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Brent Spiner
Spiner next to an image of Data at a 2005 convention
Born	Brent Jay Spiner February 2, 1949 (1949-02-02) (age 59) Houston, Texas, United States
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1984–present
Awards won Other awards Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor 1996 Star Trek: First Contact

Brent Jay Spiner (born February 2, 1949) 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.

Biography

Early life

Spiner was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Sylvia, a corporate vice president, and Jack Spiner, who owned a furniture store.¹ After Jack's death, he was adopted by Sylvia's second husband, Sol Mintz, whose surname he used between 1955 and 1975. Spiner attended Bellaire High School in Houston, Texas, 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, eventually 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 a nonspeaking background role in the film Stardust Memories as one of the silent Felliniesque "grotesques" on Sandy Bates's train car.

Career

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 the Cheers episode "Never Love a Goalie, Part II", he memorably played the acquitted murder suspect Bill Grand.

In 1987, Spiner started his 15 year run (on television for 7 seasons and in 4 feature films) 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 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). Although billed as the final Trek movie for the TNG cast, the ambiguous ending of Star Trek Nemesis suggested that there was a possible avenue for the return of Data. However, Spiner has insisted that he is now too old to play with conviction a character who is not supposed to age. In addition the shows and films 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.²

Since his success of Star Trek he also has 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, and The Outer Limits, as well as movie roles in 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 sizable 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. Also, he played the lawyer in the 1991 made for TV film, "The Ponder Heart".

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 generally 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. He had also guest-starred in Friends as a man who interviews Rachel for Gucci.

In 2005, Spiner began a role in a short-lived science-fiction television series, Threshold, which was cancelled in November of that year after 13 episodes were produced. In 2006, Spiner appeared in a comedy, Material Girls, with Hilary and Haylie Duff.

During the tenth season of the sitcom Frasier, in the episode "Lilith Needs a Favor", Spiner makes two brief cameos as a fellow airline passenger of Frasier's ex, Lilith. When she comments that he must not like flying (in reference to his abnormally pale skin tone) he replies that he is "always this pale", a reference to the pasty complexion of his Star Trek character Data.

In March 2008, Spiner performed alongside Maude Maggart in a new radio show/musical called Dreamland.³ This was released as a CD album (as mentioned on the Radio Show BBC Radio 2, w/Steve Wright, 05 March 2008). In February 2008, Spiner joined the growing league of celebrities who feature on popular online sites like MySpace, under the name of 'The Real Brent Spiner'.

Spiner is not as active in the Star Trek convention scene as many of his co-stars are, although he has participated in the last few years in several conventions around the world, such as in Las Vegas, Milton Keynes and Hobby Star's Fan Expo in Toronto Canada. He is close to his Next Generation colleagues and counts Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden, and LeVar Burton amongst his best friends. He was seen at the 2007 DragonCon, held in Atlanta, Georgia and more recently at the first ever Collectormania Midlands in Coventry, UK on 1st/2nd March 2008, along with Star Trek co-star Marina Sirtis.⁴ Most recently he made an appearance at the FedCon XVII at Bonn, Germany on 18th-20th April 2008, accompanying his fellow Star Trek stars LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, John DeLancie, as well as René Auberjonois and Michelle Forbes.

Spiner recently attended the Star Trek Convention in Secaucus, New Jersey from 7-9 March 2008. He was promoting his recent CD, "Dreamland," an audio experience reminiscent of radio plays from the 1940s. Maude Maggart, sister of singer/songwriter Fiona Apple, is featured on the CD as the female lead.

Personal life

Spiner currently lives in Los Angeles and guards the privacy of his personal life. He was linked to actress Swoosie Kurtz for many years in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His marital status is uncertain; some sources have cited Loree McBride as his wife,⁵ while others maintain that the two are not married. The couple have a son named Jackson, who was born in 2002.

Spiner is a self-described acrophobe.⁶

Audition for Star Trek

In response to a fan's question at the 2008 Fan Expo in Toronto, Brent said when he was first auditioning for the role of Data on Star Trek The Next Generation, he was told he might have to read for the role of Cmdr. William T. Riker. Brent's response was he only wanted to read for the character of Lt. Cmdr. Data. He said he would not have been interested in doing the show if he had been cast as Riker.^{citation needed}

References

External links

• Brent Spiner's personal site
• Brent Spiner at the Internet Movie Database
• Brent Spiner article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
• Star Trek.com biography
• Brent Spiner at TV.com
• Recent interview with Brent about his CD 'Dreamland'