30 Unbelievable Facts We Bet You Never Knew About Johnny Galecki

5 June 2019, 4:43 pm EDT By Ruby Karnick

Johnny Galecki, one of the highest paid television actors in the world, first garnered worldwide recognition for playing the role of Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." Here are some really interesting facts to know about the American actor:

He began performing in such prestigious theater productions as "Fiddler on the Roof", "Pippin" and "Galileo", opposite Brian Dennehy at The Goodman Theater in Chicago, at the young age of 7.
Galecki received a Joseph Jefferson citation nomination for his critically-acclaimed performance as "John Henry" in "The Member of the Wedding" when he was just 11 years old.
He used to a smoker, but quit shortly before the start of the eighth season of "The Big Bang Theory." He had actually started smoking when he was a teenager.
In the year 1991, he starred in the made-for-TV movie "Backfield in Motion," which co-starred the production team of Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold.
It was reported that when he was only 10 years old, he used a pin to poke a hole through his ear lobe because his parents would not allow him to get his ear pierced professionally.
John Mark Galecki was born on April 30, 1975, in Bree, Belgium, to American parents - Richard Galecki and Mary Louise Noon, of Polish, Irish, and Italian descent.
His father was a member of the U.S. Air Force stationed in Belgium, where he also worked as a rehabilitation teacher. His mother was a mortgage consultant.
He has two siblings - a younger brother Nick, whom he calls as a "mechanical genius" in the automotive industry, and a younger sister Allison.
It was said that he was known to make up long stories and tales, as a child. At times like those, his mother would make him play the "quiet game", where he had to see how long he could go without talking.
About his mother, he recalled in an interview that, though she was a loving mother, she was also very tough, and said the phase she loving uses is "I love you, now get out."

He first made his acting debut in the 1987 CBS miniseries "Murder Ordained" with JoBeth Williams, and John Goodman.
He was cast as Danny Nash, the son of Robert Urich's lead character, on the NBC comedy "American Dreamer;" the very next year.
Galecki was then cast as a regular member on the ABC sitcom "Billy," a spin-off from "Head of the Class," another ABC sitcom, that ran from 1986 to 1991.
During this time, he began making guest appearances on the hit ABC sitcom "Roseanne" as the younger brother of Mark Healy, who started a relationship with Darlene Conner.
In his first appearance in the "Roseanne," he was introduced as Kevin Healy, but his name was soon changed to David, and even had a few more guest shots.
He was soon named as a permanent "Roseanne" cast member from the fall of 1992 onward, in the role of David Healy until the end of the show's run in the year 1997, following the cancellation of "Billy."
He made an appearance in the music video for the Dave Matthews Band song "Satellite" in the year 1995.
In the year 1991, he was featured against his future "The Big Bang Theory" co-star Mayim Bialik, in one episode of "Blossom," an NBC sitcom.
He was featured in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer," in the 1997 summer slasher, and in the dark comedy "The Opposite of Sex," the following year.
He was again cast in the "Bounce," a romantic drama film, reuniting with "The Opposite of Sex" director Don Roos, in the year 2000.

Galecki continued playing some brief bit parts in high-profile films and minor supporting parts in "Suicide Kings," "Bean" and "Vanilla Sky."
He was cast as Daniel Hannigan, a young delinquent in "A Family Torn Apart," a TV movie based on a true story about a serial killer, in the year 1993.
He was featured as Jude in the "Bookies," a comedy thriller film written by Michael Bacall and directed by Mark Illsley, in the year 2003.
He made an appearance as a golfer in the episode of "My Name Is Earl" entitled "Stole Beer from a Golfer" in the year 2005.
He started dating his "The Big Bang Theory" co-star Kaley Cuoco in the year 2007. The duo also play a couple in the show. The relationship, which lasted for two years, ended on good terms in December 2009, with them being friends till date.
He has been in a relationship with Alaina Meyer, for a past few years. The duo announced that they were expecting their first child together on May 3, 2019.
He was cast in the character of Trouty on TBS's sitcom "My Boys," and as the half-brother of the sisters Hope Shanowski and Faith Fairfield, in the sitcom "Hope & Faith."
Galecki appeared in the Broadway play "The Little Dog Laughed" as a prostitute called Alex, in the late 2006 and early 2007. For his performance in the play, he earned a 2007 Theater World Award.
He was cast as Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," though he was asked to play the role of Sheldon Cooper. He claims that he was better suited for the role of Leonard Hofstadter, and the role of Sheldon was eventually given to Jim Parsons.
Following the cancellation of "Roseanne" the other cast members except Galecki, made a deal for a spin off program, without the involvement from Barr. However, it was announced that Galecki would appear at least for one episode.