The Best Star Trek Actor From Each State
By Jeremy Dick
M’Benga on Star Trek – from CBS
Virginia – Booker T. Bradshaw
Virginian actor Booker T. Bradshaw may have went to Harvard to pursue an English degree, but always held an interest in acting. A singer as well, Bradshaw started appearing on The Original Amateur Hour television series to perform. By the early 60s, he was given a full scholarship to go to England to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Later, Bradshaw would join Motown Records in Detroit, becoming its international manager. He would take care of the European tours of famous bands like The Temptations and The Supremes. But the acting bug still hadn’t escaped him, so he put some focus back into it. Bradshaw would then go on to appear in many different television shows and feature films.
When it comes to acting, Bradshaw’s best part is on the original Star Trek TV series. He plays Dr. M’Benga in two episodes of the show. As the doctor had done his medical internship on Vulcan, he was very familiar with the species. So when Spock was afflicted with a serious injury, M’Benga knew exactly that to do to take care of him. In another episode, he tries to make sense of the mysterious deaths of some Starfleet crew members.