Star Trek

Tim Russ

The child of a U.S. Air Force officer, Tim Russ traveled the globe at an early age, growing up on military bases in, among other places, Omaha, Nebraska, Taiwan, the Philippines and Turkey.  He graduated from high school in Turkey, received a BS in theater arts from St. Edward’s University in Texas, and won a full scholarship to continue theater studies at Illinois State University.  He started acting full time in 1985, making appearances in a variety of popular television series, including Hill Street Blues, thirtysomething, 21 Jump Street, Beauty and the Beast and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  In 1987, he tried out for the role of Geordi LaForge in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but lost the part to LeVar Burton.  But Star Trek, apparently, was part of his destiny; over the next few years, he would make guest appearances in TNG (“Starship Mine”), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (“Invasive Procedures”) and the film Star Trek Generations.  By the time Star Trek: Voyager went into development, Star Trek’s casting directors knew Russ and his acting abilities quite well.  A “graduate” of Star Trek’s on-the-job “directors in training program,” Russ has supplemented his acting career with directing assignments since Voyager left the airwaves.  He is presently seen in a recurring role on the popular Nickelodeon series iCarly.