Birth nameBrent Jay Spiner Birth information2 February 1949, Houston, Texas, USA BioBrent Spiner, whose primary claim to fame is his portrayal of the beloved android Data on the television series "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987), was born and raised in Houston, Texas. His parents, Jack and Sylvia Spiner, owned and operated a furniture store. Jack died of kidney failure at age 29, when Brent was 10 months old. When he was 6 years old, his mother married Sol Mintz, who adopted Brent and his older brother Ron. Although his mother divorced Mintz after 7 years of marriage, Brent retained his adopted father's last name until 1975 when he took back his birth name.Spiner first began pursuing his interest in acting while in high school. There his inspirational drama teacher, Cecil Pickett, gave a great start to the careers of a remarkable group of aspiring young actors (and directors), including Spiner, Cindy Pickett (Cecil's daughter), Randy Quaid, Dennis Quaid, Trey Wilson, Robert Wuhl and Thomas Schlamme, all of whom later attained success in Hollywood. After graduation, Spiner followed his mentor to the University of Houston and other local colleges, while also launching his professional acting career in theater (The Houston Music Theater and other regional theater) and in film (My Sweet Charlie (1970) (TV), which was shot on location in Texas). After a couple of false starts in New York and Hollywood, Spiner eventually established himself as a stage actor in New York, appearing in a number of off-Broadway and Broadway plays, such as 'A History of the American Film' (1978), 'Leave It to Beaver Is Dead' (1979), 'Sunday in the Park with George' (1984), and 'Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' (1985). While in New York, he had a bit part in Woody Allen's Stardust Memories (1980) and starred in an independent film called Rent Control (1984). The play 'Little Shop of Horrors' brought Spiner to Los Angeles in 1984, where he eventually took up permanent residence.In 1986, after a number of character parts in television series and movies, such as "Robert Kennedy & His Times" (1985), Crime of Innocence (1985) (TV), Manhunt for Claude Dallas (1986) (TV), and Family Sins (1987) (TV), Spiner snagged the role that would bring him international fame: Data, the endearing android, whom Spiner played "by tapping into his inner child." "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987), the sequel to the original television series "Star Trek" (1966), became hugely popular, moving to the big screen for four films (so far) after its 7-year run on television. Aside from these films, Spiner has made cameo appearances in a number of films directed by his friend and old schoolmate Thomas Schlamme, such as Miss Firecracker (1989), Crazy from the Heart (1991) (TV), and Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long (1995) (TV), and has appeared in small roles in more recent films, such as Dude, Where's My Car? (2000) and The Master of Disguise (2002). Arguably his most popular film portrayal was Dr. Brakish Okun in Independence Day (1996), a role that elicited his unique eccentricity and sense of humor.

AP News reports that Pat Hingle, the actor whose career included a recurring role as Commissioner Gordon in four Batmanfilms from 1989 to 1997, died at his home in Carolina Beach shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday after battling blood cancer. He was 84.
His career in movies and television spanned six decades, and he was also nominated for a Tony Award in 1958. Hingle's last movie was "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," which was released in 2006.
I was lucky enough to see him perform on Braodway a decade ago, playing Ben Franklin in 1776 opposite Brent Spiner as John Adams. And much to my surprise, he was the original choice to play Elmer Gantry in the movie, before an accident knocked him out of the role and handed it to Burt Lancaster.
He will be missed.
Glenn Hauman

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The 2008-2009 Reprise Theatre Company season continues with the classic international hit "Man of La Mancha," starring Brent Spiner as Cervantes/Quixote. Julia Migenes, the renowned opera and theatre performer, will play Aldonza/Dulcinea; Valerie Perri will play the role of Aldonza/Dulcinea at matinee performances; and Tony nominee Lee Wilkof will play Sancho Panza. "Man of La Mancha" is written by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. The production will be directed by Michael Michetti, co-artistic director of The Theatre at Boston Court. "La Mancha" will play at the Freud Playhouse from February 14-March 1 (press opening February 15).

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Somewhere, an Internet flame war is happening over this story: The crew of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, Denise Crosby, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, and Internet Superstar Wil Wheaton) will be providing guest voices on an upcoming episode of "Star Trek". This is the part where people say "Tng" isn't as good as "Tos" and that "Family Guy" is a rip-off of "The Simpsons" and I sit here and yawn. Personally, I think this is neat because I like both shows. Neither are works of absolute, earth-shattering brilliance, but they have their moments and I don't begrudge the following of either (although I will say that "Family Guy" was so much better before it got resurrected). The plot of the episode also sounds fun: "Stewie blows a fuse when he doesn’t get a ...

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