Christian Jules LeBlanc (born August 25, 1958) is an American television actor. He is best known for playing the role of Michael Baldwin on ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...

'' (1991 to 1993, 1997 to present). He has received nine

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

nominations and three wins for his work on ''The Young and the Restless''.

Early life

LeBlanc was born in

Fort Bragg, North Carolina Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

. His father is retired Major Andre Victor LeBlanc, a decorated veteran and winner of the Bronze Star. He is the second of eight children. He was raised in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, in a renovated plantation house on the banks of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. While researching his family's genealogy, LeBlanc found that his grandmother was legally a slave and his mother was Creole. He began acting in high school, when a girl talked him into auditioning for a school production of ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

''. He was cast as a Shark. He then played a beggar in ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

,'' where his classmate, future New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, also had a role. He graduated with honors from

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

, majoring in ancient history and pre-med.

Career

While in college, LeBlanc was noticed by a photographer while swimming at a pool, which led to modeling and acting opportunities. He worked at a variety of jobs to support himself early in his career, including as a busboy at Helmsley Palace, where his boss was

Leona Helmsley Leona Roberts Helmsley (born Lena Mindy Rosenthal; July 4, 1920 – August 20, 2007) was an American businesswoman. After allegations of non-payment were made by contractors hired to improve Helmsley's Connecticut home, she was investigated and ...

. He also had jobs as a teacher and a caterer. He was offered a role in a PBS series, ''Edit Point.'' He was then cast as Kirk McColl on the CBS soap opera ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...

'', playing the role from 1983 to 1985. After leaving ''As the World Turns'', he had a regular role on '' In the Heat of the Night''. He guest-starred on '' E.A.R.T.H. Force'', ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...

, Riptide'', ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'', and '' Gabriel's Fire''. LeBlanc was cast on ''

'' as Michael Baldwin in 1991 and played the role until 1993. After a short absence, he returned in 1997 and has been with the show ever since. He also played Michael in crossover episodes on ''

'' in 2005. He has been nominated for a

for the role nine times, and won for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2005, 2007, and 2009. In 1993, he appeared in a ''Perry Mason'' TV Movie. He was also cast in the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

late-night cable TV series ''

Red Shoe Diaries ''Red Shoe Diaries'' is an American erotic drama anthology series that aired on Showtime from 1992 to 1997, and was distributed by Playboy Entertainment, but as of 2025, Paramount Global Content Distribution overseas. It is a spin-off of the t ...

'', and reprised the role for a video movie. LeBlanc starred on stage in ''Ladies in Retirement'' at the

Coconut Grove Playhouse The Coconut Grove Playhouse was a theatre in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. The building was originally constructed as a movie theater called the Player's State Theater. It opened on January 1, 1927, as a part of ...

in 1995, co-starring with

Julie Harris Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary roles, she earned numerous accolades including five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play, three Emmy Awards, and a Grammy ...

. The play was directed by

Charles Nelson Reilly Charles Nelson Reilly (January 13, 1931 – May 25, 2007) was an American actor, comedian, director and drama teacher. He performed in the original Broadway casts of ''Bye Bye Birdie''; '' Hello, Dolly!''; and '' How to Succeed in Business With ...

, who was also his acting coach. His other theater credits include productions of ''No Orchids for Miss Blandish'', ''The Catonsville Nine'', and ''Appearances to the Contrary''. In 2000, LeBlanc produced and acted in a short film, ''Puppy Love'', co-starring with

Grace Zabriskie Grace Zabriskie (née Caplinger; born May 17, 1941) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Sarah Palmer in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), Lois Henrickson in ''B ...

. The film won Outstanding Short Film at the Los Angeles and New York International Short Film Festivals. LeBlanc appeared alongside his ''

'' wife, Tracey E. Bregman, in the video for '' I Keep On Loving You'' by

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire ( ; born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music, country singer and actress. Dubbed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Sin ...

in 2010. From 2011 to 2014, he played Jake on the web series '' Venice: The Series.'' LeBlanc acted in and produced the 2013 film ''Grave Secrets'', co-starring with

Diane Ladd Diane Ladd (born Rose Diane Ladner; November 29, 1935) is an American actress. She has appeared in over 200 films and television shows. She received three Academy Award nominations for her roles in '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974), '' ...

and

Ashley Jones Ashley Aubra Jones (born September 3, 1976) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in soap operas as Megan Dennison on ''The Young and the Restless'' and as Bridget Forrester on ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. She also portrayed t ...

. A television episode version of the film aired as part of

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

's '' Deadtime Stories'' on

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

. LeBlanc's role was edited out of the television version. In 2022, he starred Off-Broadway in ''

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' is a 1955 American three-act play by Tennessee Williams. The play, an adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", was written between 1953 and 1955. One of Williams's more famous works and his ...

'' at Theatre at St. Clements, co-starring with

Sonoya Mizuno Sonoya Mizuno (born 1 July 1986) is a Japanese-born English actress. She is known for her roles in the Netflix series ''Maniac (miniseries), Maniac'' (2018), the HBO series ''House of the Dragon'' (2022–present), the FX on Hulu, FX miniseries ...

and Matt de Rogatis. In March 2024, LeBlanc and de Rogatis reprised their roles, bringing the production to the 2024 Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival.

Personal life

LeBlanc's art work has been displayed in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. He is not related to actor

Matt LeBlanc Matthew Steven LeBlanc (; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' and in its spin-off series, '' Joey''. For his work on ''Friends'', LeBlanc ...

, who played

Joey Tribbiani Joseph Francis Tribbiani Jr. (born 1968) is a fictional character, serving as one of the primary characters of the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' and the protagonist of its spin-off ''Joey''. He is portrayed by Matt LeBlanc in both series. Joey is an ...

on the sitcom ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

''. On June 20, 2021, he revealed on

Maurice Benard Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) is an American actor. He played Nico Kelly in the ABC daytime soap opera ''All My Children'' from 1987 to 1990 and in 1991 portrayed Desi Arnaz in the biographical television film '' Lucy & Desi: Before the La ...

's Youtube series ''State of Mind'' that he is gay and has been married to his husband since 1993. In October 2023, LeBlanc announced that he had been diagnosed with

Multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...

in June of that year and that the cancer was in remission. He had first noticed symptoms on the set of ''

'' and took time off while receiving treatment.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web series

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Christian LeBlanc's Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leblanc, Christian 1958 births Living people Male actors from New Orleans 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male television actors American male soap opera actors Daytime Emmy Award winners Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winners American gay actors LGBTQ people from North Carolina People from Fort Bragg, North Carolina Tulane University alumni 21st-century American LGBTQ people American people of French descent American male stage actors Actors from Louisiana American artists