John de Lancie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John de Lancie
De Lancie at the 2023 GalaxyCon Raleigh
Born	John Sherwood de Lancie, Jr. (1948-03-20) March 20, 1948 (age 77) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Kent State University Juilliard School (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1976–present
Spouse(s)	Marnie Mosiman ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	2, including Keegan
Parent(s)	John de Lancie (father)

John de Lancie (born March 20, 1948) is an American actor. He is most famous for playing the character Q in the Star Trek TV shows. His role as Q started in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 and continued until Star Trek: Picard in 2023.

De Lancie also had roles in other TV series. These include Eugene Bradford in Days of Our Lives and Donald Margolis in Breaking Bad. He is also well-known for his voice acting. He voiced Discord in the popular animated series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. John de Lancie is also a public speaker who supports secular ideas.

Early Life and Education

John Sherwood de Lancie, Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 20, 1948. His father, also named John de Lancie, was a famous oboist for the Philadelphia Orchestra. His mother, Andrea, was French.

When he was a child, John de Lancie was diagnosed with dyslexia. This made reading very difficult for him in school. He didn't learn to read well until he was 12 years old. One of his teachers suggested that he try acting. He started acting at age 14 in a high school play.

He later studied acting at Kent State University. He was there during the Kent State shootings in 1970. He then won a scholarship to the Juilliard School, a famous performing arts school. After his studies, he had a successful career in theater, film, and television.

Acting Adventures

Star Trek's Q Character

De Lancie performing in 2007

John de Lancie is widely known for playing Q in the Star Trek universe. Q is a very powerful character who can do almost anything. He is known for being mischievous and causing trouble. Q is one of the few characters who appears in many different Star Trek shows.

He was in eight episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Later, he voiced Q in Star Trek: Lower Decks. His own son, Keegan de Lancie, even played Q Junior in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager.

At first, John de Lancie was too busy to audition for the role of Q. But Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, made sure he got another chance. De Lancie has said that even though Star Trek was just one part of his career, it opened many doors for him. In 2021, it was announced that he would return as Q in the second season of Star Trek: Picard. He appeared in several episodes of seasons two and three.

Voice Acting Roles

John de Lancie has a very unique voice. This has made him a popular voice actor for many projects. In My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, he voiced Discord. Discord is a powerful character who loves chaos and mischief. He is similar to Q in some ways, but he is also good-hearted.

The creators of My Little Pony originally wanted someone who could sound like de Lancie. But the company, Hasbro, suggested they just hire de Lancie himself. Interestingly, de Lancie said he didn't try to sound like Q when he voiced Discord. Fans really loved his performance as Discord.

He has also voiced characters in other animated shows. These include The Angry Beavers, Invader Zim, Duck Dodgers, and Young Justice. He also voiced Mr. Freeze in DC Super Hero Girls.

Video Game Voices

De Lancie has lent his voice to many video games. He voiced Antonio Malochio in Interstate '76 and Trias in Planescape: Torment. He was also Dr. Death in Outlaws.

He played William Miles in Assassin's Creed: Revelations and Assassin's Creed III. He also voiced Fitz Quadwrangle in Quantum Conundrum. Of course, he voiced Q in the Star Trek: The Next Generation pinball game and the mobile game Star Trek Timelines. He also played Q in Star Trek: Borg.

More recently, he voiced Alarak in StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void. He also voiced Geist in the XCOM 2 expansion War of the Chosen. In 2024, he voiced the Ringmaster in the game Dota 2.

Stage Performances

John de Lancie has a strong background in theater. He was part of groups like the American Shakespeare Festival. He has performed and directed plays for Los Angeles Theater Works. This group produces radio dramas for National Public Radio.

He also co-hosted a touring show called Star Trek: The Music with actor Robert Picardo. They would narrate stories about Star Trek music while an orchestra played. De Lancie has also hosted children's concerts for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Writing and Music

De Lancie has also written books. He co-wrote the Star Trek novel I, Q with Peter David. He also co-wrote the novel Soldier of Light. In 1996, he helped create Alien Voices. This was a series of audio dramas based on classic science fiction stories.

He has narrated for many major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic. He also wrote and directed symphonic plays. In 2006, he directed his first opera, "Tosca".

Documentary Work

In 2012, John de Lancie announced he was making a documentary about "bronies". These are older fans, often male, of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. He felt that news media often showed these fans in a disrespectful way.

He started a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the documentary. It was called Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony. The campaign was very successful, raising over $322,000.

Personal Life

John de Lancie is married to Marnie Mosiman. They have two sons, Keegan (born 1984) and another son (born 1987).

He enjoys sailing on the Pacific Ocean. He has said that sailing can sometimes be very exciting and even a little scary.

He is good friends with other actors. These include Kate Mulgrew from Star Trek and Richard Dean Anderson from MacGyver and Stargate SG-1.

Secular Activism

John de Lancie was raised by parents who did not follow a specific religion. He is a strong supporter of atheism and humanism. He believes in looking at the world through science and reason.

In 2016, he spoke at the Reason Rally in Washington, D.C.. He talked about how humans create gods. He said that he, as Q, was created by writers. He explained that many gods throughout history were created by people. He encouraged people to think for themselves and not blindly believe.

In 2017, he attended the unveiling of a statue of Clarence Darrow. Darrow was a lawyer who argued for teaching evolution in schools. In 2019, de Lancie announced two new projects. One is an animated series called God's Goofs. The other is a play about the 2005 trial in Dover, Pennsylvania. This trial challenged the teaching of intelligent design in public schools.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Podcast series

Images for kids

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  De Lancie speaking at CSICon 2019

See also

In Spanish: John de Lancie para niños