About this Artist
Consistently recognized for his stellar work across a variety of mediums, versatile Hollywood everyman SCOTT BAKULA (Nathan Detroit) continues to grace the stage and screen with his dashing good looks and charm, cherished by his actor peers and fans alike!
On tap for Bakula are a feature film, a new television series, and a couple of guest spots. He stars opposite Matt Damon in the Warner Bros. film The Informant, based on the true story of Mark Whitacre, the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history. Helmed by Steven Soderbergh, the film will hit theaters on October 9, 2009.
Bakula will return to the small screen for the TNT original series Men of a Certain Age in January 2010. Starring alongside Ray Romano and Andre Braugher, the dramedy will focus on three college buddies who are each experiencing their own form of mid-life crises.
This current television season, Bakula will tackle fatherhood: he reprises his role on the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine as young Christine’s father, as well as appearing in three episodes of NBC’s Chuck, playing Chuck Bartowski’s estranged dad.
Recently, Bakula has been busy on the small screen and returning to his roots on the stage. Last year he starred in Dancing in the Dark at the famed Old Globe Theater in San Diego, and before that he finished a critically acclaimed run in Jane Anderson’s Quality of Life at the Geffen Playhouse. Other recent theater credits include No Strings at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse and the Tony-winning musical Shenandoah at Ford’s Theater in D.C.
Bakula’s recent television credits include the Emmy-winning Boston Legal, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, and the Lifetime movie adaptation of Nora Robert’s best-selling book, Blue Smoke. Before that, Bakula served a four-year charge as Captain Jonathan Archer, the physical and intensely curious leader who wasn’t afraid to follow his gut, in Star Trek: Enterprise, the fifth installment in the Star Trek television franchise. For his work on Enterprise, Bakula garnered a People’s Choice nomination for “Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series.” USA Today stated, “The crew is led by Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer – a character perfectly in tune with the kind of regular-Joe heroes Bakula plays best: smart but not brilliant; handsome but not glamorous; strong but not overpowering!”
Perhaps best known for his five-year stint on the innovative series Quantum Leap, Bakula’s performance brought him a Golden Globe for “Best Actor in a Drama Series,” four Emmy nominations, three more Golden Globe nominations, and he was honored an unprecedented five times by the Viewers for Quality Television. Today, Quantum Leap remains one of the most popular series in syndication around the world. There is also a Quantum Leap album available on Crescendo Records, which features songs performed by Bakula in several episodes of the series. The complete series of Quantum Leap and Star Trek: Enterprise are now available on DVD.
Bakula has also won praise for his work in a variety of feature-film roles, including New Line Cinema’s Life as a House, which was directed and co-produced by Academy Award-winner Irwin Winkler; the independent film Ghost of a Chance; 1999’s Oscar-winning Best Picture American Beauty; the supernatural thriller Lord of Illusions, written and directed by Clive Barker; Warner Bros.’ Major League: Back to the Minors; New Line Cinema’s Mi Familia/My Family; Hollywood Pictures’ Color of Night opposite Bruce Willis; the psychological thriller A Passion to Kill; and Paramount’s football comedy Necessary Roughness. He made his feature-film debut in 1990, starring opposite Kirstie Alley in Castle Rock’s comedy Sibling Rivalry for director Carl Reiner.
Alternating between film and television, Bakula has appeared in the CBS landmark comedies Designing Women and Murphy Brown, the Showtime mini-series It’s A Girl Thing, The Invaders mini-series for Fox, the ABC mini-series Tom Clancy’s Net Force, the Showtime telefilm Mean Streak, and CBS’ Bachelor’s Baby, executive produced by Bakula through his production company. He also pulled double duty in the CBS Movie of the Week Papa’s Angels and the Showtime Original Picture What Girls Learn, starring in and producing both telefilms.
Born in St. Louis, Bakula moved to New York in 1976 where he pursued his first love, the theater. In 1988, he was honored with a Tony nomination for his starring role in the Broadway musical Romance/Romance. Before that, Scott made his Broadway debut as Joe DiMaggio in Marilyn: An American Fable. His other theater credits include the critically acclaimed off-Broadway and Los Angeles productions of Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down and the Los Angeles and Boston productions of Nite Club Confidential.
Bakula’s singing prowess has afforded him some special opportunities. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, twice at the Kennedy Center Honors, and on several occasions at the Hollywood Bowl. In the Warner Bros. animated musical Cats Don’t Dance, he created the acting and singing voice for Danny the Cat.