When Enterprise first aired in fall of 2001, fans were introduced not only to a whole new crew, with the requisite captain, science officer and engineer, but also Phlox, a doctor from a race new to Star Trek fans. John Billingsley was cast to play the ship's doctor, a Denobulan with a slightly different take on medicine than what we've seen in the past. More holistic than other medics, Phlox brought a quirky originality to Enterprise.

Born in Pennsylvania in the town of Media, his family's travels eventually took him to Weston, Connecticut where he got a taste for acting by appearing in school plays, before studying theatre in college at Vermont's Bennington College. John then spent a number of years in Seattle honing his craft while also founding the Book-It Repertory and co-founding Freehold, both of which have been vital Seattle theatrical institutions.

John's pre-Enterprise career includes appearances on a wide variety of television shows, including Northern Exposure, NYPD Blue, The Practice, Stargate SG-1, The Pretender, The X-Files, The West Wing and more. In films, he debuted in 1988's "Seven Hours to Judgment" then went on to appear in many other features, including "Tuesdays with Morrie," "Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles," "White Oleander," "A Cinderella Story" and "Out of Time" with Denzel Washington. John even had the pleasure of working with his wife, Bonita Friedericy, in "The 12 Dogs of Christmas." (Bonnie, by the way, appeared in "Regeneration.")

Of course, the theatre is still in his blood. Since moving to Los Angeles, John has worked with several companies — including A Noise Within and The Actors' Gang — appearing in classical and contemporary fare.

And since Enterprise went off the air two years ago, he has stayed a busy working actor. He had a recurring role in Prison Break and has appeared in Nip/Tuck, CSI:NY, Navy: NCIS, The Closer and Ghost Whisperer. You might have also seen him last December on the Sci-Fi Channel in Mark Altman's zombie flick "Dead & Deader" (which also featured Armin Shimerman).

Last year John landed what seemed to be a great gig — he was back in a principal primetime role when he joined the ensemble cast of The Nine in a plum timeslot on ABC. Sadly, despite very strong buzz, the show was pulled off the schedule after seven episodes (not helped by the fact that its lead-in, Lost, was losing ratings). At the time, the network promised it would try to air the remaining six episodes that had been shot later in the season, but at this point that doesn't appear forthcoming.

But John keeps moving on. He's involved in several film projects, one of which he previewed at the Grand Slam convention in Burbank last month (related story). "The Man from Earth" was the final script written by Jerome Bixby, who died in 1998. Bixby authored some of the most popular episodes of the Original Series including "Mirror, Mirror" and "Requiem for Methuselah," the latter which this movie shares a similar premise with. The producers of the film are hoping to get a theatrical release before it comes out on DVD, but either way we should get to see it before the end of the year.

Billingsley said he was attracted to the project because of its spiritual themes. "I thought it had some very, very interesting things to say about the nature of organized religion and the nature of the religious impulse," he said at the convention. "The Man from Earth" also features Richard Riehle, who played Phlox' friend "Jeremy Lucas" in "Cold Station 12," along with Tony Todd ("Kurn," etc.) and David Lee Smith ("Zahir"). You can learn more at www.manfromearth.com.

Also look for John soon in "Ripple Effect" starring Virginia Madsen ("Kellin" in "Unforgettable"), Forest Whitaker and Minnie Driver, with Denise Crosby also in the cast. It is currently in post-production. He is currently filming "American Summer," starring Matt Lillard and featuring George Takei. He's also got a couple of TV movies coming up: "Suspect" with Cyia Batten ("Navaar" in "Bound") and "The World According to Barnes."

Gifted with a wry sense of humor that he endowed his character Phlox with, John doesn't take himself too seriously and shares that humor with the fans. When he couldn't appear at the 2002 Las Vegas convention because he was in Florida shooting "Out of Time," he recorded and sent a video to the convention expressing his regrets for not being there. The video opened with a close-up shot of his face as he solemnly spoke about the rigors of his hectic shooting schedule. The camera then pulled back to reveal him floating in a swimming pool while sipping an exotic drink with a tiny umbrella; a perfect self-deprecating moment of mock movie-stardom.

We would like to wish John Billingsley a very Happy Birthday and extend our congratulations for all of the wonderful moments he's provided to Star Trek fans. And a particular thanks from STARTREK.COM for all his contributions to our site over the years.

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