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Brent Jay Spiner 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.
Born to Jack and Sylvia Spiner on February 2, 1949 in Houston, Texas, after
the death of his father he was adopted by Sylvia's second husband, Sol Mintz,
whose surname he used between 1955 and 1975.
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Spiner attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, 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. 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, most notably with the original cast of the Stephen Sondheim musical
Sunday in the Park with George. At the same time, he also had a small part
in the film Stardust Memories. In 1984, Spiner moved to Los Angeles,
appearing in several pilots and made-for-tv movies, and played a recurring
character on Night Court named Bob Wheeler, patriarch of a family of West
Virginia hicks.
Since his success in Star Trek, he has also acted in film, including a
notable minor role in the movie Independence Day. In 1991, he recorded an
album of 1940s pop standards entitled Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back. He has since
had guest appearances on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Friends, Deadly Games,
Mad About You, 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, Master of Disguise and The Aviator.
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. An audio recording was released of the revival
score.
Spiner currently lives in Los Angeles, California. He maintains a high level
of privacy about his personal life. As such, his marital status is not
certain; some sources have cited Loree McBride as his wife, while others
maintain that the two are not married. He is not as active in the Star Trek
convention scene as many of his co-stars, but he is nonetheless close to his
Next Generation colleagues and counts Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden and
LeVar Burton amongst his best friends.
In 2004, Spiner returned to the world of Star Trek when he appeared as Dr.
Arik Soong, an ancestor of Data's creator Dr. Noonien Soong, whom he'd 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 tongue-in-cheek voice-only cameo in the
Enterprise finale, "These Are the Voyages...".
In 2005, Spiner began a role in a new science-fiction television series,
Threshold. The series was cancelled on November 23, 2005, and it is unclear
where Spiner plans to take his career next. |
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