Scott Bakula Scott Stewart Bakula is the acclaimed actor who portrayed Jonathan Archer , the captain of , on . Before " Enterprise " , Bakula gained fame for starring on another science fiction series , the highly successful ( 1989 - 1993 ) . For his performance as Dr . Sam Beckett on this series , Bakula received four Emmy Award nominations as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series . He also won the Golden Globe for the role . He directed three episodes of the series . His co - star in the series , Dean Stockwell , went on to appear alongside Bakula once again in the " Enterprise " episode . Biography . Born in St . Louis , Missouri , Bakula performed his first acting role in a musical , as the title character in the First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood ' s production of Menotti ' s " Amahl and the Night Visitors " . He went on to attend Kirkwood High School in Missouri . He became involved in multiple theatrical productions in Missouri , including the lead in " Man of La Mancha " , a role he later reprised in the " Quantum Leap " episode " Catch a Falling Star " . Prior to joining the world of Hollywood , Bakula starred on Broadway in many plays and musicals , the most prominent of which were " Romance , Romance " , " Marilyn , An American Fable " , " Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down " , " Philadelphia Chickens " , and " Cabaret " . His earliest Broadway experience , however , was as an understudy in the musical " Is There Life After High School " , which featured future " Enterprise " co - star Harry Groener as a performer . Bakula went on to attend the and graduated with a degree in theater . Bakula ' s first marriage was to stage actress Krista Neumann in 1981 . They had one child together , a daughter named Chelsy ( born in 1984 ) . They also adopted a son , named Cody . The two divorced in 1995 . The following year , Bakula married model and actress Chelsea Field ( who was among the actresses to audition for the role of Kathryn Janeway on ) . They have had two children together , Wil ( born in 1995 ) and Owen ( born in 1999 ) . Early career . Bakula first appeared to television audiences as the star of the sci - fi / family TV movie " I - Man " in 1986 . This movie was directed by and " " director Corey Allen and co - starred TNG guest actress Ellen Bry . Bakula reunited with Allen for two more TV movies the following year : " The Last Fling " and " Infiltrator " . Later in 1986 , Bakula had the lead role in the short - lived sitcom " Gung Ho " , which co - starred fellow " Trek " alumni Clint Howard and Patti Yasutake . Also in 1986 , Bakula appeared in the first episode of the sitcom " Designing Women " , playing Dr . Ted Shively . He reprised the role of Shively in several more episodes between 1987 and 1988 . Among his co - stars on this series was actress Julie Cobb . In 1987 , Bakula and Gregory Itzin both guest - starred in a two - hour special episode of " Matlock " entitled " The Power Brokers " . The following year , Bakula was again given the lead role in a sitcom , this time " Eisenhower & Lutz " on CBS . Like " Gung Ho " , however , this series was also canceled during its first season . Leap to stardom . The following year , Bakula starred in his first successful series , " Quantum Leap " . With this series , Bakula not only shot to stardom , he achieved cult status and became a household name , as well . Bakula was quick to follow on his success by breaking into feature film while " Quantum Leap " was still in production . He made his film debut in 1990 , playing Kirstie Alley ' s husband in the comedy " Sibling Rivalry " . The following year , he starred in the football movie " Necessary Roughness " . In 1992 , he returned to TV movies , co - starring with Miguel Ferrer in the crime drama " In the Shadow of a Killer " . Despite its popularity and success , " Quantum Leap " was canceled in 1993 after five seasons . Among the other " Star Trek " performers he co - starred with throughout the series were Marc Alaimo , Dan Butler , Terry Farrell , Meg Foster , Anne Haney , Teri Hatcher , Richard Herd , Bruce McGill , Kate McNeil , Robert Duncan McNeill , Robert Pine , Richard Riehle , Charles Rocket , Raphael Sbarge , William Schallert , J . G . Hertzler , Brian George , Alan Scarfe and Dwight Schultz . Later career . Following " Quantum Leap " s end in 1993 , Bakula began playing the recurring role of reporter Peter Hunt in the popular CBS television series " Murphy Brown " . His character , which he played fourteen times between 1993 and 1996 , was also an occasional love interest for the title character , played by Candice Bergen . Bakula continued working in feature films . He co - starred with his future wife Chelsea Field in the 1994 thriller " A Passion to Kill " . France Nuyen , who played the title role in the " " episode , also starred in this film . That same year , Bakula had a small but pivotal role in the thriller " Color of Night " , co - starring Brad Dourif , Jeff Corey , and Erick Avari . In 1995 , Bakula made an appearance in the film " My Family " ( which featured Bibi Besch and Bruce Gray as a married couple ) and starred in Clive Barker ' s 1995 horror - thriller " Lord of Illusions " , in which he co - starred with TNG guest performers Famke Janssen and Vincent Schiavelli . He also starred in the science fiction TV movie " The Invaders " , a revival of the classic 1960s series of the same name . The following year , Bakula was once again given the lead role in a television series , starring as Mr . Smith on " Mr . & Mrs . Smith " . But the series was canceled after only one season , and Bakula returned to TV movies and feature films . Bakula lent his voice to the main character of the 1997 animated musical feature , " Cats Don ' t Dance " . Also lending their voices to the film were Lindsay Ridgeway , Frank Welker , John Rhys - Davies , and " Star Trek : Deep Space Nine " star Rene Auberjonois . Bakula then co - starred with Corbin Bernsen in the 1998 " Major League " sequel , " Back to the Minors " before playing a gay man in the acclaimed 1999 drama " American Beauty " . This latter film later won five Academy Awards , including Best Picture . Bakula next co - starred with Ron Perlman , John Schuck , and David Graf in the 2000 TV movie " The Trial of Old Drum " . That same year , he co - starred with star Robert Beltran in the romantic comedy " Luminarias " . In 2001 , he had a role in the TV mini - series " A Girl Thing " . This series co - starred actor Bruce Greenwood and TNG star Brent Spiner , the latter of whom Bakula would work with again in the " Enterprise " episodes , , and . Bakula also had a role in the acclaimed 2001 film " Life as a House " . " Enterprise " and " Star Trek " . In 2001 , Bakula was cast in the role of Captain Jonathan Archer for the fifth live - action " Star Trek " series , " Enterprise " . A fan of the original " Star Trek " series , Bakula was thrilled with the assignment . On " Enterprise " , Bakula enjoyed a more leisurely schedule than he had while filming " Quantum Leap " since he was not required to carry the show primarily by himself . Describing how producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga sold him on playing the role of a " Star Trek " captain , Bakula stated , " " They talked about going back to a feeling of more of the Kirk , Spock , Bones relationship on board . . . [ It would be ] more about the relationship between the crew , and the captain , and his officers , as opposed to a relationship to the universe . And that , right away , was very appealing to me . " " Bakula appeared in all 98 episodes of the series , which lasted four seasons from through , when it was canceled due to low ratings . He and co - star Jolene Blalock were the last members of the main cast to be released following the end of principal photography on the final episode , on . In August 2006 , Bakula attended his first " Star Trek " convention , namely Creation ' s celebration of " Trek " s 40th anniversary in Las Vegas . Bakula reprised the role of Jonathan Archer , albeit in voice only , for the video game " " . The game also features the voices of the four other captains of the " Star Trek " universe – William Shatner , Patrick Stewart , Avery Brooks , and Kate Mulgrew . Several costumes and accessories worn by Bakula during the run of " Enterprise " were sold off on the It ' s A Wrap ! sale and auction on eBay , including a desert gear lot and a pair of boots . On , Bakula and fellow SAG actor announced the winners for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series and for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture during the pre - award show . won the latter award . Recent projects . Following the cancellation of " Enterprise " , Bakula returned to the stage to star as Virginia farmer Charles Anderson in a revival of the Civil War production " Shenandoah " . The play was performed at the historic Ford ' s Theatre in Washington , DC from 22 March through 30 April 2006 . Although " Shenandoah " was no longer in production , Bakula still had the long hair that he grew for his role in the play when he appeared at the Creation ' s " Trek " convention in Las Vegas . In 2006 , Bakula guest - starred on the television comedy series " The New Adventures of Old Christine " , playing the one - time boyfriend of the lead character , Christine ( played by Julia Louis - Dreyfus ) . The twist is that Bakula ' s character , Jeff , is Christine ' s ex - husband ' s new girlfriend ' s father . Bakula made a return appearance on the show in 2009 . Bakula also starred in the 2007 Lifetime movie " Blue Smoke " , directed by David Carson . He then appeared in an episode of the Comedy Central series " American Body Shop " as " a drunk , womanizing , one - legged Scott Bakula impersonator " . Bakula starred in a revival of the Broadway musical " No Strings " at UCLA ' s Ralph Freud Playhouse . The play ran from 8 to 20 May 2007 . Afterward , he starred in the world premiere production of Jane Anderson ' s " Quality of Life " , which ran at LA ' s Geffen Playhouse from 2 October through 18 November 2007 . In December 2007 , Bakula guest - starred on " Boston Legal " , the hit ABC series starring William Shatner and John Larroquette . The episode , entitled " Glow in the Dark , " aired on 12 February 2008 . Although Bakula did not share any scenes with Shatner ( and didn ' t even meet him on the set ) , he did work with Larroquette and reunited with his " Murphy Brown " co - star , Candice Bergen . Bakula joins an already long list of " Star Trek " performers to appear on " Boston Legal " ; in addition to Shatner and Larroquette , the series previously featured the likes of Rene Auberjonois , Michelle Forbes , Ethan Phillips , Jeri Ryan and Armin Shimerman . Bakula had a benefit cabaret event in January 2008 for the Ford ' s Theatre in Washington D . C . entitled " A Cabaret Evening With Scott Bakula and Friends . " Bakula more recently sang and danced in the lead role of Tony Hunter in " Dancing in the Dark " , a stage musical based on the movie " Band Wagon " , at The Old Globe Theater in San Diego , California . The sold out event ran from 15 March 2008 to 20 April . The producers of the show hope to take it to Broadway in about a year . In April 2008 Bakula appeared as a recurring character in the " office affair " segments of Tracey Ullman ' s new Showtime series " State Of The Union " . In early 2009 , Bakula was seen in a three - episode arc on the NBC series " Chuck " , in which he portrayed the estranged father of the main protagonist , Chuck Bartowski . Two of Bakula ' s episodes ( the first and the third ) were directed by alum Robert Duncan McNeill , who is also a producer on the show . Bonita Friedericy , the wife of Bakula ' s " Enterprise " co - star John Billingsley who herself appeared on " Enterprise " , is a main cast member on " Chuck " . Bakula had the second lead role opposite Matt Damon in , a dark comedy / espionage thriller directed by . In this film , Bakula played FBI Agent Brian Shepherd , who teams up with Damon ' s biochemist character to expose an international price - fixing scheme . Bakula next starred in the ongoing drama on TNT entitled , in which he plays Terry , who is described as a handsome , intelligent actor struggling to make it in the business . On July 15 , 2011 , TNT cancelled the series after two seasons . Despite its short run the series did win a Peabody Award in 2010 . " Men of a Certain Age " marked Bakula ' s first time as a TV series regular since " Star Trek : Enterprise " was canceled in 2005 . In 2012 , Bakula guest starred in six episodes ( including the series finale ) of " Desperate Housewives " , appearing alongside Teri Hatcher , Vanessa Williams , and Brenda Strong , joining a large number of " Star Trek " alumni who appeared in the series during its eight - season run . 2013 saw Bakula taking on the role of Bob Black , the gay man who introduced to , in the HBO film , based on Thorson ' s memoir of the same name . In 2014 and 2015 Bakula could be seen on the HBO series " Looking " as the recurring character Lynn , a handsome entrepreneur and romantic interest for one of the series three leads . In February 2014 it was announced that Bakula would star as Special Agent Dwayne Cassius Pride in the CBS " NCIS " spin - off series located in New Orleans . The series started to shoot that February and was launched through an episode of " NCIS " , with the series itself premiering in September 2014 . One of his co - stars for the first two seasons was Zoe McLellan . A first season episode featured Dean Stockwell .