Eric Menyuk - wikipedia Eric Menyuk Eric Menyuk ( 1959 - 11 - 05 ) November 5, 1959 ( age 58 ) Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. Alma mater Vassar College ( 1981 ) Loyola Law School ( 1998 ) Occupation Actor ( 1987 -- 98 ) Attorney ( 1998 -- present ) Years active 1987 - 2014 Spouse ( s ) Laurie Menyuk ; 2 children Website navlaw.net/eric-menyuk/ Eric Menyuk ( born November 5, 1959 ) is an American attorney and former actor. He gained renown 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. After retiring from his acting career, he retrained to become an attorney and represents children with disabilities and specializes in children 's education rights. Contents 1 Acting career 2 Personal life 3 Select filmography 3.1 Movies 3.2 TV guest appearances 4 Notes 5 Sources 6 External links Acting career Menyuk was in the running to play the android character Data in Star Trek : The Next Generation. A memo from John Pike to John Ferrard dated April 13, 1987, listed Menyuk as one of several actors who were in contention for the role, also including Mark Lindsay Chapman, Kevin Peter Hall and Kelvin Han Yee. Brent Spiner was eventually chosen for the role over Menyuk. He was subsequently cast in the role of the Traveler, first appearing in the first season in the episode `` Where No One Has Gone Before '' and returning in the fourth season episode `` Remember Me '' and season seven 's `` Journey 's End ''. In order 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 in order 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 would go out of his way during shooting to hide them. Following his appearances on Star Trek, he has appeared on the convention circuit, including Star Trek themed cruises on Carnival Cruise Lines. Personal life He is an attorney, having graduated from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, in 1998 after he retired from film and television. He and his wife Laurie have two children, a son and a daughter. Due to his son 's special needs he has moved into the field of law involving children 's education rights. He was admitted to the State Bar of California on July 12, 1998. He earned his undergraduate degree from Vassar College in 1981. Select filmography Movies Ghost Dad ( 1990 ) as Clinic Doctor Fearless ( 1993 ) as Sears Salesman The Air Up There ( 1994 ) as Mark Collins The Babysitter ( 1995 ) as Joe TV guest appearances Hill Street Blues as Carney ( 1 episode, 1987 ) The Betty Ford Story ( 1987 ) ( TV movie ) as Jake L.A. Law as Roland Burnet ( 2 episodes, 1987 -- 1989 ) Matlock as Al White ( 3 episodes, 1987 -- 1994 ) Star Trek : The Next Generation as The Traveler ( 3 episodes, 1987 -- 1994 ) Cheers as Larry the Mailman ( 1 episode, 1988 ) Falcon Crest as Dr. Peters ( 1 episode, 1989 ) thirtysomething as Man # 4 ( 1 episode, 1990 ) Jake and the Fatman ( 2 episodes, 1990 ) Married... with Children as Black Bob ( 2 episodes, 1990 -- 1993 ) Night Court as Pizza Guy ( 1 episode, 1991 ) Melrose Place as Physician ( 1 episode, 1993 ) University Hospital as Max Whistler ( 1 episode, 1995 ) Ellen as Jim Hogan ( 1 episode, 1996 ) Voice from the Grave ( 1996 ) ( TV movie ) as Nate Bradshaw Diagnosis : Murder as Peter ( 1 episode, 1996 ) L.A. Doctors as Dr. Daniel Dalsky ( 1 episode, 1998 ) Notes Jump up ^ `` Catching Up With The Traveler, Eric Menyuk ''. Jump up ^ Keller, Joe ( August 26, 2010 ). `` ' Star Trek : The Next Generation ' Casting Memo : Reggie Jackson as Geordi La Forge and More Goofiness ''. AOL TV. Retrieved November 25, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Star Trek : Las Vegas, Day 3 Recap ''. StarTrek.com. August 12, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2012. Jump up ^ Nemecek ( 2003 ) : p. 144 Jump up ^ Nemecek ( 2003 ) : p. 289 ^ Jump up to : `` Creation San Francisco Convention Recap - Day 1 ''. StarTrek.com. March 12, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2012. Jump up ^ Fox, Larry ; Radin Fox, Barbara ( March 24, 1996 ). `` An Overseas Lob ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2012. ( subscription required ) ^ Jump up to : `` Eric Menyuk ''. Newman Aaronson Vanaman. Retrieved November 25, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Eric Menyuk - # 199993 ''. The State Bar of California. Retrieved November 25, 2012. Sources Nemecek, Larry ( 2003 ). Star Trek : The Next Generation Companion ( 3rd ed. ). New York : Pocket Books. ISBN 0 - 7434 - 5798 - 6. External links Official website Eric Menyuk on IMDb Eric Menyuk at the TCM Movie Database Eric Menyuk at AllMovie Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Menyuk&oldid=836250125 '' Categories : Living people American male film actors American male television actors People from Brookline, Massachusetts Male actors from Massachusetts American lawyers Vassar College alumni Loyola Law School alumni 1959 births Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - only content Articles with hCards Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Edit links This page was last edited on 13 April 2018, at 16 : 10. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who played the traveler in star trek the next generation
Answer: Eric Menyuk