Robert Schenkkan

Robert Frederic Schenkkan, Jr. is the American actor, playwright, screenwriter, and producer who played the role of Lieutenant Commander Dexter Remmick in two first season episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation,  and. Footage of his appearance from the latter episode was later used for the second season episodes and.

Schenkkan acted in several film, television, and stage productions from the early 1970s until 1994, after which he began to focus exclusively on writing. In 1992, he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his series of one-act plays entitled The Kentucky Cycle. He later received a Tony Award nomination for the same work.

Early life
Robert Frederic Schenkkan was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and raised in Austin, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama, magna cum laude, from the University of Texas at Austin and an Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Theater
Schenkkan made his stage acting debut playing Captain Tim in a Chicago, Illinois production of Tobacco Road, which ran for 35 performances in 1975. In 1979, he made his off-Broadway debut, playing Wayne Blossom, Jr., in Last Days at the Dixie Girl Cafe. That same year, he was an understudy in the Broadway production of G. R. Point.

In 1984, Schenkkan played John Bates in an off-Broadway production of William Shakespeare's Henry V with Elizabeth Dennehy. From November 1984 through 1985, Schenkkan portrayed Reverend David Marshall Lee in the original, off-Broadway production of Larry Shue's comedy The Foreigner. Christopher Curry also starred in this production.

Schenkkan's other New York stage acting credits included The Taming of the Shrew (1977), The Passion of Dracula (1978), and The Midnight Visitor (1981). His regional theater credits include A Full Length Portrait of America and SWOP at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in Kentucky in 1981, with the latter production co-starring Ken Jenkins (who also wrote the play) and Cristine Rose.

Television
Schenkkan made his first television appearance in 1979, playing Father Wembley in the NBC movie Sanctuary of Fear. His co-stars in this movie included fellow Star Trek: The Next Generation guest actors George Hearn and Saul Rubinek. His next TV appearance was another NBC movie, The Neighborhood, in 1982. This movie also featured William Sadler.

Schenkkan portrayed Alexander Hamilton in the 1984 CBS mini-series George Washington. Other who appeared in this mini-series include Ron Canada, Josh Clark, Richard Fancy, Megan Gallagher, John Glover, Kelsey Grammer, Harry Groener, Patrick Horgan, Barrie Ingham, Jeremy Kemp, Richard Kiley, Stephen Macht, Clive Revill, Ned Romero, Nicolas Surovy, and Anthony Zerbe.

In 1985, Schenkkan was seen in another CBS mini-series, Kane & Abel. Harry Groener also worked on this mini-series, as did Lisa Banes. Schenkkan then appeared in a segment of the 1980s version of The Twilight Zone. The segment, entitled "Devil's Alphabet", also featured Christopher Carroll, Ben Cross, and Star Trek: Voyager regular Ethan Phillips.

In addition to his appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Schenkkan has guest-starred on such series as Newhart (in an episode with Roy Brocksmith and Hal Landon, Jr.) and L.A. Law (starring Corbin Bernsen and Larry Drake, in an episode with Paul Collins, Bob Gunton, and Jennifer Hetrick). Schenkkan and his TNG co-star, Jonathan Frakes, both appeared in the 1987 mini-series Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder, along with Lilyan Chauvin, the aforementioned John Glover, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Frank Military, George D. Wallace, and Noble Willingham.

Schenkkan's TV movie credits during the late 1980s and early 1990s included Police Story: The Watch Commander (988; with David Graf, Gregg Henry, Roy Jenson, Mel Johnson, Jr., Carlos Lacamara), The Image (1990; with Nicholas Cascone, David Clennon, and Brett Cullen), Son of the Morning Star (1991; with Terry O'Quinn, Nick Ramus, and Tim Ransom), and Victim of Love: The Shannon Mohr Story (1993; with Ann Cusack, Bruce French, Gregg Henry, and Dwight Schultz).

Films
Schenkkan made his feature film debut in the independent 1985 drama Chain Letters with Daniel Davis. This was followed by small roles in the 1986 films Sweet Liberty (with Timothy Carhart and the aforementioned Saul Rubinek) and The Manhattan Project (also with Timothy Carhart as well as JD Cullum).

In 1987, Schenkkan was seen in this mystery/thriller The Bedroom Window (with Brad Greenquist, Mark Margolis, and Wallace Shawn) and the sports drama Amazing Grace and Chuck. In 1989, he appeared in the action/comedy Out Cold along with Teri Garr and Bruce McGill.

Perhaps Schenkkan's most notable film credit is his supporting role as high school guidance counselor David Deaver in the cult 1990 drama Pump Up the Volume. actor and Star Trek fan Christian Slater played the male lead in this film.

Writing career
Schenkkan is the author of ten full-length plays and numerous one-act plays. His most famous work is The Kentucky Circle, a two-part collection of nine one-act plays which explores American mythology for which he received the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Kentucky Cycle was first performed in 1991 at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle, Washington, and transferred to Broadway in 1993. The Broadway production earned Schenkkan nominations from the Tony Awards and the Drama Desk Awards in 1994. The cast of The Kentucky Cycle included Star Trek alumni Gregory Itzin, Scott MacDonald, and Randy Oglesby.

Schenkkan's other plays include: Heaven on Earth, which premiered off-Broadway in 1989 and which won the Julie Harris/Beverly Hills Theatre Guild Award; By the Waters of Babylon, a production of which featured Shannon Cochran; and Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates, which premiered in 2006 with Tony Amendola and Jeffrey Nordling in the cast.

In addition to his plays, Schenkkan has ventured into screenwriting. He co-wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed 2002 film The Quiet American, the cast of which featured Tzi Ma and Holmes Osborne. He then wrote the 2004 TV version of Spartacus, which featured Ben Cross. Most recently, he wrote the 2008 mini-series The Andromeda Strain, which starred Daniel Dae Kim.

Personal
Schenkkan is the uncle of actor Benjamin Mackenzie who is known for his starring role on The O.C. which also starred Melinda Clarke and Michael Nouri.