Brent Spiner Brent Spiner Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor, comedian, and singer best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television series "" and four subsequent films. In 1997, he won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Data in "", and was nominated in the same category for portraying Dr. Brackish Okun in "Independence Day", a role he reprised in "". He has also enjoyed a career in the theatre and as a musician. Brent Jay Spiner was born on February 2, 1949, in Houston,
Birthright (Star Trek: The Next Generation) him to undergo three hours of makeup each day, but he said that "I had such a good time that I would love to do another "Star Trek"". He would go on to be cast in a recurring role on "" as Admiral Owen Paris, the father of Tom Paris. Brent Spiner plays two roles in this episode - that of his main character, Data, and his creator, Dr. Noonien Soong. "Birthright, Part I" is a crossover episode featuring some of the characters from "". "Birthright, Part II" was the only episode directed by visual effects supervisor Dan Curry. The