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Brent Spiner is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television and film series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Spiner was born in Houston, Texas. Spiner attended Bellaire High School in Houston, where he was influenced by drama teacher Cecil Pickett – the same drama teacher who coached such people as Cindy Pickett, Randy Quaid, Dennis Quaid, Trey Wilson, Robert Wuhl, and Thomas Schlamme. Spiner would become active on the Bellaire Speech team; later, winning the national championship in dramatic interpretation. After attending the University of Houston and performing in local theatre there, Spiner moved to New York City, where he became a stage actor, performing in several Broadway and off-Broadway plays, including The Three Musketeers and Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George. At the same time, he also had nonspeaking background in the film Stardust Memories as one of the silent Felliniesque "grotesques" on Sandy Bates's train car.
In 1984, Spiner moved to Los Angeles, appearing in several pilots and made-for-tv movies. He played a recurring character on Night Court named Bob Wheeler, patriarch of a family of West Virginia hicks. In 1986, Spiner also made two appearances as characters in season 3 of the television show Mama's Family: Mr. Conroy, and Billy Bob. Spiner's first and only starring film role was in Rent Control in 1984. In Cheers episode "Never Love a Goalie, Part II", he memorably played the acquitted murder suspect Bill Grand.
In 1987, Spiner began portraying Lieutenant Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation. As one of the main characters, he appeared in all but one episode of the series' 178 episode run. He also reprised his role in the spin-off films, Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek Nemesis (2002). Additionally, he voiced his character in several Star Trek video games, such as Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: The Next Generation - A Final Unity, Star Trek: Hidden Evil, and Star Trek: Bridge Commander.
Since his success in Star Trek, he has also acted in film, including a notable role in Independence Day as Dr. Brackish Okun (chief scientist at Area 51). In 1991, he recorded an album of 1940s pop standards entitled Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back, the title of which was a play on the yellow eyes Spiner sported as Data and Frank Sinatra's nickname, Ol' Blue Eyes. He has since had guest appearances on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Friends, Deadly Games, Mad About You, Gargoyles, Frasier, Joey, The Outer Limits, as well as movie roles in films such as Phenomenon, Dude, Where's My Car?, Out to Sea, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Geppetto, I Am Sam, Master of Disguise, and The Aviator. He had a lead role as Dorothy Dandridge's manager/confidant Earl Mills in the HBO production Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which was partially based on Mills's book Dorothy Dandridge.
In 1997, Spiner returned to the Broadway stage, playing the leading role of John Adams in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of the musical 1776. His performance met with very positive reviews, and the production was nominated for a Tony Award. A cast recording was released of the revival production. Spiner played the voice of Conan O'Brien in the 1999 South Park movie.
In 2004, Spiner returned to the world of Star Trek when he appeared as Dr. Arik Soong, a perhaps equally brilliant but much sleazier ancestor of Data's creator Dr. Noonien Soong, whom he also played, in a three-episode story arc of Star Trek: Enterprise in "Borderland", "Cold Station 12", and "The Augments". He also briefly reprised the role of Data for the series, providing a voice-only cameo in the Enterprise finale, "These Are the Voyages...". Spiner also cameoed in Joey, playing himself. |
