Brent Spiner’s 10 Best Roles Outside Of Star Trek, Ranked By IMDb

Brent Spiner may be the hardest working actor in Hollywood. Now in his early 70s, Spiner’s decades-spanning filmography includes hundreds of TV series, specials, and films. While he’s best-known for playing Lieutenant Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Spiner has popped up in both expected and unexpected places over the years.

From sci-fi to horror to dark comedy, Spiner does it all. The Texas native has been on the scene since the early 1980s, and he’s clearly not stopping anytime soon. In fact, he’s reprising his role as Dr. Brackish Okun for the upcoming Independence Day sequel Resurgence.

10 Dr. Nigel Fenway In Threshold (2005 – 2006) – 7.3

The short-lived sci-fi series Threshold didn’t suffer from a lack of talent, seeing as, in addition to Spiner, it stars Carla Gugino, Peter Dinklage, and Charles S. Dutton. Instead, NBC decided to move Threshold from Friday to Tuesday nights, which caused its viewership to plummet.

Threshold centers around a secret government investigation involving humanity’s first contact with extraterrestrials. Spiner plays Dr. Nigel Fenway, one of the scientists in the task force researching the implications of discovering alien life.

9 Phil In Blunt Talk (2015 – 2016) – 7.4

Created by Bored to Death‘s Jonathan Ames and executive produced by Seth MacFarlane, Blunt Talk tells the story of a British TV journalist who hopes to make it big in America. Patrick Stewart plays the newscaster, Walter Blunt.

Blunt traverses the streets of Los Angeles while pursuing his goals. Spiner has a recurring role as Phil, a pianist who works at the bar Blunt likes to hang out at.

8 Sidney In Outcast (2016 – 2017) – 7.4

Based on Robert Kirkland’s comic book series of the same name, Outcast is a southern gothic supernatural series that takes Satanic panic into new territory. Patrick Fugit stars as Kyle Barnes, a young man whose life has been marred by tragedy.

For some reason, everyone around Kyle has been possessed by demonic entities, and he struggles to understand what it is about him that makes this happen. Spiner co-stars as Sidney, a newcomer in Kyle’s West Virginia town affiliated with the evil forces at work.

7 Leonard Junger In Rent Control (1981) – 7.5

Rent Control is a low-budget feature from Italian director Gian Luigi Polidoro. Going unreleased until 1984, it stars Spiner as a New Yorker facing the difficulties of life in the big city.

Spiner’s character Leonard Junger hopes to find an affordable, rent-controlled apartment in NYC — a difficult task even by early 1980s standards. He also hopes to meet women, but settling for just one also proves difficult.

6 Robert Gross In The Aviator (2004) – 7.5

In Martin Scorsese’s epic biopic about Howard Hughes, Spiner has a supporting role as Robert E. Gross. Gross, an American businessman, was involved in aviation developments until he died in 1961.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Hughes in the ensemble drama, an aviation maverick turned film producer who suffered from severe OCD. The Aviator traces Hughes’s life between 1927 and 1947.

5 Bob Wheeler In Night Court (1984 – 1992) – 7.6

In the popular NBC courtroom sitcom Night Court, Spiner had a recurring role as Bob Wheeler. The show centers around the trials and tribulations of young, new Manhattan night shift judge Harold “Harry” T. Stone, played by Harry Anderson.

Wheeler and his wife appear in six episodes over the course of the series, where they are also defendants trying to get themselves out of trouble. They are characterized as country bumpkin types, but they are actually Yugoslavian immigrants.

4 Brother Adrian In Warehouse 13 (2009 – 2014) – 7.6

One of SyFy’s many cult series, Warehouse 13 lasted five seasons on the network before it ended. The show involves a team of secret United States field agents who must retrieve special artifacts and keep them safe in the show’s titular facility.

These aren’t just normal artifacts; each one is bestowed with special powers that can’t end up in the wrong hands. Spiner plays Brother Adrian in the third and fourth seasons, who is hired by the Vatican to protect Ferdinand Magellan’s Astrolabe.

3 Himself In Fresh Hell (2011 – 2012) – 7.8

Fresh Hell is a hilarious web series where Spiner plays a version of himself. Trying to establish himself out of the Star Trek limelight, Spiner struggles to find gigs that will give him the break he needs.

In the series, Spiner’s reputation is ruined after he’s implicated in an accident. The show features a memorable cameo from fellow Star Trek actor LeVar Burton.

2 Gall Trayvis In Star Wars Rebels (2014 – 2018) – 8.0

Lucasfilm Animation’s CGI series Star Wars Rebels takes place five years before the events of A New Hope. In the series, the evil Galactic Empire tries to eradicate the last of the Jedis as a resistance movement slowly starts to build in the shadows.

Spiner voices Senator Gall Trayvis, who publicly speaks out against the Empire. The four-season series was released due to the success of its predecessor: The Clone Wars.

1 Therapist In Ray Donovan (2013 – 2020) – 8.4

The long-running Ray Donovan stars Liev Schreiber as a professional “fixer” for high-profile, celebrity clients. The first five seasons of the Showtime series transpire in Los Angeles, while the last two are set in New York City.

In season two, Spiner makes an appearance as a therapist who works with Donovan. In their sessions, Donovan opens up about his abusive relationship with his father, who is played by Jon Voight.

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