Scott Stewart Bakula (born
October 9,
1954) is an
American actor. His most prominent roles have been as Sam Beckett in the
science fiction television series
Quantum Leap, and as
Captain Jonathan Archer in
Star Trek: Enterprise. He also co-starred with
Maria Bello in the short-lived
CBS television series
Mr. & Mrs. Smith and had a
recurring role in the
sitcom Murphy Brown.
Biography
Early life
Bakula was born in
St. Louis,
Missouri, the son of Sally and J. Stewart Bakula, a corporate lawyer.
[Scott Bakula Biography (1954?-)] He graduated from Kirkwood High School in
Kirkwood, Missouri in 1973 where he was a good student, most notably for having the lowest recorded incidents in his age group of showing up to school not wearing
pants. During high school, he was active in
soccer,
tennis, and
theatre. Also during high school, he had the lead roles in
Godspell and
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at First Presbyterian Church in Kirkwood. He also played Tevye in an Independent Theatre Production of
Fiddler on the Roof at Kirkwood High. Bakula attended college at the
University of Kansas, studying
law, until his junior year. He was a member of
Phi Gamma Delta while attending the University.
Career
Bakula left college to pursue acting, having been cast in the leading role in a national tour of
Godspell. The tour was canceled before it began and he soon moved to
New York. Shortly after, he was cast in a dinner theater production of
Shenandoah in North Carolina.
In 1983, Bakula, having previously appeared as a standby, made his Broadway debut playing
Joe DiMaggio in
Marilyn: An American Fable. His television debut came in
commercials for
Canada Dry and for de-caffeinated
Folgers coffee. He also appeared in an off Broadway production of "
Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down."
[castalbumdb.com]
His performance in the Broadway musical
Romance/Romance and subsequent
Tony Award nomination helped Bakula win the lead role opposite
Dean Stockwell in the critically acclaimed television series
Quantum Leap. In this science fiction series, Bakula played the time traveler Dr.
Sam Beckett who was trapped by a malfunction of his time machine to correct things gone wrong in the past. His performance in this program would earn him a
Golden Globe award (along with three nominations) and four
Emmy nominations for Best Actor as well as five (5) consecutive
Viewer’s For Quality Television Awards for Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series. Low ratings for this series caused its cancellation in 1993.
In 1995, Bakula appeared on the cover of
Playgirl. In 1997, Bakula voiced
Danny Cat in
Cats Don't Dance, a high-rated, but little-known, animated movie, singing in one number with
Natalie Cole. In 1998, Bakula played the aging veteran pitcher Gus Cantrell in
Major League: Back to the Minors, the final movie in the
Major League (film) trilogy. He also played Jim Olmeyer, partner of
Sam Robards' Jim Berkley, in the Academy Award-winning
American Beauty in 1999.
[
Bakula.jpg|thumb|right|Bakula, as [[Captain (Star Trek)|Captain]
Jonathan Archer, meets
U.S. Navy Sailors of the Year for the year 2001 on
February 28,
2002, onboard the U.S. Naval vessel
USS Enterprise (CVN-65), photo courtesy U.S. Navy.
]]
As
Jonathan Archer in
Star Trek: Enterprise, Bakula played the captain of
Earth's first long-range interstellar ship. In 2006, he reprised the role of Archer for the
Star Trek Legacy PC and
Xbox 360 video games as a
voiceover. Bakula starred in the musical
Shenandoah, a play which also provided his first professional theatrical role in 1976, at
Ford's Theatre, in 2006.
Bakula is heard singing "Pig Island" on
Sandra Boynton's children's CD
Philadelphia Chickens, which is labeled as being "For all ages except 43." This is rumored to be a reference to Zachary Paul Rodriguez, who, at the time of the CD's release, was 43, and dating Bakula's 17 year old son Daniel.
Some of Bakula's other musical appearances include the
Hollywood Bowl in 1996 and 2004,
Carnegie Hall, a benefit performance of
Stephen Sondheim's
Anyone Can Whistle in 1995, and the
Kennedy Center Honors in 1993 and 2003, in honor of Sondheim and
Carol Burnett, respectively.
Performances in 2008
Bakula performed various songs from his career for one night only performance entitled "An Evening with Scott Bakula" at Sydney Harman Hall on
January 18,
2008, as a benefit for the restoration of the historic Ford's Theater.
['An Evening with Scott Bakula' at Ford's Theatre Jan.18 (DC.BroadwayWorld.com)]
Bakula has three upcoming appearances in 2008. He appeared as Atty. Jack Ross in an episode of
Boston Legal,
"Glow in the Dark", which aired on February 12, 2008 on the ABC network.
[Daily News Releases] From March 4 - April 20 he starred as Tony Hunter in the world premiere of
Dancing In The Dark at The Old Globe in San Diego, California. "Dancing in the Dark" is based on the 1950s movie "The Band Wagon" which starred
Fred Astaire and
Cyd Charisse.
[www.theoldglobe.org/_pdf/pr/2008/Dancing%20in%20the%20Dark%20Cast%20Announced.pdf] He will also appear as the character Chris Fulbright in the five episode run of the new
Tracy Ullman sketch comedy series
State of the Union on Showtime; it premieres March 30.
A March 31, 2008 article in Variety
[Bakula joins Soderbergh's 'Informant' - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety] announced that Scott has been cast in the role of Brian Shepard in the upcoming movie
The Informant,
Steven Soderbergh's espionage dark comedy thriller for Warner Independent. The movie will also star
Matt Damon. Shooting is scheduled to begin in May in Decatur, IL.
['The Informant to open September 2009]
Personal life
Bakula married Krista Neumann in 1981. The couple had two children, Chelsy (born 1984), Cody (born 1991 - adopted) and divorced in 1995. In 1996, he began a relationship with actress
Chelsea Field. The couple have two children: Wil and Owen.
Filmography
