Scott Bakula

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Name:	Scott Bakula
Character:	Jonathan Archer
Born:	9 October 1954
Birthplace:	St. Louis, Missouri
Caption:	Bakula holding an Enterprise DVD box.
Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer.
Caption:	Bakula as Captain Archer in 2001.

Scott Bakula (born 9 October 1954; age 69) is the acclaimed actor who portrayed Jonathan Archer, the captain of the NX-01 Enterprise, on Star Trek: Enterprise.

Before Enterprise, Bakula gained fame for starring on another science fiction series, the highly successful Quantum Leap (1989-1993). For his performance as Dr. Sam Beckett on this series, Bakula received four Emmy Award nominations as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He also directed three episodes of the series.

Quantum Leap lasted for five seasons, being cancelled in 1993. His co-star in the series, Dean Stockwell, would go on to appear alongside Bakula once again in the Enterprise episode "Detained".

Biography

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Bakula's first acting role was in a school play, as the title character in Menotti's "Amahl and The Night Visitors". He went on to attend Kirkwood High School in Missouri. He became involved in multiple theatrical productions in Missouri, including the lead in "Man of La Mancha", a role he later reprised in the Quantum Leap episode "Catch a Falling Star".

Prior to joining the world of Hollywood, Bakula starred on Broadway in many plays and musicals, the most prominent of which were Romance, Romance, Marilyn, An American Fable, Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down, Philadelphia Chickens, and Caberet. His earliest Broadway experience, however, was as an understudy in the musical Is There Life After High School, which featured future Enterprise co-star Harry Groener as a performer. Bakula went on to attend the University of Kansas and graduated with a degree in Theatre.

Bakula's first marriage was to stage actress Krista Neumann in 1981. They had one child together, a daughter named Chelsy (born in 1984). They also adopted a son, named Cody. The two would divorce in 1995. The following year, Bakula married model and actress Chelsea Field (who was among the actresses to audition for the role of Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager). They have had two children together, Will (born in 1995) and Owen (born in 1999).

Early career

Bakula first appeared to television audiences as the star of the sci-fi/family TV movie I-Man in 1986. This movie was directed by Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine director Corey Allen and co-starred TNG guest actress Ellen Bry. Bakula would reunite with Allen for two more TV movies the following year: The Last Fling and Infiltrator.

Later in 1986, Bakula had the lead role in the short-lived sitcom Gung Ho, which co-starred fellow Trek alumni Clint Howard and Patti Yasutake. Also in 1986, Bakula appeared in the first episode of the sitcom Designing Women, playing Dr. Ted Shively. He would go on to reprise the role in several more episodes between 1987 and 1988. Among his co-stars on this series was "By Any Other Name" actress Julie Cobb.

In 1987, Bakula and Gregory Itzin both guest-starred in a two-hour special episode of Matlock entitled "The Power Brokers". The following year, Bakula was again given the lead role in a sitcom, this time Eisenhower & Lutz. Like Gung Ho, however, this series was also cancelled during its first season.

Leap to Stardom

The following year, Bakula would finally star in his first successful series, Quantum Leap. With this series, Bakula not only shot to stardom, but achieved cult status and became a household name, as well.

He was quick to follow on his success by breaking into feature films while Quantum Leap was still in production. He made his film debut in 1990, playing Kirstie Alley's husband in the comedy Sibling Rivalry. The following year, he starred in the football movie Necessary Roughness. In 1992, however, he returned to TV movies, co-starring with Miguel Ferrer in the crime drama In the Shadow of a Killer.

Despite its popularity and success, Quantum Leap was cancelled in 1993. Among the other Star Trek performers he co-starred with throughout the series were Marc Alaimo, Terry Farrell, Meg Foster, Anne Haney, Richard Herd, Bruce McGill, Robert Duncan McNeill, Robert Pine, Richard Riehle, Charles Rocket, Raphael Sbarge, William Schallert, and Dwight Schultz.

Later career

File:Bakula on nemesis set.jpg

Scott Bakula with Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart on the set of Star Trek Nemesis.

Following Quantum Leap's end in 1993, Bakula began playing the recurring role of reporter Peter Hunt in the popular TV series Murphy Brown. His character, which he played fourteen times between 1993 and 1996, was also an occasional love interest for the title character.

He also co-starred with his future wife Chelsea Field in the 1994 thriller A Passion to Kill. France Nuyen, who played the title role in the Star Trek episode "Elaan of Troyius", also starred in this film. That same year, Bakula had a pivotal but small role in the thriller Color of Night, co-starring Brad Dourif, Jeff Corey, and Erick Avari.

In 1995, he made an appearance in the film My Family, which featured Bibi Besch and Bruce Gray as a married couple, and starred in Clive Barker's 1995 horror-thriller Lord of Illusions, in which he co-starred with TNG guest performers Famke Janssen and Vincent Schiavelli. He also starred in the sci-fi TV movie The Invaders, a revival of the classic 1960s series of the same name. The following year, Bakula was once again given the lead role in a television series, starring as Mr. Smith on Mr. & Mrs. Smith. But the series was cancelled after only one season, and Bakula returned to TV movies and feature films.

In 1997, he lent his voice to the main character of the animated musical feature, Cats Don't Dance. Also lending their voices to the film were Frank Welker, John Rhys-Davies, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Rene Auberjonois. Bakula then co-starred with Corbin Bernsen in the 1998 Major League sequel, Back to the Minors before playing a gay man in the acclaimed 1999 drama American Beauty. This latter film would go on to win five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Bakula went on to co-star with Ron Perlman, John Schuck, and David Graf in the 2000 TV movie The Trial of Old Drum. That same year, he co-starred with Star Trek: Voyager star Robert Beltran in the romantic comedy Luminarias. In 2001, he had a role in the TV mini-series A Guy Thing. This series also featured TNG star Brent Spiner, whom Bakula would co-star with in the Enterprise episodes "Borderland", "Cold Station 12", and "The Augments". Bakula also had a role in the acclaimed film Life as a House that same year.

Enterprise

File:SpaceShuttleEnterprise.jpg

Bakula's credit on Enterprise.

In 2001, Bakula was cast in the role of Captain Jonathan Archer for the fifth Star Trek series, Enterprise. A fan of the original Star Trek series, Bakula was thrilled with the assignment. Bakula starred in all 98 episodes of the series, which lasted four seasons from 2001 through 2005, when it was cancelled due to low ratings. Although Bakula loved the time he spent on Enterprise, he remains one of the many outspoken critics of the series' final episode, "These Are the Voyages...", in which Archer and his crew appeared only as holograms under the supervision of Next Generation stars Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis.

Recent projects

Following the cancellation of Enterprise, Bakula returned to the stage to star as Virginia farmer Charles Anderson in a revival of the American Civil War production 'Shenandoah'. The play was performed at the historic Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC. from 22 March through 30 April 2006.

In August 2006, Bakula attended his first Star Trek convention, namely Creation's celebration of Trek's 40th anniversary in Las Vegas. Although Shenandoah was no longer in production, Bakula retained the long hair that he grew for his role in the play.

Most recently, Bakula guest starred on The New Adventures of Old Christine, playing the one-time boyfriend of the lead character, Christine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The twist is that Bakula's character, Jeff, is Christine's ex-husband's new girlfriend's father!

Bakula also reprised the role of Jonathan Archer, albeit in voice, in the video game Star Trek: Legacy. The game also features the voices of the four other captains of the Star Trek universe – William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, and Kate Mulgrew. Bakula may also reprise his role as Dr. Beckett in the made-for-tv movie Quantum Leap: A Bold Leap Forward in 2006. Thus far, this project has only been announced.

External links

• Scott Bakula at Wikipedia
• Template:IMDb-link