Marina Sirtis
During her time on the show, she became close friends with her co-stars Jonathan Frakes (who played her on-again/off-again lover Commander Riker), Michael Dorn (Lieutenant Worf, also an on-screen love interest) and Brent Spiner. Cast members Spiner and Dorn were groomsmen at her wedding.
She usually wore hair-pieces for her role as Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation . Sirtis's real hair was slightly shorter, and although curly, was not as bouffant as her character's. However, Sirtis's real hair was used in the pilot episode, and also in the first six episodes of season six, in which Troi sported a more natural looking pony-tailed style. She was also asked to create an accent (described as a mixture of Eastern European and Hebrew) for her character, although her natural accent is British. Over time the accent was adjusted and became more Americanised.
Sirtis has also reprised her character of Deanna Troi in the feature films, Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1999) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). She also appeared in Star Trek: Voyager for three episodes towards the end of the series (1999 and 2000) and also in the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise (2005).
Sirtis was delighted to get the chance to do some comedy in Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection . Her biggest role was in Star Trek: Nemesis and she stated "I sort of had an inkling that I was going to have a good part in this movie because John Logan was such a big fan of the character. So I knew that he would do her some justice." Troi and Riker finally get married but Troi has to endure being telepathically violated. She gets her revenge by using her Betazoid senses to target the cloaked enemy ship.
Other work
After the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1994, Sirtis continued to work regularly. She provided the voice of Demona in the Disney animated television series Gargoyles , (1994-1996 and two one off specials). Her Next Generation co-stars, Frakes, Spiner and Dorn, also lent their voices to the acclaimed show. She voiced the character again for an episode of the unmade Animated Series Team Atlantis .
Sirtis popularly appeared in episodes of other science fiction television shows; The Outer Limits , Stargate SG-1 and Earth: Final Conflict . Sirtis was interviewed in the October 2000 SFX magazine in the UK, the cover stated "Marina Sirtis is Everywhere" referring to her numerous sci-fi appearances airing close together, Stargate SG-1 , Earth Final Conflict and Star Trek: Voyager. Her other guest starring roles include Heaven Help Us , Diagnosis: Murder , Threat Matrix (playing a Bio-weapons scientist from Iraq), The Closer , a three episode recurring role on Girlfriends and Without a Trace .
She has also starred in many independent, made for tv movies and theatrical movies including Gadgetman , Paradise Lost , Terminal Error , Net Games , Spectres , Grendel , Inalienable , Oranges , Fist of the Warrior , The Grudge 3 and Green Street 2 .
In the UK she made a highly publicized guest appearance on the BBC hospital drama series Casualty in 2001. In 2008, she made a guest appearance in an episode of Casualty 's sister show, Holby City .
Sirtis has expanded her career branching out into production, she was associate producer for Spectres and The Deep Below .
In 2004, Sirtis had a minor role in the Academy Award-winning ensemble movie Crash as the wife of the Persian shopkeeper.
She also has done voice work for computer games, as the character Matriarch Benezia for the critically acclaimed RPG Mass Effect , as well as Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Final Unity and Star Trek Generations PC games.
Sirtis has read a few audio books including Powers That Be, by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Anne Scarborough.
2009 saw Sirtis continuing to regularly attend Star Trek conventions as well as a Gargoyles themed one. Sirtis appeared as a guest on the show Family Guy playing herself along with the rest of the cast of Star Trek: TNG . She has provided her voice for an episode of The Cleveland Show airing at some point in the 09-10 season. Green Street 2 , The Grudge 3 and Inalienable , all featuring Sirtis were released onto DVD. Independent film 31 North 62 East was released in limited cinemas in the UK in September in which she had a starring role as the Prime Minister's aide who is kidnapped. Sirtis guest starred in the pilot episode of new medical drama Three Rivers playing an Iranian, which aired on October 4th 2009. The made-for-TV movie Annihilation Earth (previously known as Doomsday ) aired on SyFy in December 2009.
February 2010 saw Sirtis guest star as a Swiss doctor in two episodes of ABC Family's Make It Or Break It . Sirtis is scheduled to commence filming for two more productions, Shadows in the Sky and P415 (sequel to 31 North 62 East ) with Fact Not Fiction Films, based in West Sussex, UK. A vampire film entitled Immortal Cycle, which Sirtis reported she was filming last June in Louisiana, will be released at some point.
Further reading
- Dillard, JM (1994), Star Trek: A History in Pictures , New York: Pocket Books, ISBN 978-067151149-4
References
- ^ a b http://www.filmreference.com/film/90/Marina-Sirtis.html
- ^ http://oddsagainstyou.net/jolly_good.htm
- ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF444E43B75DD2&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
- ^ a b Marina Sirtis - Biography
- ^ "Marina Sirtis The Official Site". Marinasirtis.tv . http://www.marinasirtis.tv/sub/home.htm . Retrieved 2009-05-17 .
- ^ Full Circle by John Willmer, pub. Optimus Books 1999
- ^ Nemeck, Larry (2003). Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion . Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-5798-6.
- ^ "Empathetic Marina Sirtis". Littlereview.com . http://www.littlereview.com/getcritical/trektalk/sirtis.htm . Retrieved 2009-05-17 .
- ^ "BBC Online - Cult - Star Trek - Marina Sirtis - Cleavage or Brains?". Bbc.co.uk . http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/st/interviews/sirtis/page26.shtml . Retrieved 2009-05-17 .
- ^ "24". Marinasirtis.tv . http://www.marinasirtis.tv/gallery/personal/pages/24.htm . Retrieved 2009-05-17 .
- ^ http://www.sfrevu.com/ISSUES/2002/0212/Film%20-%20Star%20Trek%20Nemesis/Film%20Review.htm
- ^ http://www.factnotfictionfilms.com/
External links
- Official website
- Marina Sirtis at the Internet Movie Database
- Marina Sirtis at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
- Marina Sirtis at TV.com
