Early life

Brent Jay Spiner was born to a Jewish family on February 2, 1949 in Houston, Texas, to Sylvia and Jack Spiner, who owned a furniture store. After his father's death, Spiner was adopted by Sylvia's second husband, Sol Mintz, whose surname he used between 1955 and 1975. He attended Bellaire High School, Bellaire, Texas. Spiner became active on the Bellaire Speech team, winning the national championship in dramatic interpretation. He attended the University of Houston where he performed in local theatre.

Career

Early work

Spiner moved to New York City in the early 70s, 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. He had a brief non-speaking role in the film Stardust Memories, credited as "Fan in Lobby," the one with a Polaroid.

Spiner appeared as a media technician in "The Advocates," a second season episode of the Showtime cable series The Paper Chase. In 1984, he moved to Los Angeles, where he appeared in several pilots and made-for-TV movies. He played a recurring character on Night Court, Bob Wheeler, patriarch of a rural family. In 1986, he played a condemned soul in "Dead Run," an episode of the short-lived revival of Rod Serling's series The Twilight Zone on CBS. He made two appearances in season 3 (1986) of the situation comedy Mama's Family, playing two different characters. Spiner's first and only starring film role was in Rent Control (1984). In the Cheers episode "Never Love a Goalie, Part II," he played acquitted murder suspect Bill Grand. Spiner also appeared in the Tales from the Darkside episode, "A Case of the Stubborns", as a preacher. He portrayed Jim Stevens in the made-for-TV movie Manhunt for Claude Dallas.

Star Trek

In 1987, Spiner started his 15-year run portraying Lieutenant Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, which spanned seven seasons and four feature films. As a main character, he appeared in all but one of the series' 178 episodes; he was not in the episode "Family." 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). 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. However, Spiner has opined that he is too old to continue playing the part, as Data embodies a "childlike innocence" that Spiner can no longer credibly exhibit, as his appearance had already begun to lose that quality by the time he filmed his last Trek films. In addition to the series and films, he voiced his character in several Star Trek video games, such as Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: The Next Generation - A Final Unity, Star Trek: Hidden Evil and Star Trek: Bridge Commander. After appearing in several episodes as the ancestor of Data's creator, Dr. Soong, Spiner also recorded dialogue as Data that was heard in the final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, "These Are the Voyages...," which aired in 2005, bringing the Star Trek TV franchise Spiner had helped establish 18 years earlier to a close.

Album

In 1991, Spiner recorded an album of 1940s pop standards entitled Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back, the title of which was a play on the yellow contact lenses Spiner wore as Data, and the title of a Frank Sinatra record, Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back. In 1997, he returned to Broadway, playing John Adams in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of the musical 1776. The production was nominated for a Tony Award. A cast recording was released of the revival production.

After Star Trek

Spiner has appeared in the television series Deadly Games, Dream On, Frasier, Friends, Gargoyles, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Mad About You and The Outer Limits. In the series The Big Bang Theory and Joey, he appeared as himself. He has acted in the movies The Aviator, Dude, Where's My Car?, I Am Sam, Independence Day, The Master of Disguise, Out to Sea, Phenomenon, The Ponder Heart and South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. His television-movie appearances during this period include the 2000 musical Geppetto and the role of Dorothy Dandridge's manager and confidant, Earl Mills, in the HBO production Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.

In 2004, Spiner returned to Star Trek when he appeared as Dr. Arik Soong, an ancestor of Data's creator Dr. Noonien Soong, whom he also played, in a three-episode story arc of Star Trek: Enterprise: "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 guest-starred in Friends as a man who interviews Rachel for Gucci, and later cameoed as himself in the Friends spin-off Joey.

In 2005, Spiner appeared in a short-lived science-fiction television series Threshold, which was canceled in November of that year after 13 episodes. In 2006, he appeared in a feature film comedy, Material Girls. with Hilary and Haylie Duff.

During the tenth season of the situation comedy Frasier, in the episode "Lilith Needs a Favor," Spiner made two brief cameos as a fellow airline passenger with Frasier Crane's ex-wife, Lilith Sternin.

In March 2008, Spiner performed alongside Maude Maggart in a radio show/musical, Dreamland, which was released as a CD album.

In 2008, Spiner played Dr. Strom in the feature film parody Superhero Movie. In February 2009, he played William Quint in "The Juror #6 Job", an episode of the drama series Leverage directed by his Next Generation co-star Jonathan Frakes. That same year, he voiced himself in the Family Guy episode "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven."

In 2010, Spiner and fellow Star Trek: The Next Generation star LeVar Burton appeared on TWiT.tv's coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show.

In April 2011, Spiner began starring in Fresh Hell, a comic webseries in which he plays a version of himself, attempting to put his career back together after falling out of the limelight.

He appeared as Dr. Kern in the September 12, 2011 episode of the Syfy channel program Alphas entitled "Blind Spot". In October 2011, he appeared as himself in the episode "The Russian Rocket Reaction" (October 13, 2011) of The Big Bang Theory. The day after his guest appearance on The Big Bang Theory, it was announced that Spiner would guest-star in the Young Justice episode "Revelation," providing the voice of the Joker. Spiner has also guest starred on the Syfy channel program Warehouse 13 as Brother Adrian in the third and fourth seasons. In episode 7 of season 4, the character Pete Lattimer jokingly describes another obsessively tidy character in this episode as "Commander Data."

Spiner's web site is at therealbrentspiner.com. He selected that domain name because someone else bought the domain name brentspiner.com before he could do so, and he was not amenable to paying the price the owners demanded for it, which Spiner called "inflated".

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	My Sweet Charlie	Local	Uncredited
1980	Stardust Memories	Fan in lobby
1982	Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains	Corinne Burns's Boss	Uncredited
1984	Rent Control	Leonard Junger
1985	Crime of Innocence	Hinnerman
1986	Sunday in the Park with George	Franz/Dennis
1986	Sylvan in Paradise	Clinton C. Waddle
1986	Manhunt for Claude Dall	Jim Stevens
1987	Family Sins	Ken McMahon
1989	Miss Firecracker	Preacher Mann
1991	Crazy from the Heart	N/A	Television movie; uncredited
1994	Corrina, Corrina	Brent Witherspoon
1994	Star Trek: Generations	Lt. Commander Data
1995	Kingfish: A Story of Huey Long	N/A	Uncredited
1996	Pie in the Sky	Upscale Guy
1996	Independence Day	Dr. Brackish Okun	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1996	Phenomenon	Dr. Rob Niedorf
1996	Star Trek: First Contact	Lt. Commander Data	Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1997	Out to Sea	Gil Godwyn
1998	Star Trek: Insurrection	Lt. Commander Data
1999	South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut	Conan O'Brien	Voice
1999	Introducing Dorothy Dandridge	Earl Parks	Television movie Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film
2000	Geppetto	Stromboli	Television movie
2000	Dude, Where's My Car?	Pierre	Uncredited
2001	A Girl Thing	Bob	Television movie
2001	The Ponder Heart	Dorris Grabney	Television movie
2001	I Am Sam	Shoe Salesman
2002	The Master of Disguise	Devlin Bowman
2002	Star Trek: Nemesis	Lt. Commander Data/B-4
2003	An Unexpected Love	Brad	Television movie
2004	Jack	Vernon	Television movie
2004	The Aviator	Robert Gross
2006	Material Girls	Tommy Katzenbach
2008	Superhero Movie	Dr. Strom
2010	Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey	Coach Mackey	Voice
2015	The Midnight Man	Ezekiel	Post-production
2016	Independence Day: Resurgence	Dr. Brackish Okun	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	The Dain Curse	Tom Fink	Unknown episodes
1979	Family	Fred	Episode: "Prelude"
1981	Ryan's Hope	The Doctor Examining Kim	Episode: "#1.1442"
1984	The Paper Chase	Student in Reeve's Class	Episode: "The Advocates"
1984	Tales from the Darkside	Reverend Peabody	Episode: "A Case of the Stubborns"
1984	One Life to Live	Ralph Harley	Episode: "17 December 1984"
1985	Robert Kennedy & His Times	Allard Lowenstein	Unknown episodes
1985	Hill Street Blues	Larry Stein	Episode: "The Life and Time of Domonic Florio Jr"
1985-1987	Night Court	Bob Wheeler	6 episodes
1986	The New Twilight Zone	The Draft Dodger	Episode: "The Leprechaun-Artist/Dead Run"
1986	American Playhouse	Dennis/Franz	Episode: "Sunday in the Park with George"
1986	Hunter	Willie Vaughn	Episode: "The Contract"
1986-1987	Mama's Family	Billy Bob Conroy	2 episodes
1987	Cheers	Bill Grand	Episode: "Never Love a Goalie (Part 2)"
1987	Sledge Hammer!	Soldier	Episode: "The Spa Who Loved Me"
1987-1994	Star Trek: The Next Generation	Lt. Commander Data/Lore/Dr. Noonien Soong	175 episodes Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series
1988	Reading Rainbow	Himself	Episode: "The Bionic Bunny Show"
1995	Mad About You	Bob, The Dog Agent	Episode: "Just My Dog"
1995	Deadly Games	Danny Schlecht	Episode: "The Practical Joker"
1995-1996	Gargoyles	Puck	4 episodes
1996	Dream On	Dr. Strongwater	Episode: "The Spirit of 76th & Park"
1996	The Outer Limits	Professor Trent Davis	Episode: "The Deprogrammers"
2003	Frasier	Albert	Episode: "Lilith Needs a Favor"
2004	Friends	James Campbell	Episode: "The One with Princess Consuela"
2004	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Graham Barnes	Episode: "Shrink-Wrapped"
2004-2005	Star Trek: Enterprise	Dr. Arik Soong/Lt. Commander Data	4 episodes
2005	Joey	Himself	Episode: "Joey and the Premier"
2005-2006	Threshold	Dr. Nigel Fenway	13 episodes
2009	Leverage	William Quint	Episode: "The Juror #6 Job"
2009	Family Guy	Himself	Episode: "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven"
2010-2013	Generator Rex	Dr. Gabriel Rylander	4 episodes
2011	The Guild	Himself	Episode: "Ends and Begins"
2011	Alphas	Dr. Kern	Episode: "Blind Spot"
2011	The Big Bang Theory	Himself	Episode: "The Russian Rocket Reaction"
2011	Young Justice	The Joker	Episode: "Revelation"
2011	Fresh Hell	Brent Spiner	15 episodes
2012	The Simpsons	Robots	Episode: "Them, Robot"
2012	The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes	Purple Man	Episode: "Emperor Stark"
2012	Warehouse 13	Brother Adrian	6 episodes
2013	Wendell & Vinnie	Himself	Episode: "Swindle & Vinnie"
2014	Ray Donovan	Therapist	3 episodes
2014	Star Wars Rebels	Gall Trayvis	2 episodes
2014	Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.	Silver Surfer	Episode: "Fear Itself"
2015	Comedy Bang Bang	The Sandman	Episode: "Zach Galifianakis Wears Grey Corduroys and Brown Leather Shoes"
2015	Blunt Talk	Phil	3 episodes
2016	Outcast	Sidney
2016	Justice League Action	Edward Nygma / The Riddler

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	A History of the American Film	Hank
1984-1985	Sunday in the Park with George	Franz/Denis
1984	The Three Musketeers	Aramis
1985-1987	Big River	The Duke
1997-1998	1776	John Adams	Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical
2003	Life × 3	Hubert

[ Source: Wikipedia ]