Robert Newman has earned legions of fans with his winning portrayal of Joshua Lewis on GUIDING LIGHT. The ever-popular actor, who first appeared on the CBS daytime drama in 1981, plays a character who has seen great joy and tragedy in his life with his soulmate, Reva Shayne. In 2002, Newman received his first nomination for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Newman attended Birmingham High School in California, and then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater from California State University at Northridge. His theatrical training began at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and he has also studied with the Strasberg Institute and with Tom Troup, Malcolm MacDowell and Charles Nelson Reilly.

Newman has worked extensively in the Los Angeles theater, playing leading roles in the musicals The Robber Bridegroom, Guys and Dolls and Bye Bye Birdie as well as roles in such diverse plays as Veronica's Room, Titus Andronicus, The Owl and the Pussycat, Medea and The Rainmaker. His performance in Veronica's Room earned him a 1980 Best Supporting Actor Award from the Santa Monica Theater Guild. In July 1983, he played El Gallo in The Fantasticks in Sullivan, Ill. He was seen off-Broadway at the Orpheum in Quiet on the Set and in Betty the Yeti at Stamford Theatreworks in Stamford, Conn.

In addition, Newman and his wife, actress Britt Helfer, performed opposite each other in a production of Sylvia, which he directed at the Barn Theatre in Augusta, Mich. His extensive work at the Barn Theatre has included a full season in 1981 and co-starring with his wife in Inge's Picnic in 1986 and Barefoot in the Park in 1989. In 1991, Newman performed there in Bernard Slade's Romantic Cowboy.

Newman originated the role of Josh on GUIDING LIGHT in October 1981, left the series in mid-1983, then returned to the role in October 1986. In the interim, he was seen in short-term roles on General Hospital and Santa Barbara, and was featured in the pilot Destination America for Stephen J. Cannell Productions. Newman returned to the show for a third time in August 1993 after starring in the ABC civil war epic Class of '61 for Steven Spielberg's Amblin Productions.

Newman and his wife were married in September 1986; they have a son, Connor (b. 4/3/89), and a daughter, Kendal (b. 5/13/92). The brown-haired, blue-eyed actor enjoys golf, snow skiing and playing tennis. He was born in Los Angeles, Calif., the youngest of seven children. His birthdate is June 27.