Thanks to the intense popularity of nerds in entertainment culture, actor Jim Parsons emerged as the poster boy of geek chic, thanks to his winning portrayal of Sheldon Cooper on “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS, 2007- ). His performance as a neurotic and socially maladjusted physicist made Parsons the hit sitcom’s breakout star, turning the Texas-born actor into a frontrunner for an Emmy Award. While his character was stand-offish, calculating and arrogant – as one would expect from a brainiac with two PhDs and a master’s degree – Parsons gave his character a healthy dose of charm and leading man likeability. No one in Hollywood quite understood how he did it, but Parsons helped make genius the new cool.

Parsons was born on March 24, 1973 in Houston, TX. Following his graduation from Klein Oak High School in 1991, he received a bachelor of arts degree in theater from the University of Houston. During his collegiate career, Parsons helped form a non-profit theater company called Infernal Bridgegroom Productions, where he displayed his acting promise in productions of “Endgame,” “Guys and Dolls” and “The Balcony.” Though acting was his first love, Parsons also played piano and having grown up in Texas was also an avid sports fan, especially of tennis, baseball and basketball.

Appearing in a 2002 episode of the comedy “Ed” (NBC, 2000-04), a minor role in the film “Nowhere to Go But Up” (2003) and the Farrelly brothers’ unaired comedy pilot “Why Blitt?” (FOX, 2004) gave Parsons his first taste of Hollywood. But it was the indie hit “Garden State” (2004) that showcased the Texas native’s hilariously dry brand of acting. Parsons played Tim, a Medieval Times knight who courted the onscreen mom (Jean Smart) of star-writer-director Zach Braff. Parson followed his “Garden State” appearance with a recurring role on the series “Judging Amy” (CBS, 1999–2005), playing Rob Holbrook for seven episodes and giving the courtroom drama a bit of necessary comic relief. Parsons returned to features in 2006, racking up more indie cred with appearances in “10 Items For Less” with Morgan Freeman, the offbeat comedy “School For Scoundrels” with Billy Bob Thornton and the drama “Gardener of Eden,” a dark comedy directed by “Entourage” (HBO, 2004– ) star Kevin Connolly.

In 2007, Parsons was cast in “The Big Bang Theory,” along with “Roseanne” (ABC, 1988–1997) alum Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco. Parsons and Galecki played roommates who were geniuses when it came to math and science, but were utterly clueless in regard to the opposite sex. To make his geeky character more believable, Parsons spent every hour before taping an episode reading a physics dictionary. “None of this works if it’s not relatable,” the actor said. Though a super-genius, Parsons’ character was also arrogant, tactless and displayed what some considered to be the symptoms of Asperger syndrome – a claim both the actor and the producers half-heartedly denied. Meanwhile, Parsons became the show’s breakout star, and in 2009 he was favored to win an Emmy nomination for his brilliant comic performance. The path for a win was set when he was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – the first of his promising young career.