Written By: Michael D. McClellan |

Quick Q & A: Veteran actor Tim Russ sits down with Michael D. McClellan to talk about his iconic role as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager, playing Principal Franklin on iCarly, and what it’s like interacting with Trekkies the world over!

BRIEF BIO: Tim Russ has been working as an actor, director and musician for the past thirty-five years. His talents encompass a wide spectrum of the performing arts including composing, musical performances, writing, producing, directing, and voice-over. His acting credits include; Live Free or Die Hard, The People Next Door, Star Trek: Voyager, Samantha Who, and iCarly.

Tim’s music can currently be found on www.cdbaby.com and iTunes, and he performs regularly in Los Angeles with his band. As a producer, Tim headed up a number of projects including the feature film, East of Hope Street, and an award-winning children’s book/audio CD entitled, Bugsters, published by Wood’s N’ Water Press.

Mr. Russ has also entered the TV/Film directing arena with credits including, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Renegades, The FBI Files, and the feature films, Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, and Night at the Silent Movie Theater. His resume also includes the award-winning web series, Bloomers.

Tim also received an Emmy Award for directing of several commercials for the FBI. You can check out all of his credits on IMDb.

Star Trek is one of the most iconic franchises in the history of television and film. What you have enjoyed the most about being a part of this franchise?

Well, it’s been a big boost for my career as work goes.  I am able to get into more doors for other projects than I could before the role on Trek.  Mostly I am touched by the impact my role on the show had on people in their personal lives.

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What was your childhood like?

I was raised in an Air Force family, for 20 years. So, we moved around a lot. I became interested in theater in high school performing in plays, and taking classes, and then studied acting in college for 5 years.

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As a fan of Star Trek growing up, what was it like for you to land that first role, as Devor, in Star Trek: The Next Generation?

Well, truth be told, I was only familiar with Trek because that was one of the few shows we had to watch on TV. There were only 3 channels back then, and it aired repeatedly for decades because it was in syndication. I was glad to have booked the role because it meant I had an inroad to the other Trek projects they were developing.

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Case in point: You played the iconic Lt. Tuvok in Voyager. How did you celebrate when you landed the role?

I was simply excited to have booked a series regular role on a show that I knew would be on for at least 7 years. That was my goal at the time.

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The Star Trek fan base is one of the most passionate out there. What do you enjoy the most about interacting with the Trekkies at conventions and other PR events? Are there any upcoming that you would like to share?

Things were put on hiatus because of COVID, but now the world is slowly getting back to normal. People will have check out my website (timrusswebpage.com), and I’ll post the dates as they come in. It’s always good to see fans that are always enthusiastic and loyal to the show, which is great.

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Voyager recently celebrated is 25th anniversary.

Being part of the franchise, which is, as we speak, ongoing, and being on board that train seems to be never-ending.  Anything I do now, or anywhere I go, the majority of people out there relate me to [Voyager]. I’m going to be tied to it. It’s not ever going to go away. From a career standpoint, the legacy has been quite positive. I’ve been able to do a lot more things and stretch my wings creatively because of the opportunities that came about as a result of being on that show. I think that has been a big plus for me.

It has, not a huge following, but they’re very much a group of enthusiastic fans. They are over-the-top enthusiastic about it. And thus, we’re still doing conventions and that that adds up to roughly 27 years, 28 years of doing conventions without stopping. So, it’s pretty remarkable being involved in a project for that long.

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You got your start directing on Voyager.

It was great to have the opportunity by the producers. They allowed you to do an internship while being on the show and get a shot at shooting an episode. It was wonderful to have that opportunity. I can’t say that enough. You may not get that on all the television shows, although it is more common than it used to be. Even though it was just the one episode, that got my feet wet. I loved the episode. I thought it was good story and it turned out very, very good. So, I can only say I was fortunate to have the opportunity.

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You played Principal Franklin on iCarly. What was that like?

The days on iCarly were typically long, and the producer would often make changes to the script right there on set while filming. The regulars on the show were fantastic, I can’t say enough about how skilled, and disciplined they were given that they had so much work to do including school for some of them. I liked all the episodes, each one was a kick.

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You participated in some virtual conventions during the COVID pandemic in 2020. What was that like?

Yeah, you can just roll out of bed, get dressed, and sit down in your living room and be able to do a Q&A and a panel and all that good stuff. For people who cannot afford to get to the conventions and all the expenditure that’s involved in flying, hotels, and stuff, it definitely is advantageous for them to do it online.

But it’s a double-edged sword. It is a give and take. I don’t think that those are going to permanently replace in-person conventions, which I think I would probably prefer. Just the scale is generally pretty big. And sometimes I get a chance to perform at those musically with my band, so that is much easier to do in person.

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How’d you get into music?

I’ve always been interested in music. I started when I was 16, and I’ve been playing music for 45 years. I am still performing with my band a couple times every month. My earliest influences were from classic rock bands like Santana, Chicago, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Hornsby.

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What do you enjoy the most about performing live?

The energy of playing live with the band, being in the pocket on a song, and the energy you get back from the audience. There is no other feeling like it.

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Acting can be a fickle business. What are some of the things that you attribute to your success as a professional actor?

Specifically: Persistence, training, networking, physical type, and…luck.

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Name three actors that you’ve acted with that have had a positive influence on your career.

The late Al Lewis, Godfrey Cambridge, and Greg Morris.

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How has the acting game changed since you started working in the mid-80s?

The Internet and computers have been the biggest change. That, and the digital medium by which we shoot and manipulate the films. The way we now communicate, and work together – audition materials and auditions are all sent and received online. Things are a lot more efficient and faster now, although the standardization could be a lot better.

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You’ve been acting in TV and film a long time. What are some of the key character mileposts on your journey from that first role as Sam in the TV series Hunter to where you are today?

I booked a few series projects on the way to Voyager. They were really good gigs, even though they were short-lived, projects like The People Next Door, The Highwayman, Samantha Who, and iCarly. As an actor, they were very rewarding. Every one of those characters were unique, from playing a miniature man who lived in an answering machine, to a high-tech guru team member in a sci-fi action series.

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Robert Ray Shafer (The Office) is a friend of mine. What was it like working on Dick Dickster with him?

He’s a blast to work with, very talented, tons of laughs, and he’s a little bit crazy! I look forward to working with him again.

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In addition to an impressive acting resume, you’re also an accomplished director. What’s it like to sit in that chair?

I enjoy creating a dramatic or comedy narrative on film. Taking the written story and bringing it to life on screen. Very much a creative challenge. Not on top of my list is working with producers who don’t know what they are doing.

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What’s next for Tim Russ?

I’ve been developing and pitching some projects of my own, and doing a lot more voice-over work this past year. I look forward to going back to work full tilt!

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Final Question: If you had one piece of advice to share with other aspiring actors, what would that be?

Pick another profession [laughs]! Just kidding…almost. Honestly, that’s usually the first thing I tell them. It’s a brutal business to try to make a living at, and only a fraction of actors make a career out of acting. So, I would ask them to study the basics of the craft; look at films and television and ask themselves if they can see themselves in any of the roles they see. What is their “walk and talk?” Then, once you figure out what kind of roles you’d likely be cast in, focus on playing those types of roles, because those are the types of roles you’ll be going out for or booking. Get your tools together: pictures, resumes, demo reels…and try to secure an agent or manager. I would also advise them to count on those things I mentioned earlier: Persistence, training, networking, physical type, and…luck. You can always go out for roles in regional and local theater while working your regular job as a B plan.