Which actor played Penny's father Wyatt?

Keith Carradine played Penny’s father, Wyatt, on The Big Bang Theory.

Carradine first appeared as Wyatt in “The Boyfriend Complexity,” the fourth-season episode in which Penny’s father visits Pasadena. Penny has told Wyatt that she and Leonard are still together, even though they have broken up, creating the episode’s central comic deception. Wyatt strongly approves of Leonard and wants his daughter to reconcile with him.

The character returns at several important family and relationship moments. He attends Penny and Leonard’s wedding and later appears in stories involving Penny’s decision not to have children. Wyatt is protective and blunt, but his affection for Penny is clear beneath the jokes and his sometimes embarrassing observations about her past.

Viewers may also encounter a continuity detail involving his name. In an earlier episode, Penny refers to her father as “Bob,” while later episodes consistently identify him as Wyatt. That inconsistency is a writing change, not evidence that two different actors played Penny’s father. Carradine remained the actor associated with the role throughout the show’s later appearances.