These are my reviews of some of my favorite and least favorite actors and
actresses. Here, you will find information about and links to the featured
actors. Any additional information about these actors would be appreciated.
This is Brent Spiner. He is best known for his role as Data,
the android from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Mr. Spiner brings Data
to life with his quick, darting movements and continually wide-eyed expression.
He is a fun, enthusiastic, and versatile actor who seems to have a knack
for landing incredibly choice roles--Data, of course, Dr. Okun (the eccentric
scientist from Independence Day), and Gil Godwin, the megalomaniacal, dictatorial
director of entertainment on a cruise ship in the comedy "Out to Sea" are
just a few of them. Mr. Spiner was born on Groundhog Day, 1949, in Houston.
He grew up listening to Frank Sinatra and other (slightly cheesy) singers
of the mid to late 1940s, and thus developed a passion for singing 'forties
crooner numbers, and has even released his own album, "Ol' Yellow Eyes
is Back." He performed on Broadway for a long time before landing his first
major TV/screen role as Data.
What other people think of Brent
Spiner: The general consensus on Brent Spiner is overwhelmingly favorable.
From all accounts, he is a very nice person in real life; one article in
the Brent Spiner Magazine (see links below) states that he seems to be
a "genuinely warm and open person." A friend of mine who went to college
with him and now works as a stage design professor at the University of
Guam tells me that he is "a real nice fellow, and a hell of a good actor."
I have heard the word "cute" applied
to Brent Spiner more that to any other actor, by both men and women, even
those who do not find him at all sexy. He is also worshipped by women the
world over. Probably both of these attitudes can be attributed largely
to his looks (see picture) and to his most famous role as Data, whose good-natured,
gentle and innocent personality is appealing to many people.
Of course, despite all the good press,
there are also those who dislike Brent Spiner. Those who dislike him most
commonly accuse him of being "a ham." This might be true, but in Brent's
defense, the level of hamminess he uses is always appropriate to the roles
he plays. Anyway, an actor is no fun without a little bit of ham. (Picture
courtesy of Yayoi's Brent
Spiner Fan Page)
Movies and TV Shows to See if You Want to Get to Know This
Actor Better
Star Trek--The Next Generation: This is probably the
best place to start if you want to get to know Brent Spiner. This kind
of acting (e.g.., Sci-Fi) is not technically Brent's specialty--in fact,
he signed on to the show thinking it would probably flop after about a
year--but he does a good job. He also plays a number of characters other
than Data on the show. In one episode, Brothers, he plays three different
characters (Data's evil brother Lore, his creator Dr. Soong, and Data).
Tapes of this show are widely available. You should also see the three
ST:TNG movies, Generations, First Contact, and Insurrection, probably the
best one yet.
Independence Day: This is the 1997 blockbuster starring
Wil Smith and Jeff Goldblum. Brent Spiner makes an appearance towards the
middle of the movie as Dr. Okun, and you almost have to know it's him before
you see it to recognize him. This will tell you something about his versatility.
This is another film in the Sci-Fi genre. Brent Spiner is probably attempting
to break away from this kind of role.
Out to Sea: This is the Lemmon-Matthau comedy about
two brothers, one divorced and one a widower, who become dance hosts on
a luxury liner in order to try and pick up some rich female companions.
They are tormented by their ferocious director of entertainment, Gil Godwin
(Brent Spiner). This is probably more along the lines of the kind of role
Brent Spiner was trained to play. He sports a moustache and a British accent
for this role, and looks alarmingly like my stage design professor friend.
He also has the opportunity to sing quite often (this is something that
he likes to do), and he hams it up quite nicely.
Web Sites to Visit if You Want to Get to Know This Actor
Better
The
Brent Spiner Magazine:Yes, there is a Brent
Spiner Magazine. This site has news and articles about, and interviews
of, Brent Spiner.
Spot's
Ode To Data:A very nice and complete site
about Brent Spiner's most famous character, with several photo galleries,
lots of information, and lots of links.
Visit Star
Tricked: The Next Perpetration to see full-length radio script parodies
of Star Trek, featuring Data as a major character, as well as a couple
of new android brothers, and Lore and Dr. Soong, with several hand-drawn
pictures that include Data.
Jonathan Harris: This is Jonathan Harris--not
the little boy, but the dashing gentleman in the grey uniform. If you know
cheesy 1960s TV, you know this man. He played Dr. Smith on "Lost In Space,"
and was undoubtedly the glue that held the show together. Dr. Smith was
supposed to be a temporary bad guy; the one that shows up once and then
gets killed in the next episode. Luckily, the producers of the show were
smart enough to realize that killing Dr. Smith would make their show just
as lost as the characters in it. Jonathan Harris took Dr. Smith, originally
a stock villain, and turned him into an articulate, fretful and scheming
character, who was really not strictly speaking a villain. As far as skill
and personality are concerned, Harris ran circles around the other actors
in the show. Unfortunately, my experience with Jonathan Harris does not
extend much beyond what he did on "Lost in Space."
Jonathan Harris was born in 1914,
and grew up poor in Brooklyn. He almost became a pharmacist, but decided
to go into theater instead. He had no formal training, but learned almost
entirely by watching other actors. He even replaced his heavy Brooklyn
accent with a refined and distinguished sounding semi-British accent. He
continues to get small roles in various movies today. We suspect that because
of his training as a pharmacist, Jonathan Harris probably knew that it
would not really be a good idea to use carbon tetrachloride as a dietary
supplement, as they did in "Lost in Space."
The pants from the uniforms used in
"Lost In Space" are some of the most ridiculous ever to grace the screen.
However, Jonathan Harris actually managed to make these pants look reasonably
good. In this picture of Jonathan Harris as Dr. Smith, he is unfortunately
not wearing those particular pants. (Picture from
Joe's
Lost In Space Site.)
What other people think of Jonathan Harris:
While there are a good many people who share my opinions of Jonathan Harris,
there are others who view his most famous character, Dr. Smith, as a mere
annoyance. Some complain that his character should have been bumped off
early on, and that he "adds nothing to the show."
Movies and TV Shows to See if You Want to Get to Know This
Actor Better
Lost In Space: This is certainly the best starting
place. When Jonathan Harris got the role of Dr. Smith and turned Dr. Smith
into his own character, he also took over the show, creating the very interesting
and unusual phenomenon of a TV show about its main bad guy. Over the course
of the show, Dr. Smith befriends Will Robinson and turns from an evil villain
into a comic figure and a trouble maker.
A Bug's Life: Jonathan Harris has, in recent years,
been providing his unique voice in the making of various animated features.
His most recent role has him as a down-on-his-luck circus magician praying
mantis who helps save a colony of ants in Disney's second computer animated
full length feature. He has a nice, large role in this movie with a healthy
dose of Dr. Smith in the character (the script writers didn't miss their
chance to throw in an "Oh, the pain!").
Web Sites to Visit if You Want to Get to Know This Actor
Better
Jonathan
Harris--The Man, The Myth, and The Legend:
This
fan page includes a picture gallery, news on Jonathan Harris, and sound
and video clips. If you know of any other pages devoted to Jonathan Harris,
please
mail me and let me know.
Joe's
Lost In Space Page:This is the page where
I got the picture of Dr. Smith and Will. This page has lots of good information
about Lost In Space, plenty of pictures, and some nice computer generated
Robot graphics.
The Official Lost
In Space Site:This is the official site for
the TV show, and it has lots of pictures, plus biographies of the cast
members and their characters.
Andie
MacDowell: This is Andie MacDowell. As you can see, she is quite
lovely, and she used to be a model for Calvin Klein ads. Luckily, she was
able to make a successful break into acting, where she could express her
incredible talents. She comes across as warm and charming, and very natural
and comfortable. She has a lilting southern accent which, according to
CelebSite.com,
was dubbed over in her first major screen role because it was "too distracting."
She appeared as a sweet tempered producer in "Groundhog Day," and as a
prudish woman with a sleazy husband in "Sex, Lies and Video Tape."
Andie in real life describes herself
as polite, romantic, and a bit unnerved by her fame. She is very close
to her family, and often speaks of the difficulties of dealing with both
her family life and her acting career.
What other people think of Andie
MacDowell: Most people seem to have a favorable attitude towards Andie
MacDowell, although she does attract her share of negative attention. There
is a site specifically devoted to hating Andie MacDowell. It's called "Andie
MacDowell: A So-Called Actress." You shouldn't have too much trouble finding
it.
Movies to See if You Want to Get to Know This Actress
Better
Groundhog Day: Even if you're not interested in seeing
Andie MacDowell, see this movie anyway. Andie does an impressive job as
Rita, a producer who accompanies obnoxious weather man Phil Conners (Bill
Murray) to cover the Groundhog Day festivities in Punxatawny, PA. When
Phil is caught up in a bizarre time loop (he keeps experiencing Groundhog
Day over and over again), he falls in love with Rita and she eventually
helps him out of the loop. Andie portrays Rita as a patient (although this
patience is tested by Phil a few times), laid-back and cheerful lady.
Sex, Lies and Video Tape: Here Andie plays a naive
young woman with an aversion to sex, married to a slime-ball husband who
is messing around with Andie's tramp sister. She overcomes her aversion
to sex when she falls in love with a strange houseguest. This film is considered
Andie's big breakthrough.
Web Sites to Visit if You Want to Get to Know
This Actress Better
Here are two nicely designed sites about Andie MacDowell,
with pictures, articles, filmographies, and links.
Brent Spiner:
Jonathan Harris: This is Jonathan Harris--not
the little boy, but the dashing gentleman in the grey uniform. If you know
cheesy 1960s TV, you know this man. He played Dr. Smith on "Lost In Space,"
and was undoubtedly the glue that held the show together. Dr. Smith was
supposed to be a temporary bad guy; the one that shows up once and then
gets killed in the next episode. Luckily, the producers of the show were
smart enough to realize that killing Dr. Smith would make their show just
as lost as the characters in it. Jonathan Harris took Dr. Smith, originally
a stock villain, and turned him into an articulate, fretful and scheming
character, who was really not strictly speaking a villain. As far as skill
and personality are concerned, Harris ran circles around the other actors
in the show. Unfortunately, my experience with Jonathan Harris does not
extend much beyond what he did on "Lost in Space."
Andie
MacDowell:
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