Marina Sirtis
Marina Sirtis is the voice actress for Demona on Gargoyles.
Marina Sirtis was the first actor to audition for Demona, the first actor to audition for the series, and right at that moment, Greg Weisman and Jamie Thomason knew that they had their Demona.
At CONvergence 2014, when asked by a Gargoyles fan about how she approached the role of Demona, Marina Sirtis noted that one of the reasons she identifies with Demona is that she's a very "in the now" person, who doesn't really engage in worrying about the future. Demona, as Sirtis puts it, rather HAS to live "in the now," simply to function. Genuine, honest self-reflection on her past and future would pretty much destroy her. [1]
She also likes to throw jolly ranchers at Greg Weisman
Biography
Marina Sirtis gained worldwide acclaim as the sexy and cerebral Deanna Troi of the successful Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series and Star Trek feature films. Over the life of the role, Marina skillfully transformed the popular character from reserved beauty to delicious diva by inserting her own trademark wit and comedic timing.
Marina's dramatic and comedic range has since created opportunities on the stage, television, and feature films far beyond the Star Trek franchise.
Her feature films include the Academy Award-winning Best Picture Crash for which she received a SAG Award (Ensemble). On the small screen, she starred as "Queen Wealhteow" in the Sci-Fi Channel's movie Grendel as well as numerous guest-starring appearances on shows like Without A Trace, Girlfriends, The Closer and the UK's Hobie City.
Marina was born in London, England to Greek parents who initially did not want her to become an actress. After high school, she secretly applied to the prestigious Guild Hall School of Music and Drama. After graduating, Marina earned her acting chops performing on British television and stage. In 1986, Marina moved to Los Angeles hoping to make her mark in American film and television.
After six months, Marina was ready to call it quits and head back to the UK. Legendary Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry would change her mind. He was casting for Star Trek: The Next Generation. After what she thought was a terrible audition, and just moments before boarding a plane for London, Marina got the call that would launch her career. Producers wanted her for the role of Deanna Troi.
Gargoyles fans know her as the voice Demona. She also provided the voice of Margot Yale and the voice of the Gorlois for the never-completed Disney's Team Atlantis episode, "The Last".
Marina also provided the voices of Queen Bee in the animated series Young Justice (produced by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman) and Hurricane Julia in the audio-play adaptation of Rain of the Ghosts.
Roles on Gargoyles
- Demona
- Margot Yale
- Herself (Behind the scenes featurette of the VHS Gargoyles The Movie: The Heroes Awaken.)
Trivia
- Greg Weisman and Marina Sirtis both have different stories on how the latter was cast in the role. According to Weisman, Sirtis was the first actor to read for Demona (as well as the first actor to audition period) and she nailed it right then and there. Marina, on the other hand claims that she had to read and audition for the role several times before it was given to her. She has always said that she auditioned originally for the role of Elisa Maza.
- Had The Spectacular Spider-Man received a third season, Greg Weisman had planned to cast Marina as Emily Osborn.
- She is an avowed supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and has their logo tattooed on her left shoulder.
- On the Gargoyles fandom, "I have people come to me who don’t even know Star Trek, who are Gargoyles fans. They’re like, 'Oh my god, you’re Demona.' Dressing up to be Deanna Troi is complicated, but dressing up as a Demona… I mean, I’ve had people come up to me at conventions as Demona, with the wings and the claws and the feet and everything. That’s dedication. That is like, boy, have you got too much time on your hands if you’ve got the time to do this. It’s unbelievable. It really is. I actually feel quite honored that I’m in two franchises that meant a lot to a lot of people." [4]
See Also
- Marina Sirtis at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
- Marina Sirtis at the Internet Movie Database
