Marina Sirtis is an
actress made famous by her portrayal of
Counselor Deanna Troi on
Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Marina Sirtis was born on March 29, 1960 in East London to Greek parents and raised in North London. Her parents didn't want her to become an actress and so when she completed high school she secretly applied to the Royal Shakespeare Company affiliated Guild Hall of Music and Drama School. There her interest in acting blossomed and after graduation she became a member of the Worthing Repertory Theater, where she portrayed a number of classical roles including Ophelia in Hamlet. Afterwards, she appeared with a number of other European acting companies including in Coventry Repertory's production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame as Esmerelda and in The Rocky Horror Picture Show as Magenta.
When Marina had distinguished herself in the theater, she moved onto British television. She has appeared in TV series such as Minder & Hazel, the film One Last Chance, and had roles in feature films such as Death Wish III, The Wicked Lady, and Blind Date. Her American theater debut came in Hartford Stage's production of Loot and she later starred in Neil Simon's Hotel Suite.
It was her portrayal of Counselor Deanna Troi, a half-human, half-betazoid empath, on Star Trek: The Next Generation that brought her real fame. Marina had moved to Los Angeles in 1986 and tried to audition for parts for six months. She planned to go back home to London and not long before she auditioned for the part of Tasha Yar on TNG. Feeling unsuccessful, she got ready to board the plane and minutes before she left she received a phone call telling her she had received the role of Counselor Deanna Troi. In the show, her English accent isn't heard because she uses a combination of accents that she devised. As she puts it, "In the 24th century, geographical or nationalistic barriers are not so evident. The Earth as a planet is your country, your nationality. I didn't want anyone to be able to pin down my accent to any particular country, and being good at accents, the producers trusted me to come up with something appropriate."
After her seven years on Star Trek: The Next Generation, she appeared in all the TNG films, ending with Star Trek X: Nemesis in December, 2002. On June 21, 1992 she married musician Michael Lamper in a traditional Greek ceremony. Marina is a big soccer fan because her younger brother Steve plays it in Greece and her favorite soccer club is Tottenham Hotspur. She can be seen in Paradise Lost, Net Games, and she has lent her voice to the character of Demona on Gargoyles.
Actress Filmography:
Sources:
"Marina Sirtis". Startrek.com 27 Oct 2002 <http://www.startrek.com/library/bios.asp?ID=69069>
"Biography for
Marina Sirtis". IMDB. 2004. 13 Jul4 2004 <http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Sirtis,+Marina>
"Off Screen - Marina Sirtis". 27 Oct 2002 <http://www.marinasirtis.tv/sub/off_screen.htm>