# Robert Buckley
**Robert Buckley** (born 1981) is an American film and television actor known for playing Clay Evans on [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw) drama *One Tree Hill* and Major Lilywhite on The CW's *iZombie*.[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) His full name is Robert Earl Buckley, and he was born in [West Covina, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-covina-california).[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Earl Buckley[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) |
| Born | 1981, West Covina, California[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) |
| Education | Economics degree, University of California, San Diego[2](https://www.maxim.com/style/outfitted-robert-buckley/) |
| Breakout role | Clay Evans on *One Tree Hill*, main cast in seasons 7 through 9 (2009–12), 55 episodes[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) |
| Signature role | Major Lilywhite, Liv Moore's ex-fiancé, on *iZombie* (2015–19), main cast for all five seasons[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) • [3](https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/04/revisiting-izombie-10-years-later/) |
| Other series regular roles | Michael Bauer in *Fashion House* (2006), Kirby Atwood in *Lipstick Jungle* (2008–09, 20 episodes), Brian Leonard in *666 Park Avenue* (2012–13, 10 episodes)[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) |
## Background
Buckley is a native of West Covina, California, in [Los Angeles County](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-county), and earned an economics degree from the [University of California, San Diego](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california-san-diego).[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) He did not plan on an acting career from the start: after finishing his degree he moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of film and television work, and found his footing first in modeling before his breakout role on *One Tree Hill* pushed him toward stardom.[2](https://www.maxim.com/style/outfitted-robert-buckley/) Early in his career he also worked with Jason Kennedy at E!, an experience he has recalled in interviews about his pre-acting years.[4](https://www.eonline.com/videos/308629/robert-buckley-talks-past-e-gig-favorite-one-tree-hill-memory)
## Television career
Buckley's early television work came on scripted primetime series. In 2006 he played Michael Bauer as a main cast member on *Fashion House*, and in 2007 he played Matthew Wakefield on *American Heiress*.[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) His role as Kirby Atwood on *Lipstick Jungle* ran from 2008 to 2009, recurring in the first season and as main cast in the second, for a total of 20 episodes.[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley)
**One Tree Hill.** Buckley joined The CW's long-running drama *One Tree Hill* as Clay Evans, a brash young sports agent who represented star basketball player [Nathan Scott](https://www.edgepedia.org/nathan-scott), played by [James Lafferty](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-lafferty).[5](https://awsprxdam.crownmediadev.com.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/highRes/3340465.pdf) He was main cast in seasons 7 through 9, appearing in 55 episodes between 2009 and 2012.[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) The series was one of The CW's longest-airing dramas, and the role made Buckley known for playing leading-man parts.[5](https://awsprxdam.crownmediadev.com.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/highRes/3340465.pdf)
After *One Tree Hill* he played Brian Leonard as a main cast member on *666 Park Avenue* in 2012–13, appearing in 10 episodes, followed by a two-episode part as Peter on *Hart of Dixie* in 2013–14.[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley)
## iZombie and Major Lilywhite
In 2013, Buckley was cast as a series regular in the pilot of *iZombie*, a CW drama developed by Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero and based on the Vertigo comic book series by Chris Roberson and Mike Allred.[6](https://comicbook.com/comicbook/news/izombie-recruits-one-tree-hills-robert-buckley/) The show was described at the time as a supernatural crime procedural centering on a med student turned zombie who takes a job in a coroner's office to gain access to the brains she must eat to maintain her humanity, inheriting each corpse's memories as she does.[6](https://comicbook.com/comicbook/news/izombie-recruits-one-tree-hills-robert-buckley/)
Buckley played Major Lilywhite, the ex-fiancé of the lead character Liv Moore, played by [Rose McIver](https://www.edgepedia.org/rose-mciver).[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) The name draws on a Dickensian pattern, in common with other character names in the series, such as Peyton Charles.[7](https://lfq.salisbury.edu/_issues/53_1/what-a-tangled-web-adaptors-weave.html) In the story, Liv is forced to break up with her human fiancé Major to avoid infecting him after she is turned into a zombie, and she hides her new nature from him.[3](https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/04/revisiting-izombie-10-years-later/) Buckley described Major in a 2015 interview as having "about the most incredibly understanding, kindest, like ideal response one could ever hope for" to what happened between him and Liv.[8](https://www.ksitetv.com/interviews-2/interview-robert-buckley-talks-izombie/63723/)
The series ran for five seasons on The CW, from 2015 to 2019, and never achieved mega-hit status but earned a loyal following for its humor, characters, and mix of weekly cases with longer arcs.[3](https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/04/revisiting-izombie-10-years-later/) Buckley remained main cast through all five seasons.[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley) The show's later seasons shifted the setting of Seattle toward an overtly political premise, with a shaky truce between zombie and human populations, and Buckley appeared in promotional interviews for the third-season "zombie homeland" storyline alongside McIver and [Aly Michalka](https://www.edgepedia.org/aly-michalka).[9](https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/840204/what-s-a-zombie-homeland-the-stars-of-izombie-explain-the-state-of-things-in-season-3)
## Film and later work
Buckley's film credits include direct-to-DVD titles early in his career, such as *When a Killer Calls* (2006) and *Killer Movie* (2008), the television film *Flirting with Forty* (2008), and the 2011 independent film *The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy*, in which he played Bacas Mitchell alongside [Jenna Dewan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jenna-dewan)-Tatum and his *One Tree Hill* co-star James Lafferty.[1](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley)
His later work includes playing a character named David in a Hallmark production, and he has continued working as an actor and producer; in a 2026 podcast interview he discussed therapy, fatherhood, and emotional openness in a conversation framed around vulnerability.[5](https://awsprxdam.crownmediadev.com.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/highRes/3340465.pdf) • [10](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2465922/episodes/18743843-robert-buckley-tell-the-truth-tell-it-faster?t=0)
## References
1. [Robert Buckley, iZombie Wiki (Fandom)](https://izombie.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Buckley)
2. [Outfitted: Robert Buckley, Maxim (April 23, 2015)](https://www.maxim.com/style/outfitted-robert-buckley/)
3. [Revisiting iZombie, 10 years later, Ars Technica (April 27, 2025)](https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/04/revisiting-izombie-10-years-later/)
4. [Robert Buckley Talks Past E! Gig & Favorite "One Tree Hill" Memory, E! Online](https://www.eonline.com/videos/308629/robert-buckley-talks-past-e-gig-favorite-one-tree-hill-memory)
5. [Robert Buckley (David), Hallmark Media cast biography](https://awsprxdam.crownmediadev.com.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/highRes/3340465.pdf)
6. [iZombie Recruits One Tree Hill's Robert Buckley, ComicBook.com (September 6, 2017)](https://comicbook.com/comicbook/news/izombie-recruits-one-tree-hills-robert-buckley/)
7. [What a Tangled Web [Adaptors] Weave: iZombie as Multi-Nodal Adaptation, Literature/Film Quarterly](https://lfq.salisbury.edu/_issues/53_1/what-a-tangled-web-adaptors-weave.html)
8. [Interview: Robert Buckley Talks iZombie, KSiteTV (April 14, 2015)](https://www.ksitetv.com/interviews-2/interview-robert-buckley-talks-izombie/63723/)
9. [What's a Zombie Homeland? The Stars of iZombie Explain the State of Things in Season 3, E! Online (March 31, 2017)](https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/840204/what-s-a-zombie-homeland-the-stars-of-izombie-explain-the-state-of-things-in-season-3)
10. [Robert Buckley: Tell the Truth & Tell It Faster, The Unsided Podcast (February 26, 2026)](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2465922/episodes/18743843-robert-buckley-tell-the-truth-tell-it-faster?t=0)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Bu to Ce*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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