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Brent Spiner
Birth name	Brent Jay Spiner
Born	February 2, 1949 (1949-02-02) (age 58) Houston, Texas, USA
Notable roles	Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation

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. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 568 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (754 × 796 pixel, file size: 51 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Taken on August 6th, 2005, at a Star Trek convention in Bellevue, WA. I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: , Country United States State Texas Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Incorporated June 5, 1837 Government  - Mayor Bill White Area  - City  601. ... Data[1] is a character, portrayed by Brent Spiner, in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play. ... “Mechanoid” redirects here. ... Data[1] is a character, portrayed by Brent Spiner, in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ...

Biography

Early life

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. Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: , Country United States State Texas Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Incorporated June 5, 1837 Government  - Mayor Bill White Area  - City  601. ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ...

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, most notably with the original cast of the Stephen Sondheim musical 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. Bellaire High School is a magnet/IB school located at 5100 Maple Street in Bellaire, Texas, United States, with a zip code of 77401. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: , Country United States State Texas Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Incorporated June 5, 1837 Government  - Mayor Bill White Area  - City  601. ... Cindy Pickett (born April 18, 1947 in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, USA), is an actress best known for her role in the comedy movie Ferris Buellers Day Off as Matthew Brodericks characters mom, as well as playing the mother of a boy who was kidnapped for several years... Randall Rudy Randy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated actor and former comedian. ... Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. ... Robert Wuhl (born October 9, 1951) is a comedian turned actor/writer. ... Thomas Schlamme (born May 22, 1950) is one of the leading directors of television. ... Please select one of these types of Speech competition below: Individual events Debate ... The University of Houston, formerly University of Houston–University Park, is a comprehensive doctoral degree-granting university[1] located in Houston, Texas. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... Off-Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City in smaller theatres than Broadway, but larger than Off-Off-Broadway, productions. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle &#8212... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Sunday in the Park with George is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. ... Stardust Memories is a film written and directed by Woody Allen which was released in 1980; Allen considers this to be one of his best films in addition to The Purple Rose of Cairo. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Königsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, jazz musician, comedian, and playwright. ...

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. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... A television pilot is a test episode of an intended television series. ... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... Night Court was an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 1984 until May 1992. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... Mamas Family is an American television sitcom which premiered on January 22, 1983, on the NBC television network, where it aired for two seasons, until its cancellation in May 1984. ...

Spiner's first and only starring film role was in Rent Control in 1984. Rent Control (1984) is a drama/comedy/romance film starring Brent Spiner and directed by Italian director Gian Luigi Polidoro. ...

In Cheers episode "Never Love a Goalie - Part II", he memorably played the acquitted murder suspect Bill Grand. Cheers is a popular American situation comedy produced by Charles-Burrows-Charles Productions in association with CBS Paramount Television for NBC. Cheers was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles. ...

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. 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 sizable lead role as Dorothy Dandridge's manager/confidant Earl Mills in the HBO production Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, which was partially based on Mills' book Dorothy Dandridge. Independence Day (also known as its promotional abbreviation ID4) is an Academy Award winning 1996 science fiction film directed by Roland Emmerich. ... Area 51 (also known as Air Force Flight Test Center (Detachment 3)[1], Dreamland, Paradise Ranch[2], Home Base, Watertown Strip, Groom Lake[3], The Box, Neverland, and other names) is a remote tract of land in the southwestern portion of Lincoln County in southern Nevada, located at , , at the... The term pop standards refers to an American songwriting, arranging, and singing style that is widely considered as the high point of Western vocal popular music. ... Ol Yellow Eyes Is Back is a 1991 album by Brent Spiner, best known for his role as Data in the American television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... Law & Order: Criminal Intent is a United States crime drama television series that began in 2001. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Deadly Games was an American sci fi show that appeared on UPN as part of its 1995 season. ... Mad About You was an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Frasier is a popular American situation comedy television series that starred Kelsey Grammer, reprising the character of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane from parent show Cheers, which had ended months before. ... Joey is an American sitcom, starring Matt LeBlanc reprising his role as Joey Tribbiani from the popular sitcom Friends. ... The Outer Limits is an American television series. ... Phenomenon is a 1996 drama, romance, and fantasy film written by Gerald Di Pego, directed by Jon Turteltaub, and starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, and Robert Duvall. ... Dude, Wheres My Car? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Danny Leiner. ... Out to Sea is a 1997 romantic comedy film starring Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Rue McClanahan, Dyan Cannon & Brent Spiner. ... South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a 1999 motion picture based on the cartoon television series of South Park. ... Pinocchio is a work by Carlo Collodi published in 1880 in Italy. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Master of Disguise is a movie released in 2002 starring Dana Carvey, James Brolin and Brent Spiner. ... The Aviator is an Academy Award-winning 2004 biographical drama film, directed by Martin Scorsese, and based largely on the book Hughes by Richard Hack. ... Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922–September 8, 1965) was an American actress. ... The confidant character is usually someone the lead character confides in and trusts. ... HBO (Home Box Office) is an American premium cable television network. ... Introducing Dorothy Dandridge is a television movie directed by Martha Coolidge. ...

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. John Adams, Jr. ... The Roundabout Theatre Company is a non-profit, subscription based theatre company, based in New York City. ... 1776 is the title of a 1969 Broadway musical and its 1972 film adaptation. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... Conan Christopher OBrien (born April 18, 1963)[1] is an Emmy-winning American comedian, writer and television personality best known as host of NBCs late-night talk/variety show Late Night with Conan OBrien. ... For other uses, see South Park (disambiguation). ... South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a 1999 motion picture based on the cartoon television series of South Park. ...

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 cameo'd in Joey playing himself. He had also guest-starred in Friends as the man who interviews Rachel for Gucci. Soong in prison at the beginning of Borderland. ... In the fictional Star Trek: The Next Generation universe, Dr. Noonien Soong is a human cyberneticist who is the creator of the regular android character Data. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ... Borderland is the name of the 80th episode from the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. ... Cold Station 12 is the name of the 81st episode from the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. ... The Augments is the name of the 82nd episode from the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. ... These Are the Voyages. ... Joey is a sitcom starring Matt LeBlanc, reprising his role as Joseph Francis Tribbiani from the popular sitcom Friends. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

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. Threshold is a science fiction drama television series that first aired on CBS in September 2005. ...

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 plausibly play a character who is not supposed to age. TNG may refer to: Samba TNG Star Trek: The Next Generation Talented And Gifted Telescopio Nazionale Galileo Transitional Federal Government of Somalia Trans-New Guinea languages Touch n Go Trinitroglycerin Category: ... Star Trek Nemesis (Paramount Pictures, 2002; see also 2002 in film) is the tenth feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ...

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 ^[1], while others maintain that the two are not married. The couple have a son named Jackson, who was born in 2002. Swoosie Kurtz (born September 6, 1944) is an American actress. ...

Spiner is not as active in the Star Trek convention scene as many of his co-stars, although he participated in the last years in several conventions around the world, such as in Las Vegas and in Milton Keynes. He is close to his Next Generation colleagues and counts Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden and LeVar Burton amongst his best friends. He will be attending the DragonCon in 2007. Patrick Stewart OBE (born July 13, 1940) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated English film, television and stage actor. ... Cheryl Gates McFadden (born March 2, 1949 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), usually credited as Gates McFadden, is an American actress and choreographer. ... Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. ...

References

External links

• Brent Spiner at the Internet Movie Database
• Brent Spiner at the Notable Names Database
• Brent Spiner article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
• Star Trek.com biography
• Brent Spiner at TV.com