Scott Bakula facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Scott Bakula
Bakula at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Scott Stewart Bakula (1954-10-09) October 9, 1954 (age 70) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1977–present
Spouse(s)	Krista Neumann ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1995)​ Chelsea Field ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	4

Scott Stewart Bakula (born October 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is famous for playing Dr. Sam Beckett in the science fiction TV show Quantum Leap. For this role, he won a Golden Globe Award.

Bakula also starred as Captain Jonathan Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise. From 2014 to 2021, he played Special Agent Dwayne Cassius "King" Pride in the series NCIS: New Orleans. He has also acted on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award, a major prize for theater actors.

Early life

Scott Bakula was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His father, Joseph Stewart Bakula, was a lawyer. Scott has a younger brother and a younger sister.

After high school, he went to Jefferson College and then the University of Kansas. However, he loved acting so much that he decided to leave college to join a national tour of the musical Godspell. He told his parents he wanted to try acting, and they supported his decision. The tour didn't happen, but this experience made him realize he wanted to be a professional actor. He decided to pack his bags and move to New York City to follow his dream.

Career

Starting on Stage

Bakula moved to New York City in 1976 to start his acting career. He first appeared on Broadway in 1982. In 1988, he starred in a Broadway musical called Romance/Romance. His performance was so good that he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

After his success on stage, he moved to Los Angeles to work in television. He appeared in a few TV shows, which helped him become more known as an actor.

Quantum Leap and Television Fame

Bakula at the Saturn Awards in 2012

In 1989, Bakula got the lead role in the science fiction series Quantum Leap. He played Dr. Sam Beckett, a scientist who travels through time. In each episode, he "leaps" into a different person's body to fix mistakes in the past. The show was very popular and ran for five seasons.

His role in Quantum Leap made him a star. He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards.

Star Trek and Other Roles

After Quantum Leap, Bakula continued to work in movies and television. He voiced the character Danny the cat in the animated movie Cats Don't Dance (1997). He also starred in the baseball movie Major League: Back to the Minors (1998).

From 2001 to 2005, Bakula played Captain Jonathan Archer on Star Trek: Enterprise. As the captain of the first starship Enterprise, he led humanity's first deep-space exploration mission. This role made him a well-known figure to Star Trek fans.

He later had a recurring role on the TV show Chuck as the main character's father. He also starred in the comedy-drama series Men of a Certain Age.

NCIS: New Orleans

In 2014, Bakula was cast as the star of NCIS: New Orleans. He played Dwayne Pride, the special agent in charge of the NCIS office in New Orleans. The show was a spin-off of the popular series NCIS. Bakula played this role for seven seasons, until the show ended in 2021.

Personal life

Bakula married Krista Neumann in 1981, and they had two children together. They divorced in 1995. In 2009, he married actress Chelsea Field. They have two children together.

Bakula is known for being a family man. While filming Quantum Leap, he was often away from home. He decided that for future jobs, he would make his family a priority. For example, his contract for Star Trek: Enterprise allowed him to have dinner with his family every Wednesday. While working on NCIS: New Orleans, he would fly home to Los Angeles every weekend to be with his wife and children.

Selected Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Scott Bakula para niños