Memory Alpha
Register
Advertisement
Memory Alpha
Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

Laurence Luckinbill (born 21 November 1934; age 89) is the Tony Award-nominated actor who played the role of Sybok in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Luckinbill was not the first choice to play Sybok, however. The producers originally wanted actor Sean Connery for the role, but when he was found to be busy shooting Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the role went to Luckinbill.

Hailing from Fort Smith, Arkansas, Luckinbill is married to Lucie Arnaz and therefore the son-in-law of legendary comic couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Ball and Arnaz founded Desilu Studios, the company that originally produced Star Trek: The Original Series. Famed for his Sybok catch-line "Let me take your pain," his wife once jokingly remarked, "I wish he could've said that while I was having his three kids!" [1](X)

Luckinbill has performed in Broadway productions such as A Man for All Seasons (1963, with Roger C. Carmel), Tartuffe (1965, co-starring Graham Jarvis and Salome Jens), Poor Murderer (1976-77), and Chapter Two (1978-79). More recently, he played Herr Schultz in the revival of Cabaret during the summer of 1999. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in the 1977 play The Shadow Box and also received a 1999 Drama Desk Award for his one-man play, Clarence Darrow Tonight!.

Although primarily a stage actor, Luckinbill has made several appearances in film and television. Luckinbill, like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan actress Bibi Besch, began his television acting career as a regular on the soap opera The Secret Storm during the 1967-68 season. That show also featured Star Trek: The Original Series/Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest actor John Colicos in the cast. Since then, his TV credits have included four guest appearances on Murder, She Wrote, although never as the same character. One of the episodes he starred in, "Murder Through the Looking Glass", also featured Deep Space Nine guest actors Cliff DeYoung and Gregory Sierra. In another episode, "Dear Deadly", he starred with regular Deep Space Nine guest star Casey Biggs and one time Deep Space Nine guest star Daphne Ashbrook.

Luckinbill and Besch later co-starred in the 1979 film The Promise, also starring Star Trek: The Motion Picture actor Stephen Collins. Other films featuring Luckinbill include The Boys in the Band (1970), Messenger of Death (1988), and Cocktail co-starring Star Trek: Voyager guest star Justin Louis (also 1988). Star Trek V is his last feature film role to date.

External links[]

Advertisement