
Robert Hegyes
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".
Gallery

Known For
Acting History
2004
Living in TV Land
2001So Little Time as Vice Principal Connor
2000Bar Hopping as Unseen Customer
1999L.A. Heat
1998The Pandora Project as Enrique Gutierrez
1995The Drew Carey Show as Robert Hegyes
1995NewsRadio as Al
1994Cagney & Lacey: The Return as Esposito
1993Diagnosis: Murder as Mr. Wolf
1992Bob Roberts as Ernesto Galleano
1991Memorial: Letters from American Soldiers as Reader
1990Kill Crazy as Harry Durosa
1984E. Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind as Raoul
1982For Lovers Only as Frankie Spoleto
1982Cagney & Lacey as Manny Esposito
1981Lewis & Clark
1981Underground Aces as Tico
1980A Cry for Love as Pizza Counterman
1979$weepstake$
1978Just Tell Me You Love Me as Ricky
1977The Love Boat as Danny
1977CHiPs
1977The Brady Bunch Hour
1976Battle of the Network Stars
1976Cos
1976Law and Order as Angelo
1976Donny & Marie as Self
1975Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
1975Welcome Back, Kotter as Juan Epstein
1972Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest as Self
1972The Streets of San Francisco
1961The Mike Douglas Show as Self









