#Datas creator star trek android#

He played Lore, the android brother of Data, in several episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and another brother of his, an android with a less developed mind named B-4, in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). However, Spiner opined that he was too old to continue playing the part, as Data does not age.

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Although billed as the final Trek movie for the TNG cast, the ambiguous ending of Star Trek: Nemesis suggested a possible avenue for the return of Data. He reprised his role in the spin-off films Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). As a main character, he appeared in all but one of the series' 178 episodes. In 1987, Spiner started portraying the android Starfleet officer Lieutenant Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, which spanned seven seasons and four feature films. Spiner guest-starred in Friends as James Campbell, a man who interviews Rachel for Gucci. He portrayed Jim Stevens in the made-for-TV movie Manhunt for Claude Dallas. Spiner also appeared in the Tales from the Darkside episode, 'A Case of the Stubborns', as a preacher. In the Cheers episode 'Never Love a Goalie, Part II', he played acquitted murder suspect Bill Grand. Spiner's first and only starring film role was in Rent Control (1984). He made two appearances in season three (1986) of the situation comedy Mama's Family, playing two different characters.

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In 1986, he played a condemned soul in ' Dead Run', an episode of the revival of Rod Serling's series The Twilight Zone on CBS. He played a recurring character on Night Court, Bob Wheeler, patriarch of a rural family. In 1984, he moved to Los Angeles, where he appeared in several pilots and made-for-TV movies. Spiner appeared as a media technician in 'The Advocates', a second-season episode of the Showtime cable series The Paper Chase.

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He can also be seen as a passenger on the train full of misfits that the Allen character is trapped on in one of the films-within-the-film. He had a brief non-speaking role in the film Stardust Memories, credited as 'Fan in Lobby', the one with a Polaroid. Spiner (as Brent Mintz) appeared as an imposter on a 1972 episode of To Tell the Truth.

Spiner moved to New York City in the early 1970s, where he became a stage actor, performing in several Broadway and off-Broadway plays, including The Three Musketeers and Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George. Spiner also performed the role in the 1968 TV special The Pied Piper of Astroworld. Featherflowers Medicine Show with his friend Trey Wilson. In 1968, Spiner worked as a performer at Six Flags Astroworld, first as a gunfighter and later in Dr. He attended the University of Houston, where he performed in local theater. He became active on the Bellaire speech team, winning the national championship in dramatic interpretation. Spiner attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas. After his father's death, Spiner was adopted by his mother's second husband, Sol Mintz, whose surname he used between 19. At age 29, Jack Spiner died of kidney failure when his son was ten months old. Spiner has also enjoyed a career in the theater and as a musician.īrent Jay Spiner was born on February 2, 1949, in Houston, to Sylvia ( née Schwartz) and Jack Spiner, who owned a furniture store. Brackish Okun in Independence Day, a role he reprised in Independence Day: Resurgence. In 1997, he won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Data in Star Trek: First Contact, and was nominated in the same category for portraying Dr. He is best known for his role as the android Data on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), four subsequent films (1994–2002), and Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023). Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, four subsequent films, and Star Trek: Picardīrent Jay Spiner ( / ˈ s p aɪ n ər/ born February 2, 1949) is an American actor.