Noah Wyle was born on June 4 in Hollywood, California. He was raised there with his six brothers and sisters. His mother is an orthopedic head nurse and his father works as an electrical engineer. His first performance, which Noah calls “transcendent,” was in a preschool production of “Three Billy Goats Gruff,” in which he played the troll. In grade four he performed in “Hindel the Gate Guard.” He later played the voice of God in a school play about Noah’s Ark. “How could I not get the Noah Part?” he wonders.

He became more interested in acting after his junior year in high school after he participated in a theater-arts program at Northwestern University. But during high school the thrill of being able to kiss pretty girls and smoke cigarettes was enough of a reward for his acting career. After graduating, however, he became more focused and determined to pursue acting as a career. He found a ragged apartment on Hollywood Boulevard and began to study acting under the direction of Larry Moss.

Wyle landed his first professional role in the NBC mini-series “Blind Faith.” Following the television gig he landed the part of a son in a dysfunctional family in his first feature film, “Crooked Hearts.” In 1990 he went on to find work on the yet to be released “There Goes My Baby.” Considering the ease with which he secured those roles, Wyle assumed he would be acting full-time. He was unfortunately mistaken; he remained unemployed for the next year.

After performing in several local plays in the Los Angeles area, his big break was about to be realized. He was offered the role in the box-office hit “A Few Good Men” (1992). He played a Marine jeep driver who testified in court. He then appeared in the film “Swing Kids,” where he played a leader in the Hitler Youth. More recently, he has starred opposite Sheryl Lee in the TV Movie “Guenevere of Camelot,” as Lancelot.

It wasn’t until 1994 that Noah’s luck was about to change for the better. He came across the script for the pilot of “ER,” and the role of Dr. Carter was very intriguing indeed. After three auditions the role was granted to Noah. The incredibly successful series has made Noah as successful as the show itself, or is it the other way around?

He may not be the Dr. he plays on TV but he can identify with his pretend patient’s fear of needles. He recalls the first time he donated blood, right up to the moment he blacked out. “I decided to give some blood in High school, and I recall a woman bending over me who said, ‘This is my first time doing this’, and that was all I needed to hear before I passed out,” says Wyle. “I remember waking up in the back of the bloodmobile.”

Noah says of his TV character, “I wouldn’t want to be Dr. Carter’s patient. He’s extremely well meaning and eager to do a good job and be noticed for doing a good job, but he’s a klutz who is easily overcome by pressure.”