Happy 75th Birthday, Star Trek’s Dwight Schultz

Dwight Schultz (Reg Barclay and Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi, *Star Trek: the Next Generation* {image via Paramount}

Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Dwight Schultz is turning 75. He was born November 24, 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland. He is known for playing characters who start out as comic relief, but insist on having greater depth.

He first rose to fame as Captain H.M. (Howling Mad) Murdock in The A Team. Murdock was a Vietnam veteran with mental and emotional problems who exaggerated the extent of his insanity to get free room and board at a VA hospital. He was supposed to be in a locked unit, but his teammates broke him out whenever they needed a pilot for a caper.

Whilst co-starring with Whoopi Goldberg in The Long Walk Home (1990), he mentioned to her he’d love to appear on Star Trek. She, being a good friend, made it happen, and in 1990 he became Lt. Reginald Barclay, a shy bumbling lieutenant in engineering who preferred the Holodeck to real life. Nicknamed Broccoli by shipmates who failed to respect him, he quickly became a fan favorite. Between 1990 and 1994 he appeared in five episodes of Next Gen, and eventually reprised the role of Barclay on six episodes of Star Trek: Voyager and in the movie Star Trek: First Contact (1996).

Schultz proved his emotional depths and that he could be far more than comic relief in the poignant Child of Rage (1992), which some consider his best performance to date.

Voice Work

Dwight Schultz as Murdock, Dirk Benedict as Peck in *The A-Team* {image via NBC}

Dwight Schultz does a great deal of voice work for cartoons and video games. His voice work ranges from The Wild Thornberrys to Ninja scroll to Invader ZIM to Battlestar Galactica to Vampire Hunter D.

Other Sci-Fi Roles

In addition to Reg Barclay, the hypochondriac engineer, who shares Dr. McCoy’s fear of transporters, Schultz has appeared in Ben Ten as Dr. Animo, Babylon 5 as Amis, in Stargate SG:1 as the Keeper. He appeared in The Outer Limits as Leviticus Mitchell and costarred in the remake of The Lost World (1998) as Ned Malone, the same role Lloyd Hughes played in the 1925 original and David Hedison (Lee Crane in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea) played in the 1960 remake.

Personal Data

Dwight Schultz has been married to therapist Wendy Fulton since 1983. Before becoming a therapist, she was an actress (Jean Hackney in Knots Landing, Glenda in V, Maid Marian in Voyagers!). They have a daughter, Ava Schultz who proudly wears her country’s uniform. Ava serves in the United States Marine Corps.

Happy Birthday, Dwight Schultz, & Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

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Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.

Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.