Scott Bakula (born October 9, 1954) is an American television actor most famous for his lead role in the television series Quantum Leap. He was then known in 1996 as Mr. Smith, co-starred with Maria Bello (Mrs. Smith), in the short-lived CBS tv series Mr. & Mrs. Smith (which bore little or no relation to the 2005 motion picture of the same title). Bakula later had a role in the sitcom Murphy Brown and most recently starred as Captain Jonathan Archer in the science fiction series Star Trek: Enterprise.
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Missouri in 1973. During high school he was active in soccer, tennis and theatre. He had lead roles in Godspell, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Fiddler on the Roof. He attended college at the University of Kansas.
In 1983, Bakula (having previously appeared as a standby) made his Broadway debut playing Joe DiMaggio in Marilyn, An American Fable. His television debut would consist of commercials for Canada Dry and for de-caffeinated Folgers coffee.
Bakula also played the lead role as Alfred/Sam in the Broadway musical Romance, Romance, and in 1988 he was nominated for a Tony Award.
His performance in Romance, Romance and his Tony nomination helped him win the lead role opposite Dean Stockwell in the critically acclaimed television series Quantum Leap. In this science fiction series, Bakula played the time traveler Dr. Sam Beckett who was trapped by a malfunction of his time machine that inserts his consciousness into people in the past. His performance in this program would earn him a Golden Globe award (along with three nominations) and four Emmy nominations for best actor. Low ratings for this program caused its cancellation in 1993.
He also played Jim Olmeyer, boyfriend of Sam Robards' Jim Berkley, in the Academy Award-winning American Beauty in 1999.
As Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise, Bakula played the captain of Earth's first long-range interstellar ship, a ship of exploration converted into a warship in order to defend Earth's interests.
Scott is currently starring in the musical, Shenandoah, at Ford's Theatre, through April 30, 2006.
Other credits include:
American Beauty
Netforce (1999)
Lord of Illusions (1995)
Murphy Brown (1 episode 1994)
Eisenhower and Lutz (1988)
Matlock (2 episodes 1987)
Designing Women (1986-1988)
My Sister Sam (1 episode 1986)
Gung Ho (1986)
I-Man (1986)
