SMART, VULNERABLE, INTENSE,...
Robert Baumgardner has a look and acting style that has been compared to a John Cusack, or a Lou Diamond Phillips (and even a John Garfield if you want to get old school). He has performed from Italy to Indiana; from Miami, FL to Portland, ME; drama to comedy; contemporary to classics.
Robert is a member of the Actors Studio, and a company member of the Improvisational Repertory Theatre Ensemble (IRTE). He initially studied acting and directing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In New York, he continued his studies with such teachers as Sonia Moore, Gene Lasko, and Saundra Seacat. Shortly afterward, he discovered improv, and trained and performed at the People's Improv Theater (the PIT), Gotham City Improv, and other venues.
He has had the opportunity to work with some great actors of theatre and film. He acted with Frances McDormand and Linda Hunt at the McCarter Theatre. His membership in the Actors Studio awarded him the opportunity to work with Al Pacino, Estelle Parsons, and Arthur Penn.
Beyond acting, Robert has studied computer science and psychology at Duke. He has also worked in the computer software industry, and in accounting. He has visited over ten countries in Europe and Asia. He lives in NYC with his beautiful wife, the funny improvisor and actress, Nannette Deasy.
AS A DIRECTOR:
IRTE's HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STUPID KID! won the Asheville Fringe Festival award for "Artist(s) Whose Work Made Me Laugh the Most!"
AS AN ACTOR:
"Robert Baumgardner is outstanding as Moonshadow...
Baumgardner's portrayal of the awkward, but curious youth soon won them over."
Barbara Greiling--Potomac News (Review of Dragonwings)
"Sam (played by Robert Baumgardner with creepiness and self-loathing -- to great effect)"
Deborah Atherton, blogcritics.org (Review of Wood Bones by William S. Yellowrobe, Jr.)
"Baumgardner played Ralph, the son of overbearing and uncaring parents in this play set in the Bronx, 1935. He's in love with and hopes to marry a girl, who is poor and orphaned. Ralph's mother resorts to various ploys to squash the relationship, preferring for her boy a good career and a solid society girl. Baumgardner's performance was tinged with anger and anguish, sadness and elation. He's caught between his family and his love for the girl, a love that eventually releases him from feeling trapped. It's a tough role, opposite Anne Jackson as his mother, and Baumgardner doesn't play it for sympathy or act like an indignant child. His inner strength and soul as a performer show through. He has great charisma, presence and a Jimmy Smits-type allure."
Caryn Mendez--The Talent Report (Review of Awake and Sing)
"The work you did last night was phenomenal. You brought such depth and honesty to the character. I was moved when I least expected it. I think we all succeeded in telling a very difficult story-both in structure and subject matter."
Jennifer Kagan--Director at the Women's Project
"Robert Baumgardner should get special mention for his spot-on bayou style accent..."
Outerstage.com (Review of The Groovy Gang Adventures)
"The one bright spot was Robert Baumgardner as Dex. ...he was able to make unmoored anxiety interesting to watch."
David Mackler-- www.oobr.com (Review of Boxing Between Friends)
SAG-AFTRA-AEA
ROBERT BAUMGARDNER