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Biography for Brent
Spiner
Birth name: Brent Jay Spiner
Height: 5' 11" (1.80 m)
Brent Spiner 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) (mini), 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 Master of Disguise,
The (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.
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