Robert Iler biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Actor Robert Iler was born on March 2, 1985, in New York, New York. Iler began his career largely by chance. He was discovered by a manager while out with his father. At the age of six, he did his first commercial?a spot for the Pizza Hut restaurant chain. Other commercials followed and he made his film debut in The Tic Code with Gregory Hines, which was released in the United States in 2000.

'The Sopranos'

Shortly before his fourteenth birthday, Iler began his career-making turn on the hit HBO series, The Sopranos, in January 1999. As Anthony Jr., he played the often unmotivated, sometimes trouble-making son of mob boss Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini. Iler has been very convincing in the role, winning the Hollywood Reporter Young Star Award for Young Actor/Performance in a Drama TV Series twice?in 1999 and 2000. Also in 2000 he won a Screen Actors Guild Award with the rest of the cast for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

After the third season aired, Iler ran into some trouble with the law in July 2001. According to newspaper reports, he and three friends allegedly robbed two teenage boys in New York City. Iler was arrested and charged with robbery and drug possession. While he claimed not to be involved in the robbery, Iler later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor larceny charge and received three years' probation.

Despite this unfortunate incident, Iler continued to excel in the role of Anthony Jr. Audiences have watched as his character has grown up and evolved over the show's six seasons. For the latest season, fans got to see a slimmer, healthier Iler. He dropped a significant amount of weight through diet and exercise. He told one magazine that he worked out, rode his skateboard and played basketball as a part of his efforts to get fit.

Recent Years

In recent years, Iler has been involved with a few projects outside of The Sopranos. He appeared in Tadpole (2002) and Daredevil (2003) with Ben Affleck. Iler has also made guest appearances on such television shows as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Dead Zone.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.