Brent Spiner
| Sci-Fi/Fantasy | |
| IMDB.com |
Brent Spiner, whose primary claim to fame is his portrayal of the
beloved android Data on the television series "Star Trek: The Next
Generation" (1987), was born and raised in Houston, Texas. His
parents, Jack and Sylvia Spiner, owned and operated a furniture
store. Jack died of kidney failure at age 29, when Brent was 10
months old. When he was 6 years old, his mother married Sol Mintz,
who adopted Brent and his older brother Ron. Although his mother
divorced Mintz after 7 years of marriage, Brent retained his adopted
father's last name until 1975 when he took back his birth name.
Spiner first began pursuing his interest in acting while in high
school. There his inspirational drama teacher, Cecil Pickett, gave a
great start to the careers of a remarkable group of aspiring young
actors (and directors), including Spiner, Cindy Pickett
(Cecil's daughter),
Randy Quaid,
Dennis Quaid, Trey
Wilson, Robert
Wuhl and Thomas
Schlamme, all of whom later attained success in Hollywood. After
graduation, Spiner followed his mentor to the University of Houston
and other local colleges, while also launching his professional
acting career in theater (The Houston Music Theater and other
regional theater) and in film (My
Sweet Charlie (1970) (TV), which was shot on location in Texas).
After a couple of false starts in New York and Hollywood, Spiner
eventually established himself as a stage actor in New York,
appearing in a number of off-Broadway
and Broadway
plays, such as 'A History of the American Film' (1978), 'Leave It to
Beaver Is Dead' (1979), 'Sunday in the Park with George' (1984), and
'Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' (1985). While in New
York, he had a bit part in
Woody Allen's
Stardust Memories
(1980) and starred in an independent film called
Rent Control
(1984). The play 'Little Shop of Horrors' brought Spiner to Los
Angeles in 1984, where he eventually took up permanent residence.
In 1986, after a number of character parts in television series and
movies, such as
"Robert Kennedy & His Times" (1985),
Crime of Innocence
(1985) (TV), Manhunt
for Claude Dallas (1986) (TV), and
Family Sins
(1987) (TV), Spiner snagged the role that would bring him
international fame: Data, the endearing android, whom Spiner played
"by tapping into his inner child." "Star Trek: The Next
Generation" (1987), the sequel to the original television series
"Star Trek"
(1966), became hugely popular, moving to the big screen for four
films (so far) after its 7-year run on television. Aside from these
films, Spiner has made cameo appearances in a number of films
directed by his friend and old schoolmate Thomas Schlamme,
such as Miss
Firecracker (1989),
Crazy from the Heart
(1991) (TV), and
Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long (1995) (TV), and has appeared
in small roles in more recent films, such as
Dude, Where's My Car?
(2000) and The Master
of Disguise (2002). Arguably his most popular film portrayal was
Dr. Brakish Okun in
Independence Day (1996), a role that elicited his unique
eccentricity and sense of humor.