Spiner, Brent

Brent Jay Spiner was born February 2, 1949 at St Josephs Hospital in Houston , Texas . Mother - Sylvia Mintz. Father - Jack Spiner, died at the age of 29 from kidney failure when Brent was only ten months old. When Brent was six years old, his mother married the owner of a music store - Sol Mintz. Both Brent and his older brother Ronald (age difference - one and a half years) took the surname of the stepfather. Just then, watching the TV series “ I Love Lucy ” on the TV screen, Brent first thought about the desire to become an actor. Seven years later, Sylvia and Sol Mintz divorced. Sylvia still lives in Houston with her third husband, Marty Mintzer, Brent’s brother, Ron, died in February 1997 .

Brent loved movies and could watch three films a day. When he was in Bel Air High School, he attended the drama class of a certain Cecil Pickett, where his colleagues were Dennis and Randy Quaid, Cindy Pickett and Robert Wool (Robert Wuhl). After graduating from high school, Brent followed Cecil Pickett (this person Brent would later call “one of those wonderful people”) to the University of Houston in 1968 .

He studied at the Houston Baptist University (Houston Baptist University), the University of Houston, Trinity College (Trinity College) and the Lee Strasberg Institute cinematography (Lee Strasberg Institute) in New York .

He did not live long in Chicago , where he got a role in the play The Pioneer and Prairie Show. Brent became a professional actor in 1969 when he received a map of the Screen Actors Guild, in the same year he played in the production of “My Cute Charlie”. He moved to New York in 1974 , worked as a taxi driver and pizza delivery man in Los Angeles before making his Broadway debut in 1978 in Sunday in the Park with George (with Mandy Patimkin ( Mandy Patimkin)), “The Seagull” (“The Seagull”) (1980) - a performance based on the work of A. P. Chekhov , brought him to serious roles; “Big River” (1984), a small cameo in Woody Allen ’s film “Stardust Memories”, the first movie “Rent Control”, 1984.

He starred in Seymour in The Little Shop of Horrors in Los Angeles (1985), starred in Los Angeles as a guest star in well-known (in America) TV series, such like Hill Street Blues, Cheers, and Night Court as Bob Wheeler, which would have continued if not filming Star Trek.

1987-1994. Role on TV - Data Android in the series “ Star Trek: The Next Generation ”, which brought him the greatest popularity. Interestingly, Gene Roddenberry chose between Brent and another actor, though he wanted Data to be bald, but Brent refused to shave his head for the role. And since Patrick Stewart was already declared as a bald captain, the idea failed, and Brent got this role. Another actor was invited several more times and he played the Traveler (Traveler), including in the series “Where No One Has Gone Before”.

In the short pauses between the filming of the series, Spiner appears in the movie “Miss Firecracker” and the television movie “Crazy from the Heart”. With colleagues on Star Trek, he worked in the musical film “Every Good Boy Deserves Favor” (1992).

In 1991, he recorded the first and so far the only CD “Ol'Yellow Eyes”, a tribute to the musical idols of his youth - Frank Sinatra (Frank Sinatra) and Judy Garland (Judy Garland).

The computer game A Final Unity (1996) and the Chronomaster (1996), the audio production War of the Worlds (1995, with other Star actors) Ways ”, directed by Leonard Nimoy), audio book“ The Lattice ”(“ The Grid ”) (1996).

Then starred in the roles of Data in the films Star Trek: Generations (1994) and First Contact (1996), starring in the episode of the science fiction series Beyond. Deprogrammers "(" The Outer Limits: The Deprogrammers ", 1995); small but good roles, such as Dr. Okun in the blockbuster Independence Day (1996) and Dr. Bob Niedorf in the Phenomenon (1996, with John Travolta ). Starring in the movie Out to Sea with Jack Lemmon and Walter Mattau as director of the cruise, the magnificent Gil Godwyn (1997).

Spiner plays Earl Mills in the film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, along with Halle Berry and Klaus Maria Brandauer, which appeared in mid-1999. based on the tragic life of the first African American woman nominated for an Oscar (Carmen Jones 1954).

In 2000, Brent played Stromboli in the Disney musical version of Geppetto. Spiner also appeared in the 2000 series in the Girl's Thing mini-series, in early 2001 in the film Where's My Wheelbarrow, Man? Then in the films The Ponder Heart, Master of Disguise with Dana Carvey, and Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Penn in I Am Sam ( I Am Sam "), in which he played a small role as a seller of a shoe store.

On December 13, 2002, the film Star Trek: Retribution was released in the United States, where Brent played two roles: Data and his older brother, the Android B-4.

Brent is a very reserved person, he hides his personal life. However, he is a very interesting person and at conventions enthralls the audience with stories about his current roles and early career in medicine. In the late 70s and early 80s, his six-year relationship with actress Swoosie Kurtz became friends. Brent also had an affair with Terry Farrell (Jazia Ducks in DS9). Brent's wife, Loree McBride, is a publicist. Brent currently lives in Los Angeles.

Spiner is close to partners in the series. Together with Barton, they visited the Korean health-improving complex (for the steam room and massage). Stuart and Jonathan Frykes are regular dinner companions. At the wedding of Stuart and Wendy Neuss (Wendy Neuss) in Beverly Hills (California) on August 25, 2001, Brent was a best man. In October 1991, Gates McFadden made Spiner the godfather of her newborn son. Brent also witnessed the bride at the wedding of Marina Sirtis. He often meets with her and Michael Dorn and goes somewhere to eat.

June 29, 2002 Brent and Laurie became the parents of a little earthling Jackson (Jackson). At a convention dedicated to the 15th anniversary of TNG, Brent said: “Thank you, thank you very much, this is a wonderful child and we decided to keep him. Oh yeah! Today he is 3 months old. The name of? Believe it or not, his name came from a combination of the son of Gate and the son of Jonathan. Jameson plus Jack turned Jackson, Jackson Spiner. (imitating Patrick Stewart) Lovely baby this Jackson, oh yes! ”

• Brent Spiner's personal site
• Star Trek.com biography
• Interview with Brent about his CD 'Dreamland'