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| Birth Name(s) : Brent Spiner |
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Full Brent Spiner Biography
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 movie series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Spiner was born to Jack and Sylvia Spiner in Houston, Texas. 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; 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' 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. As one of the main characters, he appeared in all but 2 episodes of the series' 178 episode run. He also reprized 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.
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. In 2006 Spiner played in a comedy, Material Girls, with Hilary and Haylie Duff.
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 aged to play with conviction a character who is not supposed to age. |
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