James G. Becker

James G. Becker was a former background actor who appeared as the Starfleet officer known behind the scenes as Ensign Youngblood on the first through third seasons of . He also worked as one of the stand-ins for Jonathan Frakes on the series.
Hailing from a small farming community in Naperville, Illinois, and moving to Oswego, Illinois during his early years, Becker was on the road to becoming a farmer like his father, majoring in Agricultural Economics at the University of Illinois. After two years, however, he decided that, while he enjoyed farming, it was not something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He returned home to Oswego and, with his parents' blessing, took a construction job while saving money and contemplating what to do with his life. Fascinated with television (which did include ), he ultimately decided to move to Los Angeles and try his luck in Hollywood.
Once in Los Angeles, Becker began taking acting classes. About six months later, a friend introduced him to Les Landau, the First Assistant Director for TNG. Soon, Becker found himself on the set of The Next Generations pilot episode, , as one of many background performers in the mall scene of Farpoint Station. The following week of filming the pilot, he was on the set of the bridge in a science blue Starfleet uniform. Although his character never received an official name, his cast and crewmates referred to him as "Ensign Youngblood" – "an affectionate tribute to the way Becker's personality shines clean and fresh."
Becker's determination had also shown through. Even when he wasn't working, Becker was still on the set observing and learning about the many intricacies of television production, including direction, lighting and photography. After filming on the pilot was finished, Becker asked Landau to allow him to become an occasional stand-in, which he permitted. A few weeks later, Becker's devotion and willingness to learn led to his becoming a stand-in for Jonathan Frakes and filming scenes with the regular actors. ()
After "Encounter at Farpoint", Becker went on to appear as Youngblood in 40 episodes of The Next Generation. During the third season, Becker decided to return to Illinois and resume college at the University of Minnesota where he earned his Bachelors Degree. Among his last episodes was , directed by Jonathan Frakes. As a parting gift, Frakes gave Becker his first and only word of dialogue – "Gentlemen" – as well his first and only on-screen credit.
Becker reprised his role of Youngblood for the final Webster episode "Webtrek", filmed in during The Next Generations second season. He shared the scenes filmed on the bridge set with Lorine Mendell, Dexter Clay, and Michael Dorn.
In 1989, he first met his future wife, Tamara Harle, and the couple married on 29 June 1991 at the Evangelical Free Church in Britt, Iowa. They had three children: Collin, Mallory, and Gavin.
Becker later settled in Britt, Iowa where he became a State Farm Insurance agent and a high school assistant boys basketball coach for West Hancock High School. He passed away on 5 December 2014 at the age of 48 at Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona, Iowa following a car accident. 
== Appearances ==
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== External links ==
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de:James G. Becker
es:James G. Becker
Category:Performers
Category:TNG performers
Category:Stand-ins