Robert J. Ulrich is an American casting director and producer active since the 1980s and best known for casting television shows including Glee, The Boys, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, CSI, Diagnosis: Murder and Matlock. He has also cast most Ryan Murphy productions since Popular in 1999. He has been nominated for nine Emmy Awards, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for casting Glee. He has been nominated for the Artios Awards 22 times and won twice, for casting Glee and Nip/Tuck.
Career Robert J. Ulrich began his career as a stage actor, but realized he would not be successful. He moved into casting and says he learned more about acting his first time behind the table than in his previous career.
Known for casting musical television series, Ulrich told The Hollywood Reporter that "it's so much more fun when you're doing a musical, because people are singing and your day's suddenly better." He developed this musical casting process for the show Rhapsody, which did not get greenlit. Initially, he would have auditionees sing a cappella or with a backing track, but insisted on bringing a live pianist for the callbacks, saying in 2020 that "great singers are better with a piano and less trained singers are much better with a piano". He has also said that having live piano sets actors at ease. The pianist he found for the Rhapsody callbacks was Brad Ellis, whom he would use for subsequent musical auditions as well as integrating into shows like Glee. Ulrich's musical casting process has not changed since Rhapsody, and he encourages actors to showcase themselves. He has also opined that for television, he considers acting ability above singing and that actors from the stage "should bring it down for the screen." Sometimes for auditions later in a show a pianist will not be used.
Ulrich became involved with casting for Glee through his business partner Eric Dawson, who had worked with creator Ryan Murphy on multiple occasions; Dawson suggested Ulrich should be involved due to his musical background. While working on the show he helped develop the reality series The Glee Project, which he described as an extension of the comedy-musical's casting process. In 2021, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Ulrich does not find musical casting challenging, as he has many connections with triple threat performers; for Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist he cast several actors he had seen for prior auditions, including Jane Levy, who had previously auditioned for him for The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again, and Michael Thomas Grant and Alex Newell who had been contestants on The Glee Project.
He is affiliated with professional guilds The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Casting Society of America, the Producers Guild of America, and Teamsters Local 399.
He was also a producer of Billy Boy, a 2017 film written by and starring Glee performers Melissa Benoist and Blake Jenner.
Personal life He is married to actress Kim Johnston Ulrich. The couple judged the annual "Valley's Got Talent" in Ulrich's hometown of Modesto, California, together.
Filmography
Film YearProductionRole(s)Notes1988The UnholyCasting1988Midnight CrossingCasting1989Paint It BlackCasting1990Spies on IceCasting1990DowntownCasting1992Spies, Inc.Casting1993AirborneCasting1993MonolithCasting1999Cold HeartsCasting2005WheelmenCasting, co-producer2016Holly's GirlCasting, executive producerShort film2016This is HowCastingShort film2017Billy BoyCasting, producer2018Mail Order MonsterCasting, producer2019AssimilateCasting2019SofterCasting, producerShort film2019Foster BoyCasting, co-producer2020The Boys in the BandCasting
Television All roles only casting unless noted. YearProductionNotes1988Family Man1989Father Dowling Mysteries1991Adventures in WonderlandPilot1991This Gun for HireTV movie1990–1992Jake and the Fatman1991–1992Eerie, Indiana1992The HannigansPilot1992The Round Table1992–1993Melrose Place1993Arly HanksPilot1993Ned Blessing: The True Story of My LifeTV movie1991–1994Perry Mason10 episodes; TV film series1994Weldon PondPilot1994Close to HomePilot1994The Byrds of Paradise1994Green Dolphin BeatTV movie1994Heaven Help Us1988–1995Matlock1994–1995Ray Alexander2 episodes; TV film series1995HellPilot1995Fast CompanyPilot1995P.C.H.1995Extreme Blue1995Gramps1995Bringing up Jack1995Deadly Games1995The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space1995–1996Strange Luck1996The Gail O'Grady Project1996Dark Angel1996She Cried No1996Dark Skies1995–1997Diagnosis: Murder1996–1997Moloney1997DogsPilot1997Spy Game1997Timecop1997The Gregory Hines Show1997–1998Early Edition1997–1998Pensacola: Wings of Gold1998The Dave Chappelle ProjectPilot1998Glory, GloryPilot1998DayBreakPilot1998Rag and Bone1998Rude Awakening1998To Have & to Hold1998The Wonderful World of DisneyAnthology series1998Wind on Water1998–1999The Net1999SagamorePilot1999PartnerPilot1999Ladies Man1999Ryan Caulfield: Year One2000Brutally Normal1999–2001Popular2001Earth AngelsPilot2001Sam's CircusPilot2001The Chronicle1998–2002Any Day Now1998–2002V.I.P.2000–2002Dark Angel2001–2002The Tick2001–2002Felicity2002CSI: MiamiPilot2002The American Embassy2002Push, Nevada2002MDs2001–2003The Agency2003Naked HotelPilot2003Crazy LovePilot2003Hope & Faith2003The Lyon's Den2003Battlestar GalacticaMiniseries2001–2004The Chris Isaak Show2002–2004Odyssey 52004Homeland SecurityTV movie2004–2005Jack & Bobby2005Cyber Seduction: His Secret LifeTV movie2005Wildfire2002–2006The Dead Zone2003–2006Missing2004–2006Everwood2005–2006Killer Instinct2005–2006Just Legal2006StandoffPilot2006Kyle XYPilot2006Him and UsPilot2006The Book of Daniel2006Not Like Everyone Else2006The Year Without a Santa ClausTV movie2006Monarch Cove2005–2007Eyes2006–2007Day Break2007ConspiracyPilot2007Company ManPilot2007Battlestar Galactica: RazorTV movie2007Bionic Woman2007Journeyman2008The MentalistPilot2008Pretty/HandsomePilot2004–2009Battlestar Galactica2008–2009Eli Stone2008–2009Eureka2009VirtualityPilot2009The Magic 7TV movie; animation2003–2010Nip/Tuck2007–2010Saving Grace2009–2010Eastwick2010Tower PrepPilot2010Scoundrels2010Lone Star2010Caprica2010–2011Rizzoli & Isles2011Spring/Fall2011Against the Wall2008–2012In Plain Sight2012The Frontier2012The Glee ProjectReality competition show; also co-creator and coach2009–2013Drop Dead Diva2013–2014Witches of East End2014Crisis2000–2015CSI: Crime Scene Investigation2008–2015Glee2014–2015Helix2015StanistanPilot2015CSI: CyberPilot2015QuanticoPilot2016The JuryPilot2016Marvel's Most WantedPilot2016HomePilot2016ConvictionPilot2016The Family2016Underground2016Game of Silence2016The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp AgainTV movie2016–2017The Exorcist2017The HauntedPilot2017DoomsdayPilot2017Behind Enemy LinesPilot2017Feud2017Daytime Divas2013–2018Major Crimes2014–2018Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce2016–2018Designated Survivor2016–2018Shooter2018Chiefs2019Thirtysomething(else)Pilot2019PrismPilot2019L.A.'s FinestPilot2005–2020Supernatural2018–2020The Good Doctor2019–2020Tell Me a Story2020Tiny Pretty Things2020–2021Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist2021EpicPilot2021Untitled Goonies Re-enactment ProjectPilot2021Generation2011–presentAmerican Horror StoryAnthology series2018–presentThe Rookie2018–present9-1-12019–2026The Boys2019–2023All Rise2020-2023Big Sky2020-2024Station 192020–presentGrey's Anatomy2021–2024American Horror StoriesAnthology seriesTBCMonarchTBCIn From the Cold2022-2022Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer StoryTBCUntitled The Boys Spinoff
Theatre YearProductionRole(s)Notes2017The Civility of Albert CashierCasting, producer
Awards and nominations In over 30 years in casting, Ulrich and his company Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer Casting (UDK) have been nominated for over twenty Artios Awards and nine Emmy Awards. Year Association Category Work Result 1992 Artios Awards Outstanding Achievement in Daytime Casting Adventures in Wonderland 1998 Artios Awards Outstanding Achievement in Comedy Pilot Casting The Gregory Hines Show 2000 Popular 2004 Dramatic Pilot Casting Nip/Tuck Dramatic Episodic Casting 2005 Outstanding Achievement in Dramatic Episodic Casting Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series 2006 Artios Awards Children's Television Casting Wildfire 2007 Kyle XY 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Drama Pilot Casting Saving Grace 2009 Outstanding Achievement in Comedy Pilot Casting Glee 2010 Media Access Award Television Series – Comedy Casting Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series 2011 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Artios Awards Television Series – Comedy Casting 2012 Mini-Series Casting American Horror Story: Murder House Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special 2013 Artios Awards Mini-Series Casting American Horror Story: Asylum Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special 2014 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards American Horror Story: Coven 2015 Artios Awards Mini-Series Casting Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special American Horror Story: Freak Show 2016 Artios Awards Mini-Series Casting 2017 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special Feud: Betty and Joan 2018 Artios Awards Limited Series Casting Film – Non-theatrical Release Casting The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again 2019 Hoyt Bowers Award Contribution to casting Micro-Budget Feature Casting – Comedy or Drama Billy Boy 2021 Television Pilot and First Season – Comedy Casting Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Television Pilot and First Season – Drama Casting The Boys 2023 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
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