Laurence George Luckinbill (born November 21, 1934) is an American actor, playwright and director. He has worked in film, television and theatre, doing triple duty in the theatre by writing, directing and starring in stage productions. He is known for penning and starring in one-man shows based upon the lives of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt, author Ernest Hemingway, and American defense attorney Clarence Darrow; starring in a one-man show based upon the life of U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson; and for his portrayal of Spock's half-brother Sybok in the film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
Personal life
Luckinbill was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the son of Agnes (née Nulph) and Laurence Benedict Luckinbill. He is the uncle of film directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski, the children of his sister, Lynne. He is Roman Catholic.
He attended Fort Smith Junior College from 1951 to 1952, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Arkansas in 1956, received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Catholic University of America in 1958, attended New York University in 1980, and studied acting at HB Studio in New York City.
He is married to actress Lucie Arnaz, daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. They have three children together: Simon, Joseph and Katharine. Arnaz and Luckinbill have toured together in theatrical productions such as They're Playing Our Song.
Career
On television, he started out with roles on the American soap operas Where the Heart Is and The Secret Storm. He starred as espionage agent Glenn Garth Gregory in the 1972–1973 ABC dramatic television series The Delphi Bureau. One production was at the LBJ Museum in Austin, Texas, where Lady Bird Johnson was among attendees.
He appeared in the drama film The Boys in the Band (1970), reprising the role of Hank, which he originated on stage. He portrayed Spock's half-brother Sybok in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). William Shatner discovered Luckinbill by chance by channel-surfing late one night and seeing him perform as Johnson. When Shatner called to offer him the role, Luckinbill accepted immediately.
Other film appearances include Such Good Friends (1971), The Promise (1979) and Cocktail (1988). He also narrated the documentary Moonwalk One (1971). In the early 1970s, Luckinbill was the commercial spokesperson for Trans World Airlines (TWA), appearing in several television commercials for the United States airline.
Partial filmography
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1970 || The Boys in the Band || Hank ||
|-
| 1971 || Such Good Friends || Richard ||
|-
| 1972–1973 || The Delphi Bureau || Glenn Garth Gregory || 9 episodes
|-
| 1972 || Corky || Wayne Nesbitt ||
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1974 || Death Sentence || Don Davies || ABC Movie of the Week
|-
| Harry O || Father Paul Vecchio || 1 episode: Mortal Sin
|-
| 1976 || The Money || Richard Banks ||
|-
| 1978 || Columbo || Mark McAndrews || Season 7, episode 3
|-
| 1979 || The Promise || Dr. Peter Gregson ||
|-
| 1982 ||One More Try||Adam Margolin||unsold pilot
|-
| 1984 || Not for Publication || Mayor Franklyn ||
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1988 || Cocktail || Mr. Mooney ||
|-
| Messenger of Death || Homer Foxx ||
|-
| 1989 || Star Trek V: The Final Frontier || Sybok ||
|-
| 1999 || Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War || William McKinley (voice) || Television documentary film
|}