One of the primary stars of ‘The Big Bang Theory, Johnny Galecki, lived a rich life before his role as Leonard Hofstadter. In The Big Bang Theory, we all fell in love with Leonard Hofstader, the bumbling, wheezy, nerdy character. His comic book passion, loyalty to Penny, smart-aleck comebacks, and patience with Sheldon’s quirks. Leonard grew into the dependable buddy and roommate we all hoped we had.

8. Child Johnny Galecki

Although Galecki is an American citizen, he was born in Bree, Belgium. His father, a member of the U.S. Air Force, was stationed there when Galecki was born. At three, the family moved back home to Chicago, where his mother was a mortgage consultant, and his father taught blind veterans at the VA hospital.

7. Early Career Of Johnny Galecki

We all have a childhood dream of what we would become as an adult. Some want to be astronauts; others want to be President. Johnny Galecki wanted to act. According to a statement made by his mother, Galecki told her, “Mom, I’m gonna be on T.V., and I don’t mean when I grow up.”

6. Breaking Into Hollywood

Only three years after becoming a regular on the Chicago theater scene, he found himself in his first Hollywood movie role in Prancer. It wouldn’t be his big break, as great an accomplishment as this was. That is attributed to his role in a Christmas classic.

5. Moving to Los Angeles

The Galecki family decided to move to Los Angeles with this new success but quickly realized they missed the Windy City and returned to Chicago. Galecki stayed in Los Angeles, under contract for a show with Robert Urich called American Dreamer to pursue his career. The 15-year-old was living on his own in a big city.

4. Sad Incident Of Life

The Galecki story is not without its share of tears. When Galecki was 16, he received the news that his father had died in a car accident. Coincidently, his eventual costar Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, also lost his father at a young age.

3. Johnny Galecki As Rising Star

In 1991, Galecki was cast as Roseanne Barr’s son in the TV movie Backfield in Motion. Barr liked Galecki so much that she went on to ask him to do an appearance in her popular sitcom. This singular appearance turned into a recurring role. John Goodman, who played Roseanne Barr’s husband on the sitcom, said, “If he was one of those little stuffed bears at a carny, he has a ‘Wuv Me’ t-shirt on. People want to take care of him.”

2. Becoming Leonard Hofstadter

One of the former producers of Roseanne was Chuck Lorre. During his time on the sitcom, he got to know Galecki. When Lorre was looking to cast The Big Bang Theory, Galecki had shifted his attention to training to be a plumber. Of that time, he told Larry King on Larry King Now, “I was in Wisconsin at the Kohler plant when I got a call to come and guest star on something, and then that led to my Broadway debut, and then while I was there, Chuck called about Big Bang.”

1. Today’s Johnny Galecki

Today, Galecki enjoys his life and his hobbies. As a self-professed “motorcycle nerd,” he rides a Harley Davidson Softail Delux. Because he believes “we should never stop learning,” he spent time learning to play the cello in his early twenties and embraced world travel, painting, music, and hiking, especially with his dog, Vera.