show
Robert Hegyes
1995 • 1 episode

Cagney & Lacey
Manny Esposito
1982 • 40 episodes

The Streets of San Francisco
1972 • 1 episode

NewsRadio
Al
1995 • 1 episode

CHiPs
1977 • 1 episode

Battle of the Network Stars
1976 • 1 episode

Donny & Marie
Self
1976 • 3 episodes

L.A. Heat
1999 • 1 episode

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
Self
1972 • 1 episode
$weepstake$
1979 • 1 episode

Welcome Back, Kotter
Juan Epstein
1975 • 95 episodes

So Little Time
Vice Principal Connor
2001 • 1 episode
Living in TV Land
2004 • 7 episodes

The Brady Bunch Hour
1977 • 1 episode
Lewis & Clark
1981 • 1 episode

Bob Roberts
Ernesto Galleano
1992