Scott Stewart Bakula (/ˈbækjʊlə/; born October 9, 1954) is an American actor and director best known for his lead roles in two science-fiction television series: as Sam Beckett on Quantum Leap (for which he received four Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award), and as Captain Jonathan Archer on Star Trek: Enterprise.
Bakula starred on the comedy-drama series Men of a Certain Age, and guest-starred in seasons two and three of NBC's Chuck as the title character's father Stephen J. Bartowski. He guest starred on HBO's Looking as entrepreneur Lynn. In 2014, he began playing Special Agent Dwayne Cassius "King" Pride on NCIS: New Orleans.
Bakula was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Sally (née Zumwinkel) and J. Stewart Bakula, a lawyer. He has a younger brother and a younger sister. His surname comes from partial Czech ancestry. He attended Jefferson College, followed by the University of Kansas for a time, but left, saying: