

(written from a Production point of view Real World article

Marina Sirtis (born 29 March 1955; age 65) is the English American actress best known for playing Counselor Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation. She later played the role in four Star Trek films, as well as episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise, and an episode of Star Trek: Picard.

Along with Colm Meaney (Miles O'Brien), Michael Dorn (Worf) and Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Sirtis is one of four regular Star Trek cast members to have made multiple appearances as the same character on a different series. She and Jonathan Frakes are the only performers to portray the same character on four different live action Star Trek series.

Sirtis credits both the Star Trek television and movie series for bringing her a following of fans that can never be rivaled. Several costumes worn by Sirtis on Star Trek were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, including her evening dress from the episode "Man of the People" [1] and her flashback costume from the episode "Violations". [2]

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Personal life

Sirtis was born in the London Borough of Hackney to Greek parents, who initially did not want her to pursue a career in acting. She trained at the Royal Shakespeare Company, affiliated with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, to which she had to apply in secret so her parents would not find out. Once she earned a name for herself in the theater, she went on to work on television productions. Having grown up in London, she is an enthusiastic fan of soccer (her brother plays the sport in Greece) and an ardent supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C..

Her father died on 24 October 1981, exactly ten years before Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry passed away. In 1992, Sirtis married rock guitarist Michael Lamper. Her TNG castmates Brent Spiner and Michael Dorn were groomsmen at her wedding.

On December 7, 2019, Sirtis' husband died in his sleep. [3]

Career

Early film and television career

In the late 1970s, Sirtis appeared in several British television series such as Hazell and Minder. In the 1980s, she worked with director David Carson in an episode of the British crime drama Call Me Mister and in an episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Carson later directed Sirtis in four episodes of The Next Generation and in Star Trek Generations. Also in the early 1980s, she appeared in a famous Cinzano Bianco commercial with TOS guest actress Joan Collins.

Sirtis also participated in several films, the first of which was the 1983 British drama The Wicked Lady. This was followed shortly thereafter with her first role in an American production, as an unfortunate prostitute in the 1984 thriller Blind Date, which starred Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan actress Kirstie Alley. She then appeared in 1985's Death Wish 3, which also featured Ed Lauter.

Just prior to being cast on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Sirtis made a guest appearance on the American action drama Hunter. Her episode was directed by James Darren, who later played Vic Fontaine on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

TNG and the 1990s

Sirtis originally auditioned for the part of Macha Hernandez who was later renamed (and recast) in Natasha Yar. She read for this part at her first three auditions before Gene Roddenberry wanted her and Denise Crosby to switch their roles. ("TNG Season 1 DVD special feature "The Beginning") Sirtis started auditioning on 23 March 1987 and was cast on 6 May 1987 on the day when she packed to leave the States. In an interview she noted that the pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint" was the only time in the first season she wore her own hair. (TNG Season 1 DVD special feature "Selected Crew Analysis"-"Casting")

During TNG's first three years, Sirtis did not act in any other film or television production. In 1990, during a break between the TNG's third and fourth seasons, Sirtis starred in the British movie One Last Chance for director Gabrielle Beaumont. The following year, she co-starred with Zach Galligan and Jim Metzler in the horror-comedy film Waxwork II: Lost in Time.

After TNG wrapped in 1994, Sirtis began voicing the major character of Demona in the animated series Gargoyles. Her TNG co-star Jonathan Frakes also joined her on that series as the voice of David Xanatos. Two other TNG castmates, Michael Dorn and Brent Spiner, had recurring voice-over roles on the show, while LeVar Burton and Colm Meaney each voiced in one episode. Many other Star Trek alumni have lent their voices to this series, including Nichelle Nichols, Kate Mulgrew, Avery Brooks, Paul Winfield, Matt Frewer, Clancy Brown, Salli Elise Richardson, and David Warner. Gargoyles aired from 1994 through 1996, after which Sirtis and Frakes continued their roles in the subsequent series, Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles, from 1996 through 1997. They also voiced the characters in various direct-to-video Gargoyles movies released through 1998.

In 1994, Sirtis made a guest appearance on the short-lived series Heaven Help Us, which starred Ricardo Montalban. In 1997, Sirtis, Leonard Nimoy, and James Doohan all had guest voice-over roles in the "Where No Duckman Has Gone Before" episode of Duckman, which starred the voice of Jason Alexander in the title role. Sirtis then guest-starred on Diagnosis Murder (in an episode written by David Bennett Carren and J. Larry Carroll) before continuing her connection with science fiction with appearances on The Outer Limits (with Roger R. Cross) and Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict.

2000 – present

Television

In 2000, Sirtis appeared on the Sci-Fi Channel's Stargate SG-1. In 2003, she guest-starred on the drama series The Closer, on which Raymond Cruz is a regular cast member. In 2006, Sirtis had a recurring role on the UPN series Girlfriends, which starred Star Trek: Enterprise guest actress Golden Brooks. That same year, Sirtis was seen on the CBS series Without a Trace, playing the mother of a missing high school basketball star. Former Enterprise star Connor Trinneer played the basketball coach in the same episode, but he shared no scenes with Sirtis. Enterprise guest star Enrique Murciano was a main cast member on Without a Trace.

Sirtis and Star Trek actor Ben Cross both had supporting roles in the Sci-Fi Channel original movie Grendel, which aired in 2007. Shortly thereafter, Sirtis and her TNG castmates (Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Wil Wheaton, and Denise Crosby) all voiced themselves in the "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" episode of Seth MacFarlane's hit animated show, Family Guy. Sirtis previously voiced Counselor Troi for another Family Guy episode ("Peter's Got Woods"), but her segment was cut and replaced by a different TNG segment. Sirtis was also heard in an episode of MacFarlane's The Cleveland Show later in 2009.

Also in 2009, Sirtis guest-starred on the short-lived CBS series Three Rivers, working with Alfre Woodard and Spencer Garrett. She has most recently been seen in the ABC Family series Make It or Break It, along with Brett Cullen.

She guest starred on a 2011 episode of "Grey's Anatomy".

Between 2013 and 2016, Sirtis appeared on three episodes of NCIS as Mossad Director Orli Elbaz (whose predecessor, Eli David, was portrayed by Michael Nouri); other Trek actors who appeared with Sirtis included Alan Dale and Leslie Hope.

In 2019 she appeared as a schoolteacher in the episode "Sanctuary" from The Orville.

Film

Sirtis and TNG co-star Michael Dorn worked together in the independent films Lesser of Three Evils (2005, along with Brian Thompson) and The Deep Below (2007), as well as the unsold sitcom pilot Through the Fire, which Dorn wrote and directed. Sirtis also appeared in such independent films as Terminal Error (2002, with Michael Nouri), Net Games (2003, with Ed Begley, Jr.), and Spectres (2004), the latter of which co-starred Enterprise actress Linda Park as well as Tucker Smallwood.

In addition, Sirtis was part of the ensemble cast of the acclaimed drama, Crash, which won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Picture. Fellow Voyager and Enterprise guest star Daniel Dae Kim (Gotana-Retz, Corporal Chang) also appeared in this film. The film has since been adapted as a television series on Starz, with a cast that includes Sirtis' Spectres and Enterprise co-star, Linda Park.

Sirtis starred in a science fiction film written and executive produced by and co-starring TOS star Walter Koenig entitled InAlienable, released in 2008. Among the other performers in the film are fellow Star Trek alumni Erick Avari, Gary Graham, Richard Herd, J.G. Hertzler, Andrew Koenig, Judy Levitt, Lisa LoCicero, Courtney Peldon, Alan Ruck, and Patricia Tallman. It is interesting to note that when originally announced in 2003, this film (then known as Illegal Alien) was set to star Sirtis' TNG co-star John de Lancie and Voyager's Robert Picardo.

Her more recent film credits have included the direct-to-video sequels Green Street Hooligans 2: Stand Your Ground and The Grudge 3. She also co-starred with John Rhys-Davies in the British film 31 North 62 East and appeared with Jack Kehler in the independent drama Otis E. She is currently set to reunite with John Rhys-Davies in an independent action thriller called Shadows from the Sky.

Video Games

In 2007, Sirtis voiced the character of Matriarch Benezia in the hit video game Mass Effect. Armin Shimerman, Raphael Sbarge, and Dwight Schultz also had voice-over roles in this game.

The voice cast of 2017's XCOM 2: War of the Chosen features Sirtis along with Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Denise Crosby, Dwight Schultz, and John de Lancie.

Additional characters

Appearances on Star Trek