Rob was born in Canada in 1961, and as a child, he was deeply passionate about playing hockey, with a dream of becoming a professional player. However, his life took a drastic turn at the age of 17 when he suffered a severe injury while playing hockey, resulting in the loss of a kidney. This devastating event forced him to abandon his aspirations of becoming a professional hockey player and instead, he stumbled into the entertainment industry by accident.
The injury also led him to decline several athletic scholarships he had been offered, and he was subsequently forced to find alternative means to fund his education. To support himself during his studies at the University of Waterloo, where he majored in Latin and English, Rob picked up his guitar, set his poems to music, and began singing in local restaurants. During the summers, he worked as a stuntman and acrobat at Canada's Wonderland Amusement Park.
Rob's love for writing soon became apparent, and while he aspired to become a writer, he took on a variety of jobs to make ends meet, including bartending, cowboy work, and maintenance man duties. He eventually formed a writing partnership with his cousin and began his film career by writing, directing, and starring in three television dramas: Come Spy With Me, Where There's A Will, and Mark Of The Beast.
Rob's subsequent guest appearances on various television series, including Mount Royal and Hot Shots, further solidified his reputation as a talented actor. He also landed the lead role in the television pilot, Soulsearching Mystery Face. Internationally, he gained recognition for his portrayal of Nick Slaughter in the series Tropical Heat, a.k.a. Sweating Bullets.
Rob wrote several episodes of the series, some in collaboration with James Gordon, and also directed a number of episodes. In an interview, he reflected on the biggest gamble of his life, turning down the offer to play the lead role in the TV sitcom Scoop before his part in Tropical Heat was confirmed. He credited this decision as the best he had ever made, stating that the part of Nick was tailor-made for him.
After Tropical Heat came to an end, Rob honed his skills by working on a number of independent films, TV guest appearances, and continued writing and directing. He married a woman he met during the filming of Tropical Heat and in 1996, he became a father to a son. Rob and his family currently reside in Los Angeles.
