Actors - Brent Spiner

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	Actors - Brent Spiner

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.

Brent was born to Jack and Sylvia Spiner in Houston, Texas. After Jack's death, Brent was adopted by Sylvia's second husband, Sol Mintz, whose surname he used between 1955 and 1975.

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. He 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 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, 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
.

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. He maintains a high level of privacy about his personal life. As such, his marital status is not certain; cites 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 voice-only cameo in the Enterprise finale, "These Are the Voyages...". Spiner also cameo'd in Joey playing himself.

In 2005, Spiner began a role in a short-lived 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.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Brent Spiner ]

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Actors - Brent Spiner

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