Marina Sirtis is Counselor Deanna Troi, a half-human/half-alien (Betazoid) empath with the ability to read emotions and sense what is happening around her. "Deanna is also a very wise person with extensive knowledge of philosophy, psychology and different religions, and is called on to advise Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) in a variety of situations," says Marina.

During the show's fifth season hiatus, Marina ventured into her own new frontier: marriage. Marina wed musician Michael Lamper in a traditional Greek ceremony and the couple resides in Los Angeles.

Born in East London to Greek parents, and brought up in North London, Marina attended the Guild Hall School of Music and Drama. Shortly after graduation, she became a member of the Worthing Repertory Theatre, where she portrayed Ophelia in "Hamlet," among other classical roles.

Marina has worked extensively in British television, in musical theatre and in repertory companies throughout England and Europe. In addition to appearing in the feature film "The Wicked Lady" with Faye Dunaway, Marina revealed her considerable vocal talents in a European tour of the immensely popular "Rocky Horror Show." During the third season hiatus, Marina returned to England, where she filmed the feature "One Last Chance" for the BBC, which was shot on location in London and Windsor. As well, Marina played a cameo role in the soon-to-be released film "Waxwork II: Adventures in Time."

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" viewers do not hear Marina's English accent, but rather a combination of several different accents that she devised. "In the 24th century, geographical or nationalistic barriers are not so evident. The Earth as a planet is your country, your nationality.
I didn't want anyone to be able to pin down my accent to any particular country, and being good at accents, the producers trusted me to come up with something appropriate," she explains.

Sirtis on her favorite episode:

"My favorite episode is “Face of the Enemy” because it was not a "girlie" episode. Any one of the crew could have been transformed into a Romulan. Troi was chosen because she was an empath, not because she was female. The fans seem to agree. It was the highest-rated episode last season."