Johnny Galecki is best known for two roles. The first as Leonard Hofstadter on the long-running sitcom The Big Bang Theory. And the second is as middle child Darlene's boyfriend David on the late '80s/early '90s sitcom Roseanne and its recent spin-off The Conners.
Those who grew up in the '80s might also recognize Galecki as the second iteration of Russ Griswold in the film National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation; the character was played by several actors through the years.
But Galecki has actually been in plenty more projects since he began acting in the late '80s, including movies, TV shows, shorts, and more. Not counting most voice roles or guest appearances, which are his best-ranked roles in film and television?
10 Vanilla Sky (2001) – 6.9
Vanilla Sky, an adaptation of the 1997 Spanish film Open Your Eyes, is a totally weird story about a man who becomes disfigured after a car accident. After several surgeries to repair his face, he becomes trapped between the real world and lucid dreams.
The stars of the film were Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz, but Galecki had a small role as a man named Peter Brown.
9 Roseanne (1988-1997) – 7.0
One of his best-known roles, Galecki played the timid young boy who was dating the dark and depressed Darlene on this sitcom. Based on the spin-off series The Conners, David and Darlene ended up getting married and having two kids together before eventually divorcing.
Posters of Galecki were all over teen magazines in the mid '90s. He was viewed as a bona fide heartthrob, the soft-spoken handsome high schooler with the sweeping long hair who was there at Darlene's beck and command.
8 Murder Ordained (1987) – 7.1
This TV movie starred Keith Carradine and Kathy Bates and was based on a true story: in Kansas in 1983, a state trooper discovered foul play when investigating the death of a local minister's wife.
Galecki starred alongside John Goodman, with whom he later went on to work with again on Roseanne. He only, however, had a very minor role in this film.
7 Bagtime (2001) – 7.2
There's very little known about this obscure comedy, a 2001 television movie written by Robert Greene, a journalist and author who was best known for the 24 years he spent working with the Chicago Tribune as well as his many interviews with celebrities like Michael Jordan and Alice Cooper and influential U.S. presidents.
His 1977 book of the same name was based on a collection of columns written by reporter Paul Galloway from the perspective of a fictional bagboy named Mike Holiday. In addition to starring in the film, Galecki was also a producer.
6 My Boys (2006-2010) – 7.3
Galecki is so tightly tied to Roseanne and The Big Bang Theory that it's easy to forget he actually appeared on another sitcom in between those two. It was called The Boys and the TBS show centered around a female sports columnist and her brother and best friend.
It lasted for four seasons and also starred Jim Gaffigan as the brother. Galecki was a secondary character named Trouty who only appeared in three episodes in the first few seasons as an annoying guy who clearly tried too hard to get people to like and respect him.
5 A Dog's Journey (2019) – 7.5
One of Galecki's most recent projects ranks among his top five. This comedy-drama film is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron, the sequel to A Dog's Purpose. Galecki is in good company with Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Marg Helgenberger, and Betty Gilpin, who also provide voices in the film.
Galecki provides the voice for Henry, the deceased husband of Gilpin's character.
4 National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) – 7.6
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is one of the biggest comedic film franchises yet there is a glaring issue: the two Griswold children, Rusty and Audrey, have been played by multiple actors over the years. Galecki was the second actor to play the character in one of the most successful films of the franchise; Anthony Michael Hall played him first and Jason Lively for the last two films.
While the film is more than 30 years old, it's still mandatory viewing during the holiday season in many households.
3 Becoming Glen (2002) – 7.8
Galecki had the starring role as the title character in this TV movie, a drama/family story that also counted Josh Hutcherson and Sally Struthers in its cast, the former as a younger version of Galecki's character.
Glen was a young man with OCD who lived with his parents while trying to write a novel. When his childhood crush moved back home to take care of her ill mother, Glen lied and said he was staying with his parents to do the same, claiming his mom suffered from Alzheimers. But it was all a ruse so she wouldn't realize the truth.
2 The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019) – 8.1
Galecki was a main cast member on this series from the very beginning through to the final episode. He played Leonard Hofstadter, a highly intelligent physicist who lived with his colleague and best friend Sheldon. Socially awkward and lacking self-confidence, Leonard slowly came out of his shell and snagged the girl of his dreams.
The role made Galecki huge bank and one of the highest paid sitcom stars on television: for a duration of time, the five original main cast members on the show were making $1 million per episode.
1 Entourage (2004-2011) – 8.4
Loosely based on Mark Wahlberg's life, friends, and rise up the Hollywood ranks, Entourage, for which Wahlberg served as an executive producer, followed the story of Vinny Chase as he was getting noticed in Hollywood. He brought along all of his childhood buds and, well, life became a huge frat party.
Like many other actors, Galecki appeared as a fictionalized version of himself. He was in three Entourage episodes in the final season, where his biggest storyline was dating Sloan, the ex and long-time love of Vinny's childhood best friend and manager.
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