On moving to Los Angeles, Robert landed his first film role, a small part in Luis Valdez's Zoot Suit. His next job was the title role in Paul Bartel's Eating Raoul, a cult classic. Since that time, he has found continuous employment in films, television and theater. His current filmography includes 25 titles, among them the critically acclaimed and Oscar nominated Gaby, a true story, Scenes from the class struggle in Beverly Hills (yet another Paul Bartel film), and Oliver Stone's Nixon. He also appeared in Night of the comet, one of those movies which shows up on cable television at least as often as Star Wars, Rocky, and Grease II! Before he claimed the role of Commander Chakotay, he was featured on Veronica Clare (Lifetime) and Models, Inc. (Fox), and he has done some episodic television as well. One of his finest performances came as a guest star in a two-part episode of NBC's Midnight caller called "Life without possibility," a role which should have but inexplicably did not win him Emmy consideration. In the theater, he has appeared in productions for Luis Valdez's El Teatro Campesino, the LA Theater Center, the California Shakespeare Festival, and others.

Because theater was his first love and it remains an abiding passion, Robert founded and serves as co-artistic director of the East LA Classic Theater Group, which is affiliated with Cal State LA. He also belongs to Classic Theater Lab, an ensemble of professional actors that co-produced Robert's Hamlet, which played from April 11-May 11, 1997 at the Actors' Gang Theater in Hollywood. He served as co-producer and director of this well-received production, as well as playing the title role.

Robert currently finds his life busy with Star Trek: Voyager. As part of the Trek franchise he has found great acclaim, and earlier in 1997 he received a Nosotros Golden Eagle award, annually presented to artists whose work presents positive Hispanic images to the world, for best actor in a television series. He is single and lives in Los Angeles.