Brent Spiner Speaking Fee: $30,000 to $50,000

Brent Spiner is an American actor, singer, and writer, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Born on February 2, 1949, in Houston, Texas, Spiner was raised in a Jewish household. His father passed away when he was just ten months old, and he was later adopted by his mother's second husband, Sol Mintz. Spiner attended Bellaire High School, where he won a national championship in dramatic interpretation, and went on to study at the University of Houston. In 1968, he worked as a performer at Six Flags Astroworld, first as a gunfighter and later in Dr. Featherflowers' Medicine Show. In the early 1970s, Spiner moved to New York City to pursue a career in theater. He performed in several Broadway and off-Broadway productions, including The Three Musketeers and Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George. His big break came in 1987 when he was cast as Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Spiner portrayed Data throughout the series' seven-season run and in four subsequent films, earning a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Star Trek: First Contact. He also portrayed Dr. Brackish Okun in the film Independence Day and its sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence. Beyond his acting career, Spiner is an accomplished singer and musician. In 1991, he released an album of 1940s pop standards titled Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back, a play on both Frank Sinatra's album Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back and his character Data's golden eyes. He has also voiced characters in animated series, including The Joker in Young Justice. In 2021, Spiner ventured into writing with the release of his first book, Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events. The book blends elements of memoir with a fictional noir detective story, featuring cameos from his Star Trek co-stars. Spiner continues to be involved in the Star Trek franchise, reprising his role as Data in Star Trek: Picard and voicing characters in various Star Trek video games and animated series. Spiner is married to publicist Loree McBride, and they have one son, Jackson Spiner, born in 2002. He remains a beloved figure in the science fiction community, known for his wit, versatility, and enduring contributions to the genre.