Eric Menyuk

November 05, 1959

Eric Menyuk is an American attorney and former actor. He is best known for his brief appearances in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation as the Traveler. He was originally considered for the role of the android Data, which was eventually given to Brent Spiner. To portray the character, he had to undergo a three-hour make-up process on each day of shooting, including prosthetics applied to his face and to both hands to reduce the number of fingers shown. He later remarked that although he respected the work of Michael Westmore, he disliked the prosthetics on his hands and went out of his way during shooting to hide them.[6] Following his appearances on Star Trek, he has appeared on the convention circuit,[6] including Star Trek-themed cruises on Carnival Cruise Lines. After retiring from his acting career, he retrained to become an attorney and represents children with disabilities and specializes in children's education rights.