Victor Garber (born 16 March 1949; age 75) is a Tony Award- and Emmy Award-nominated actor who filmed a role as a Klingon interrogator for Star Trek, directed by J.J. Abrams. His scene was cut from the final release, but is available on the DVD and Blu-ray release of the film.[1] He is perhaps best known for his role Sydney Bristow's father, Jack, in Abrams' Alias. He played the role for all five seasons of the show, receiving three Emmy Award nominations as well as a Saturn Award and a Satellite Award.
In early 1972 Garber was cast in the lead role of Jesus in a Toronto production of the musical Godspell, along with Andrea Martin. Garber was possibly the most experienced member of that production's cast, having already starred in a number of theatrical musical productions. [2] Garber reprised his role for 1973 film adaptation of Godspell, which marked his film debut.
On Broadway, Garber performed in a 1973 off-Broadway production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts, which won him the 1973 Theatre World Award. He later performed in the original productions of Deathtrap, Sweeney Todd (starring Len Cariou in the title role), and Noises Off. He shared the 1984 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Ensemble Work for his work in the latter, and received his first Tony nomination for Deathtrap. He earned Tony nominations for his performances in revivals of Little Me and Damn Yankees (co-starring Bebe Neuwirth) and the original production of Lend Me a Tenor (which co-starred Caroline Lagerfelt). Garber was also nominated for the 1987 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor in a Play for a revival of You Never Can Tell, working with Stephen McHattie.
Garber made his Canadian television debut in 1974 playing the title role in Jack: A Flash Fantasy, directed by Robert Iscove. His American TV debut came the following year with NBC's Valley Forge (1975). In 1985, Garber was the star of CBS' I Had Three Wives. The following year, he co-starred with Warren Stevens and Kenneth Tobey in a segment of The Twilight Zone, written by David Gerrold. Following brief stints as a regular on Guiding Light and The Days and Nights of Molly Todd, he played the title role in the 1988 CBS movie Liberace: Behind the Music, opposite Saul Rubinek.
From 1991 through 1994 Garber starred in the Canadian television series E.N.G.. During his time on this show Garber starred in the TV movie The First Circle (1992), receiving a Gemini Award nomination for his performance and working with fellow Star Trek film actors F. Murray Abraham and Christopher Plummer. Garber was also nominated by the Gemini Awards for his role in the 1993 Canadian TV movie Dieppe and for his lead role in the 1999 film External Affairs.
In 1993 Garber appeared in CBS' Alex Haley's Queen along with Madge Sinclair and Paul Winfield. Garber again worked with Saul Rubinek, as well as Star Trek co-star Bruce Greenwood, in the NBC movie Woman on the Run: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story (1993). Garber's subsequent TV movie credits include Cinderella (1997, directed by Robert Iscove and co-starring Jason Alexander and Whoopi Goldberg) and Annie (1999, starring Kathy Bates).
Some of Garber's early feature film credits include Light Sleeper (1992, with David Clennon), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Exotica (1994, with Bruce Greenwood and Mia Kirshner), Jeffrey (1995, co-starring Steven Weber, Ethan Phillips, and Patrick Stewart), and The First Wives Club (1996). He worked with Star Trek: The Motion Picture actor Stephen Collins on the latter film, and both Garber and Collins shared a National Board of Review Award along with their co-stars for Best Acting by an Ensemble.
Perhaps Garber's most well-known film role is that of Thomas Andrews, the man who spearheaded the building of the RMS Titanic, in Titanic (1995, with fellow Trek movie actor David Warner). For their work in Titanic, Garber, Warner, and their co-stars were nominated by the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast.
Garber's subsequent film credits include How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998, starring Angela Bassett, with Whoopi Goldberg), Legally Blonde (2001), and Tuck Everlasting (2002). He also worked with Raphael Sbarge in the 2002 film Home Room, with Garber and Sbarge playing a pair of detectives. Garber later portrayed Mayor George Moscone in Milk (2008) .
In 2001 Garber earned two Emmy Award nominations: one for his role as Sidney Luft in Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, and another for a guest appearance on Frasier (starring Kelsey Grammer). After Alias ended, Garber starred in Justice. He also made an appearance on Ugly Betty with John Cho, Alan Dale, Tony Plana, and Vanessa Williams. Garber starred as Jordan Wethersby on Eli Stone, from 2008 through 2009. He also had a recurring role on Glee.
Since 2014, Garber has played Professor Martin Stein, one half of the superhero Firestorm, on The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. He has also appeared in the semi-recurring role of Admiral Halsey on Seth MacFarlane's The Orville, also featuring Brian George and Penny Johnson. From 2021, Garber began co-starring on Family Law, starring Jewel Staite.