Robert Joy

Robert Joy is a Canadian actor known for his extensive work in film, television and theater. He began his career on the stage and became associated with the Newfoundland-based comedy troupe CODCO, performing in many of the group's pre-television stage shows and later appearing as a guest performer on its television series. He also co-starred in Andy Jones' 1986 film The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood, the only film to feature the entire CODCO cast.

Joy's film career includes an early appearance as Jim, the punk musician boyfriend of Madonna's character, in the 1985 comedy Desperately Seeking Susan. He followed with a role as the Dutch-Israeli Hans in the 1986 television film Sword of Gideon, based on George Jonas' book Vengeance. His subsequent film credits include Gregory Hoblit's thriller Fallen (1998), starring Denzel Washington, Donald Sutherland, James Gandolfini and John Goodman, and George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (2005), in which he played Charlie Houx, a simple-minded sharpshooter. He also appeared as Lizard in Alexandre Aja's 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes, Ted Bedworth in the romantic comedy It's a Boy Girl Thing and Colonel Stevens in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). In 2008, he portrayed physicist Stephen Hawking in the comedy Superhero Movie. He later appeared as himself in the 2012 documentary That Guy... Who Was in That Thing.

On television, Joy became particularly well known for his role as Dr. Sid Hammerback, the chief medical examiner on CBS' police procedural CSI: NY. He joined the series as a recurring character during its second season in 2005 and was promoted to the main cast in season five. The character became one of his most recognizable television roles.

Alongside his screen work, Joy has maintained an extensive theater career, with engagements on Broadway and at theaters throughout the United States. His stage credits include Charles in King Charles III at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., in 2017, and Crito and the poet Mellitus in Socrates at The Public Theater in New York, which ran from April through June 2019.

Across his career, Joy has built a diverse body of work spanning comedy, drama, horror, science fiction, television procedurals and classical theater, establishing himself as a versatile character actor in Canadian, American and international productions.