Laurence George Luckinbill(born November 21, 1934) is an American actor, playwright and director. He has worked in television, film, and theatre, doing triple duty in the theatre by writing, directing, and starring in stage productions. He is known for penning and starring inone-man showsbased upon the lives of U.S. presidentTheodore Roosevelt,authorErnest Hemingway,and famous American defense attorneyClarence Darrow;starring in a one-man show based upon the life of U..S presidentLyndon B. Johnson;and for his portrayal ofSpock's half-brotherSybokin the filmStar Trek V: The Final Frontier.
Laurence Luckinbill | |
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 Luckinbill in 2008 | |
| Born | Laurence George Luckinbill November 21, 1934 Fort Smith, Arkansas,U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1961–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Lana and Lilly Wachowski(nieces) |
Personal life
editLuckinbill was born inFort Smith, Arkansas,the son of Agnes (née Nulph) and Laurence Benedict Luckinbill.[1]He is the uncle of film directorsLana and Lilly Wachowski,the children of his sister, Lynne. He isRoman Catholic.[2]
He attendedFort Smith Junior Collegefrom 1951 to 1952, received aBachelor of Artsdegree from theUniversity of Arkansasin 1956, received aMaster of Fine Artsdegree from theCatholic University of Americain 1958, attendedNew York Universityin 1980, and studied acting atHB Studioin New York City.[3]
He is married to actressLucie Arnaz,daughter ofLucille BallandDesi Arnaz.They have three children together: Simon, Joseph, and Katharine. Arnaz and Luckinbill have toured together in theatrical productions such asThey're Playing Our Song.[3]He also has two sons from his previous marriage to actressRobin Strasser,Nicholas and Benjamin.[4]
Career
editOn television, he started out with roles on the American soap operasWhere the Heart IsandThe Secret Storm.[3][5]He starred as espionage agent Glenn Garth Gregory in the 1972–1973ABCdramatic television series,The Delphi Bureau.[3][5]He has performed in numerous episodes of television series, includingLaw & Order,Barnaby Jones,Columbo(episode "Make Me a Perfect Murder" ),The Mary Tyler Moore Show,andMurder, She Wrote.He also played Lillian Hellman's lawyer Joseph L. Rauh in the television filmDash and Lilly(1999).[5]
His 1961 Broadway debut was inA Man for All Seasons.[3]He starred inPavel Kohout's 1976 Broadway playPoor Murdererat theEthel Barrymore Theatre,Michael Cristofer'sThe Shadow Box(1977) at theMorosco Theater,for which he received a nomination for theBest Featured Actor in a Play,and inThomas Babe'sA Prayer for My Daughter(1978) at thePublic Theater.His theatre career has included writing and directing. Luckinbill has written and performed in several one-man shows, including,Hemingway,Teddy,andAn Evening with Clarence Darrow.He has also starred in numerous productions ofLyndon,which he did not write.[6][7]One production was at theLBJ MuseuminAustin, Texas,whereLady Bird Johnsonwas among attendees.
He appeared in the drama filmThe Boys in the Band(1970), reprising the role of Hank,[8]which he originated on stage. He portrayed Spock's half-brother Sybok inStar Trek V: The Final Frontier(1989).[5]Sean Connerywas originally contacted to star in the role but was busy withIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade.[9]William Shatnerdiscovered Luckinbill by chance by channel-surfing late one night and seeing him perform as Johnson.[10]When Shatner called to offer him the role, Luckinbill accepted immediately.[11]
Other film appearances includeSuch Good Friends(1971),The Promise(1979), andCocktail(1988). He also narrated the documentaryMoonwalk One.[12]In the early 1970s, Luckinbill was the commercial spokesperson forTrans World Airlines,appearing in several television spots for the airline.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Boys in the Band | Hank | |
| 1971 | Such Good Friends | Richard | |
| 1972–1973 | The Delphi Bureau | Glenn Garth Gregory | 9 episodes |
| 1972 | Corky | Wayne Nesbitt | |
| 1974 | Death Sentence | Don Davies | TV movie |
| 1974 | Harry O | Father Paul Vecchio | 1 episode: Mortal Sin |
| 1976 | The Money | Richard Banks | |
| 1978 | Columbo | Mark McAndrews | S07E03 |
| 1979 | The Promise | Dr. Peter Gregson | |
| 1982 | One More Try | Adam Margolin | unsoldpilot[13] |
| 1984 | Not for Publication | Mayor Franklyn | |
| 1988 | Cocktail | Mr. Mooney | |
| 1988 | Messenger of Death | Homer Foxx | |
| 1989 | Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | Sybok | |
| 1999 | Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War | William McKinley(voice) | Television documentaryfilm |
References
edit- ^"Laurence Luckinbill Biography (1934-)".filmreference.
- ^"The Only Home Robin Strasser Hasn't Wrecked Is Her Real One with Actor Larry Luckinbill".people.
- ^abcdeHal Erickson(2015)."Laurence Luckinbill NY Times Biography".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon November 25, 2015.RetrievedAugust 15,2015.
- ^"Robin Strasser biodata".Archived fromthe originalon December 21, 2010.RetrievedAugust 15,2015.
- ^abcd"Laurence Luckinbill".TVGuide.TV Guide.Retrieved29 August2019.
- ^Kelley, Bill (April 8, 1987)."PBS ROLE GIVES ACTOR A NEW IMAGE OF LBJ".Sun-Sentinel.Sun-Sentinel.
- ^Klein, Alvin (April 26, 1992)."THEATER; An UpdatedLyndonIs Coming to the Emelin ".The New York Times.
- ^Canby, Vincent(18 March 1970)."The Boys in the Band (1970)".The New York Times.Retrieved2008-10-13.
- ^Dillard, J.M.Star Trek: Where No One Has Gone Before - A History in Pictures (1994).pp. 87–89.
- ^Shatner, William; Chris Kreski.Star Trek Movie Memories (1994).pp. 238–239.
- ^Shatner, William; Chris Kreski.Star Trek Movie Memories (1994).p. 240.
- ^Clarke Fountain (2016)."Moonwalk One Overview".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon March 25, 2016.RetrievedAugust 15,2015.
- ^"One More Try (CBS unsold pilot)".TV Archives: Unsold Pilots.August 31, 1982.