Robert Hegyes was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, to Hungarian-American father Stephen and Italian-American mother Marie Dominica (Cocozza). He is the eldest of their children, which include Mark Hegyes, MD, Stephanie Hegyes, and Elizabeth Cocozza.
Robert began his acting career in the mid-1960s at Metuchen High School under the direction of Dr. Barton Shepard. He was accepted into the Theater Program at Rowan University of New Jersey and graduated with a BA in Theater & Secondary Education.
Hegyes then moved to New York City, where he joined various theater companies, including the Greenwich Village Children's Repertory Companies, Theater in a Trunk, and the NYC Children's Puppet Ensemble. He also performed with Jack LaRumpa's Flying Drum & Kazoo Band, an improvisational anti-war comedy troupe.
After graduating from Rowan University, Hegyes was cast in the Manhattan Theater Club Ensemble's production of "Naomi Court," starring Brad Davis. He then co-starred in the Broadway drama "Don't Call Back" with Tony Award-winning actor Len Cariou.
In 1975, Hegyes was cast in the award-winning comedy series "Welcome Back, Kotter" and became one of the show's directors at the age of 25. He has since guest-starred in over thirty episodic series, including "Saturday Night Live" and "The Drew Carey Show."
Hegyes has also starred in several feature films, including "Honeymoon Hotel," "Underground Aces," "Bob Roberts," "Purpose," and "Bar Hopping." He made his Los Angeles stage debut as Chico Marx in "An Evening with Groucho" and was shortly thereafter cast as a series regular in the award-winning drama "Cagney & Lacey."
Robert Hegyes is a California Certified Secondary Education Teacher and has taught for the Los Angeles Unified School District at Venice High School. He is also a long-time resident of Venice, California, and developed the original Internet series "The Venice Walk" with his partner, Craig Titley.
