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.
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. 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 until his sophomore 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.
[www.imdb.com/title/tt0096684/] 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.
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, on the set of
{{cite_web_" class="internal" title="/AllStars/Star_Trek-_Enterprise]].
cite_web_">quote=Sailors of the Year for the year 2001 meet castmembers of the latest ‘Star Trek’ television series entitled “Enterprise.” Pictured here on the set of the series are (from left) Conner Trinneer, who plays Chief Engineer Charles “Trip” Tucker, III; Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Robert S. Pickering, Sailor of the Year; Personnelman 3rd Class Sarah E. Pizzo, Blue Jacket of the Year; Aviation Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Timothy J. Whittington, Junior Sailor of the Year; and Scott Bakula, who plays Capt. Jonathan Archer. The three Sailors were given the opportunity to appear in a scene during an episode which aired recently. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Journalist Mark O. Piggott. (RELEASED)
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."
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 since 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 had three 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 also appeared as the character Chris Fulbright in the five episode run of the Tracey Ullman sketch comedy series State of the Union on Showtime; which premiered March 30.
A March 31, 2008 article in Variety[Bakula joins Soderbergh's 'Informant' - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety] announced that Bakula had been cast in the role of Brian Shepard in the movie The Informant!, Steven Soderbergh's espionage dark comedy thriller for Warner Independent. The movie also starred Matt Damon. Shooting began in May, 2008 in Decatur, IL and the film was released in September 2009.['The Informant to open September 2009]
In April 2009, Bakula began a recurring role on the TV show Chuck as Stephen Bartowski, the eponymous character's long lost father.
From July 31 to August 2, 2009, he starred as Nathan Detroit in three performances of Guys and Dolls at Hollywood Bowl.
Personal life
Bakula married Krista Neumann in 1981, and divorced in 1995. The couple had two children, Chelsy (born 1984), Cody (born 1991 - adopted). In 2007, he married actress Chelsea Field, with whom he has had two children, Wil and Owen.
Filmography
