Leonard Hofstadter

Leonard Hofstadter, PhD
Johnny Galecki as Dr. Leonard Hofstadter
First appearance	"Pilot"
Portrayed by	Johnny Galecki
IQ	173
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Title	Dr. Leonard Leakey[1] Hofstadter, PhD
Occupation	Experimental physicist
Family	Beverly Hofstadter (mother) Michael Hofstadter (Young Brother) Unnamed Father and Sister
Nationality	American

Dr. Leonard Hofstadter is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actor Johnny Galecki. He is a Caltech experimental physicist who shares an apartment with Dr. Sheldon Cooper in a building in Pasadena, California where the elevator always seems to be out of order. His work often includes the use of lasers, such as a helium-neon laser or free electron laser, and his research topics have varied from Bose-Einstein condensates to soft cosmic rays at sea level. His last name is most likely a reference to author and artificial intelligence researchers Douglas R. Hofstadter.

Indicated to be proficient in literature, history, and science, Leonard possesses the ability to solve a literature based crossword puzzle in seconds^[2]. With an IQ of 173, he was 24 years old when he received his PhD. Leonard is sweet but sarcastic, as well as shy and a bit neurotic. Knowing Sheldon best, Leonard must serve as mediator between Sheldon and others in many situations, but generally he is not willing to take the blame for others' wrongdoings. He is usually seen wearing his characteristic black framed glasses (even if in costume), neutral colored sweat jackets, brown trousers, and physics-themed t-shirts. His lactose-intolerance is the subject of many jokes and discussions.

Leonard feels at home with his genius colleagues, but wants more socially. He is reluctant to let their neighbor, Penny, know about his recreational activities (such as Klingon Boggle) as he does not like to be seen as a nerd. While certainly a nerd by most definitions, he is much less socially awkward than Sheldon. He also dislikes his friends' habit of rattling off different trivial facts, something to which all his peers enjoy both listening and participating. He is quick to try new things apart from his nerd friends and, between Sheldon and him, is the only one who feels that he "should do something" when Penny begins to recount her recent breakup. Despite his attempts to reject his nerd status, Leonard owns, among other things, Star Wars hygiene products^[2], an expensive Superman comic collection and a Battlestar Galactica Colonial warrior's flight suit. When he is nervous, Leonard has the tendency to blurt out the wrong things in front of women, such as when he's trying to invite Penny to lunch and mentions that curry is a natural laxative^[2].

Since living with Sheldon, Leonard has only been involved with a handful of women. The first was Joyce Kim, who defected to North Korea after 27 days with Leonard sometime before the show began. He then participated in two short-lived sexual encounters with Leslie Winkle^[3]. He also falls head over heels for Penny within seconds of spotting her. While at first it seems like lust rather than love, by the end of their first encounter with Penny, Leonard announces to Sheldon that "our babies will be smart and beautiful"^[2] (Sheldon quickly adds that they will also be imaginary). At the season one finale, he and Penny have their first date. Though both are skeptical, Leonard ends up giving Penny a very passionate kiss. However, a serious relationship is hampered by insecurities between the two and constant interference from his friends. He is thereafter in a relationship with Dr. Stephanie (Sara Rue) for a short time. After they break up, Leonard comes very close to having sex with Penny at one point (to the point of them making out in bed), but ruins it by stating they are having sex because of their own insecurities.

Throughout the show's course, it has been mentioned that Leonard has a number of health problems. The malady mentioned most often is lactose intolerance; eating any sort of dairy product causes Leonard to produce a toxic gas that, according to Sheldon, could be used by the military as chemical warfare. He also has the inability to process corn, something that Sheldon tells Penny practically the first time they meet. Leonard wears glasses because of myopia. In "The Pancake Batter Anomaly", he is forced to hold his mobile phone very close to his eyes after breaking his glasses in the cinema. Sheldon also says at various points in the show that Leonard suffers from sleep apnea and gets carsick unless he sits in the front seat.

He is named after Nobel prize winner Robert Hofstadter, actor/producer Sheldon Leonard, and famed archeologist Louis Leakey^[1], with whom Leonard's father had supposedly worked. Leonard's mother Beverly,^[4] whom he dreads, is primarily a neuroscientist but she's also a psychiatrist. She is not impressed with Leonard's unoriginal research, nor is she impressed by the accomplishments of his successful siblings, as his brother is a Harvard law professor and his sister is a cutting-edge medical researcher working with gibbons. When asked if she is proud of her children's achievements she simply stated "Why would I be? They're not my accomplishments".

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