Anson Mount

Real World article
(written from a Production point of view)

Warning!
This page contains information regarding Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and thus may contain spoilers.

"I am humbled and deeply touched by this amount of love. I have NEVER received such gratitude. Please know that my own gratitude at having been given the opportunity to walk in Captain Pike’s boots is equaled only by that which I feel for the Trek family’s devotion. Seriously, thank you from the bottom of my heart."

– Anson Mount, on his reception by the fanbase as Christopher Pike (14 April 2019, Facebook)

Anson Adams Mount IV (born 25 February 1973; age 49) is an American actor who portrayed Captain Christopher Pike in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery, reprising his role for the second season of Star Trek: Short Treks, and as series lead in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

He is the fourth actor to portray Pike; the role originated by Jeffrey Hunter in the first Star Trek pilot, "The Cage", while Sean Kenney played a disfigured Pike in "The Menagerie, Parts I" and "2". Bruce Greenwood portrayed Pike's alternate reality counterpart in Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness.

Career

Before Star Trek

In 1999, he appeared in one episode each of Ally McBeal and Sex and the City (starring Kim Cattrall). In 2000, he had a role in the movie Boiler Room, starred as the title character in Tully and appeared in Urban Legends: Final Cut, which starred Jennifer Morrison and was directed by John Ottman. In 2002, he co-starred in the teenage coming-of-age film Crossroads, which also featured Kim Cattrall and Zoë Saldana in the cast. His other film credits include City by the Sea (2002), In Her Shoes (2005, with Norman Lloyd), All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006, with Michael Welch), Burning Palms (2010, with Zoë Saldana and Anson Williams), Straw Dogs (2011), and Supermacy (2014).

He also guested in episodes of television series like Smallville (with John Glover), CSI: Miami, J.J. Abrams' Lost (with Daniel Dae Kim and Terry O'Quinn), Law & Order, and Dollhouse. In 2000-01, he played a recurring role in Third Watch and in 2004-05, he co-starred in the short-lived series The Mountain.

Between 2011 and 2016, Mount starred in Hell on Wheels as Cullen Bohannon, opposite Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actor Colm Meaney and Discovery guest stars Christopher Heyerdahl, Jake Weber, and Chelah Horsdal. For the last few years of the series, he also served as one of its producers. In 2014, he starred in the video game, The Evil Within (with Daniel Riordan), and in 2015, he starred in horror film Visions (with John de Lancie and Gillian Jacobs). In 2017, he starred as Blackagar Boltagon / Black Bolt in the short-lived superhero series Inhumans (with Tom Wright).

After Star Trek

Between his appearances in Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Mount appeared in the 2021 film The Virtuoso, which also featured Diora Baird, and voiced Batman / Bruce Wayne in the animated film Injustice, released the same year, featuring the voices of Gillian Jacobs, Faran Tahir, and Fred Tatasciore. Mount also reprised his role as Black Bolt in the 2022 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which starred Benedict Cumberbatch and featured Patrick Stewart in the cast.