BRENT SPINER
| Date of Birth: February 2,1949 Houston,Texas, USA Attended Houston Baptist University, University of Houston, Trinity College,and the Strassbourg Institute of New York Raised in Houston, Texas. His father died of kidney failure when Spiner was only ten months old, and he and his older brother, Ron, were raised by their mother and her next husband. Spiner attended high school with brothers and future actors Dennis and Randy Quaid at Houston's Bellaire High School, where the three future thespians came under the sway of drama coach and mentor Cecil Pickett. |
|
|
In 1974, just several credits shy of receiving his degree, Spiner left the Lone Star state, armed only with a dream of making it big in New York City. During his first six months in the Big Apple, he supported himself by driving a cab; eventually, he had landed enough modest roles His stage work included especially well-received performances in productions of "Leave It to Beaver Is Dead". |
| Brent Spiner traveled to New York as a young man where he appeared in "A History of the American Film," "Big River," and At the New York Shakespeare Festival he played Constantine in "The Seagull." In Los Angels, Brent played the part of Seymour in "Little Shop of Horrors." He moved through the off-Broadway and Broadway ranks, winning roles, such musicals as "Sunday in the Park with George"his Broadway debut,The three Musketeers.He apeared in Woody Allan's "Star Dust Memories" And perhaps most memorably as the luckless Hick in a recurring role on "Night Court" |
|
|
During his decade long tenure in New York, Spiner also landed a hefty role in a TV mystery miniseries called "The Dain Curse". A tiny role as the photo-snapping "Fan in Lobby" in Woody Allen's , Stardust Memories, and his first leading role, in a low-budget film entitled "Rent Control". |
| A starring role as Seymour in a Westside
Playhouse production of "Little Shop of
Horrors" brought Spiner to Los Angeles in 1985.
Appearances on popular television series, "Hill
Street Blues" "Cheers", and "Night
Court", and larger roles in several TV movies and
miniseries kept Brent Busy. In 1987, Spiner went up for a role as a Pinocchio-like android with a boundless fascination for human emotions in Gene Roddenberry's follow-up series to the ever-popular TV classic Star Trek. |
|
|
When Brent signed on to play the role of the android Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation Gene Roddenberry asked him to shave his head for the role, But the series creator didn't get his way on that score, he did succeed in convincing the actor to submit to wearing, golden coloured makeup on exposed skin, in addition yellow-irised contacts.Brent did ask if you could make a creature that moves like this and looks like this and thinks like this, why can't you do the skin?' And Gene's response was 'What makes you think what you have isn't better than skin?' And that's very difficult to argue with." Little did Spiner, a ten-year veteran of the New York stage, know that he would be embarking on a seven-year mission. To boldly go etc. |
| Next Generation got off to a shaky start, despite a great crew commanded by Patrick Stewart's Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and infinitely better special effects than the original Star Trek. But the critics praised Brents inspired role as the andriod, the actor inhabited the role of Data so ingeniously that he was soon receiving the lion's share of fan mail. By the end of its second season on the air, Star Trek: The Next Generation was as popular as the original series, Brents busy schedule on the set-twelve to seventeen hours a day, six days a week,allowed little time for other projects, but he managed appearances in the feature "Miss Firecracker"and in the TV movie "Crazy From the Heart" |
|
|
In 1991, backed by an eighty-piece orchestra, he cut a tongue-in-cheek album of pop standards called 'Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back', if Spock and Captain Kirk can do it !!! In 1994, at the height of its popularity, Paramount cancelled the series due to cost considerations, and in order to shift the focus of the franchise to filmmaking efforts. Brent reprised the ever-lovable Data for the feature Star Trek: Generations", the following year. 1996 sequel Star Trek: First Contact. and in 1998 Star Trek: Insurrection. |
| One could easily become type cast in the role of Data. Yet Brent succeeded in landing small but colorful roles in two of 1996's most high-profile films: in "Independence Day",the batty scientist. and in "Phenomenon", he played an Army psychiatrist.and as a cruise director in the comedy " Out to Sea". These performances hold out hope that he can move beyond the status of live-action figure. Other than the obvious film career, Brent has also mentioned that he would like to run for Congress in his home state of Texas. Anything is possible . |
|
|
This is just a brief account of this
Actor called Brent Spiner,to me he will always be
"Data" I have seen him in other work , but Data
was "special" and will out last the man ,and is
in my opinion his best role ,in fairness I have never
seen Brent in stage productions, Australia and in
particular Perth don't get many international stage
productions. Of this actor I can only say it has been a
pleasure seeing the great role Of Data, Another Star trek
friend . Live Long and prosper My friend :)........My computers name is "DATA" |
THIS IS JUST SOME OF BRENT SPINER'S WORK
| 1978/96 | "TV" |
| 1996 | Dream On |
| 1995 | Deadly Games |
| 1994 | Gargoyles /Voice |
| 1995 | Mad About You |
| 1995 | Kingfish |
| 1991 | Crazy from the Heart |
| 1987 | Hill street Blues |
| 1986 | Manhunt for Claude Dallas |
| 1986 | Sunday in the Park with George |
| 1985 | Robert Kennedy & His Times |
| 1985 | Crime of Innocence |
| 1984 | Night Court |
| 1978 | The Dain Curse |
| 1974/98 | "THEATRE" |
| 1997/98 | 1776 |
| 1996 | The Snarkout Boys/Avocado of Death |
| 1992 | Big River |
| 1991 | Every Good Boy Deserves Favour |
| 1985 | Little Shop of Horrors |
| 1984 | The Three Musketeers |
| 1983 | The Philanthropist |
| 1982 | Marvelous Gray |
| 1981 | No End of Blame |
| 1981 | The Seagull |
| 1980 | Leave It to Beaver Is Dead |
| 1980 | Table Setting |
| 1979 | Emigres |
| 1978 | A Histry of American Film |
| 1976 | Marco Polo |
| 1976 | The Cherry Orchard |
| 1975 | The Family |
| 1975 | The Crazy Locomotive |
| 1974 | The Portable Pioneer Prairie Show |
| 1981 /98 | " MOVIES" |
| 2000 | Geppetto |
| 1999 | Introducing D. Dandridge |
| 1999 | South Park |
| 1998 | Insurrection |
| 1997 | Out To Sea |
| 1996 | Star Trek : First Contact |
| 1996 | Independence Day |
| 1996 | Pie in the Sky |
| 1994 | Corrina, Corrina |
| 1994 | Star Trek : Generations |
| 1990 | Stardust Memories |
| 1989 | Miss Firecracker |
| 1981 | Rent Control |
This page has been visited times.
Star Trek ,Next
Generation Star Trek, Voyager and Deep Space 9 ,all rights
reserved Paramount Pictures. This page for sole purpose of
personal use,as a devoted Trekkie.of 32 years.
  This Brent Spiner Fans Webring site is owned by DAISY YOUNG. Want to join the Brent Spiner Webring? |
|---|
| [Skip Prev] [Prev] [Next] [Skip Next] [Random] [Next 5] [List Sites] |
