Lisa Robin Kelly became widely known for playing Laurie Forman on the popular sitcom That ’70s Show. Her final marriage, to a man named Robert Joseph Gilliam, was marked by public legal trouble and difficulty in the short time before her death in 2013. This article shares what is confirmed about Robert Joseph Gilliam and his brief, turbulent marriage to Lisa Robin Kelly.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Robert Joseph Gilliam |
| Known For | Lisa Robin Kelly’s estranged husband |
| Married Lisa Robin Kelly | October 2012 |
| Age at Time of Marriage | 62 years old |
| Divorce Filed | July 2013 |
| Lisa Robin Kelly’s Career | Actress, best known for That ’70s Show |
| Lisa Robin Kelly’s Death | August 15, 2013, age 43 |
A Marriage That Quickly Turned Difficult
Robert Joseph Gilliam married actress Lisa Robin Kelly in October 2012. According to confirmed reporting, Gilliam was significantly older than Kelly, around 19 years her senior. Less than a year after their wedding, Kelly filed for divorce, in July 2013, and also obtained a restraining order against him, signaling a marriage that had become deeply troubled in a very short span of time.
The relationship between Gilliam and Kelly became a matter of public record largely because of repeated legal incidents that occurred during their brief marriage, rather than through any public statements either of them made about their relationship in more typical entertainment interviews.
Legal Trouble in November 2012
Just weeks after their wedding, in November 2012, police responded to a disturbance at the home Gilliam and Kelly shared in Mooresville, North Carolina. Both were arrested following the incident. Gilliam was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female, and each posted a $500 bond for their release. A court appearance connected to this incident was scheduled for January 2013.
This early legal trouble, occurring so soon after their marriage began, foreshadowed further difficulties that would follow in the months ahead, as the relationship continued to be marked by conflict.
A Serious Incident in May 2013
The situation escalated further in May 2013, during an argument that took place in Los Angeles. According to Kelly’s account of the incident, Gilliam demanded that she empty her bank account, and when she resisted, he allegedly attacked her, pulling her hair, throwing her to the ground, and choking her. She also alleged that he threatened her with a firearm and prevented her from calling for help.
As a result of this incident, Gilliam was convicted of domestic battery. He was sentenced to three years of probation along with 69 days of jail time already served, and he was required to complete a year-long domestic violence course as part of his sentence. Reporting on the couple’s relationship describes it as marked by alcohol abuse, multiple arrests on assault charges, and what one source called “vicious fights.”
Lisa Robin Kelly’s Career and Struggles
To understand the fuller context of this marriage, it helps to know more about Lisa Robin Kelly’s own life and career. Born March 5, 1970, in Southington, Connecticut, she earned a degree in acting from DePaul University’s Theatre School in Chicago before beginning her television career in the early 1990s. She appeared in shows including The X-Files, Charmed, and Days of Our Lives, but became best known for playing Laurie Forman on That ’70s Show from 1998 to 2003.
Kelly struggled with alcoholism for much of her adult life, a struggle she connected to trauma following a miscarriage around 2001. She was arrested for driving while impaired in August 2010 and again on suspicion of DUI in June 2013, just two months before her death. She filed for divorce from Gilliam and obtained a restraining order against him in the weeks that followed the May 2013 incident, separating from him in the final months of her life.
Lisa Robin Kelly’s Death
Lisa Robin Kelly died on August 15, 2013, at age 43, at Pax Rehab House in Altadena, California, where she had gone for treatment related to her struggles with substance abuse. The Los Angeles County coroner determined her death resulted from accidental multiple drug intoxication. Her death came just weeks after she had filed for divorce from Robert Joseph Gilliam and taken legal steps to protect herself from him.
Why Robert Joseph Gilliam’s Story Matters
Robert Joseph Gilliam’s story, closely tied to Lisa Robin Kelly’s final year of life, is a difficult but important part of her full biography. His marriage to Lisa Robin Kelly illustrates how personal struggles, including substance abuse and domestic violence, can escalate quickly and tragically, even for public figures whose careers seem, from the outside, to be entirely separate from these private hardships.
Readers interested in similar stories about the troubled personal relationships connected to television actors may also want to read our article on Caressa Suzzette Madden, the strong wife behind Delonte West.
Conclusion
Robert Joseph Gilliam’s marriage to Lisa Robin Kelly lasted less than a year, from October 2012 until her divorce filing in July 2013, but it was marked by repeated legal trouble, including a domestic battery conviction following a serious incident in May 2013. Understanding this chapter of Kelly’s life adds important context to her final months before her death in August 2013, and it stands as a difficult reminder of how personal struggles can unfold rapidly, even for people whose public careers might suggest otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Robert Joseph Gilliam? He is the estranged husband of actress Lisa Robin Kelly, best known for playing Laurie Forman on That ’70s Show.
2. When did Robert Joseph Gilliam marry Lisa Robin Kelly? They married in October 2012.
3. Why did Lisa Robin Kelly file for divorce from Robert Joseph Gilliam? She filed for divorce in July 2013, following a serious domestic violence incident in May of that year.
4. Was Robert Joseph Gilliam convicted of any crime? Yes, he was convicted of domestic battery and sentenced to probation and jail time.
5. When did Lisa Robin Kelly pass away? She passed away on August 15, 2013, at age 43.
6. What was Lisa Robin Kelly best known for? She was best known for playing Laurie Forman on That ’70s Show from 1998 to 2003.
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