Scott Bakula
SCOTT BAKULA is recognized for his work in a variety of mediums, from feature films to television to musical theatre and more.
Born in St. Louis, Bakula moved to New York in 1976 where he began his career on the stage. He made his Broadway debut in 1983, starring as Joe DiMaggio in “Marilyn: An American Fable.” In 1988, he was honored with a Tony nomination for his starring role in the Broadway musical “Romance/Romance.”
Scott Bakula returned to the New York stage for a limited run in the Off Broadway production of the new musical “The Connector,” conceived and directed by Daisy Prince with music and lyrics by Tony winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade) and with a book by Jonathan Marc Sherman. He just starred with his wife Chelsea Field in the Peterborough Players production of “Man of LA Mancha,” where he played Don Quixote and she played Aldonza. He is now starring in the Ford Theater’s production of “Mr. Lincoln” with performances beginning September 20-October 13th. In a long awaited (3 Seasons) treat for his fans, he has made a surprise cameo in the new Season of “Only Murders in the Building” streaming now.
Bakula made his UK stage debut in the world premiere of “Terrible Advice,” a new play from Saul Rubinek (“Warehouse 13”), at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London. Directed by Frank Oz. Throughout his career, Bakula has continued to return to the stage, appearing at the famed Hollywood Bowl, starring as ‘Nathan Detroit’ in a limited run of the musical “Guys and Dolls.” Over the past few years, he has also starred in “Dancing in the Dark” at San Diego’s Old Globe Theater, and Jane Anderson’s “Quality of Life” at the Geffen Playhouse. His other theatre credits include “No Strings” at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse, and a production of the Tony Award-winning musical “Shenandoah” at the historic Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC, “An Evening with Scott Bakula”, Ford’s Theater. Further stage 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 talents have also been showcased in performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center Honors, and at the Hollywood Bowl. Fans know and love Bakula for his five-year stint on the innovative series “Quantum Leap.” For his multi-faceted portrayal of time traveler Sam Beckett, he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series, in addition to earning four Emmy Award nominations, three more Golden Globe Award nominations, and four Best Actor Awards from the Viewers for Quality Television. Bakula also directed three episodes of the series. “Quantum Leap” remains one of the most popular series in syndication around the world. There is also a “Quantum Leap” soundtrack album, which features songs performed by Bakula in several episodes of the show. In 2017, he guest starred in the 12th season premiere of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” playing himself, where he gave a wink to “Quantum Leap”.
On the small screen, Recently, he made a surprise cameo appearance in the fourth season premiere of “Only Murders in the Building.” Bakula was last seen starring on the CBS hit “NCIS: New Orleans,” playing ‘NCIS Special Agent Pride,’ the head of the naval investigative unit in the Big Easy. Bakula was nominated for an Emmy for his supporting role in the HBO Films Liberace biopic BEHIND THE CANDELABRA, which won an Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for “Best Television Movie/Mini.” His fifth nomination (the previous four were for his work in “Quantum Leap”) was for Bakula’s portrayal of ‘Bob Black,’ the choreographer who introduced Liberace to his lover. Other series credits include the critically acclaimed TNT drama “Men of a Certain Age,” with Ray Romano and Andre Braugher, the HBO dramedy “Looking,” where HuffPost TV praised Bakula’s performance, saying: “Bakula’s presence and air of experience add weight and depth to the show.” He also starred as Captain Jonathan Archer in “Star Trek: Enterprise,” for which he received a People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series. His recurring roles include NBC’s action comedy “Chuck,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” and “Desperate Housewives.”
On the big screen, Bakula was last in the feature film DIVINITY, produced by Steven Soderbergh, and written and directed by Eddie Alcazar. DIVINITY had its premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and opened the 2023 Screamfest Horror Film Festival.
Bakula starred opposite Matt Damon in the Steven Soderbergh helmed Warner Bros film THE INFORMANT!, based on the true story of the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in US history. The dark comedy film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, with Entertainment Weekly praising his appealing performance, relating “the square-jawed, Missouri-born Bakula helps ground a story that grows increasingly absurd!”
Other film credits include 1999’s Oscar-winning Best Picture AMERICAN BEAUTY, for director Sam Mendes; LIFE AS A HOUSE opposite Kevin Kline; DIVINITY, produced by Steven Soderburgh. The musical feature BASMATI BLUES opposite Brie Larson, ELSA AND FRED opposite Christopher Plummer and Shirley MacLaine. Clive Barker’s supernatural thriller LORD OF ILLUSIONS; MAJOR LEAGUE: BACK TO THE MINORS; MI FAMILIA (MY FAMILY)”; “A PASSION TO KILL; COLOR OF NIGHT, with Bruce Willis; the football comedy “NECESSARY ROUGHNESS ; and Carl Reiner’s SIBLING RIVALRY which marked Bakula’s film debut. He was also heard as the voice of Danny the cat in the animated musical “Cats Don’t Dance.”