15 Star Trek Actors Who Directed Episodes
9. Siddig El Fadil (Alexander Siddig) - Dr. Bashir
El Fadil, who played the idealistic Dr Julian Bashir on DS9, directed two episodes of his show, one in season five and one in season six.
El Fadil, who now goes by Alexander Siddig, attended the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. After graduation, he moved into stage acting and directing and had only had one TV credit to his name when he attended his audition for Bashir. After leaving the Star Trek world, El Fadil went on to star in major TV shows and movies, including Spooks, 24, Game of Thrones, Gotham, Kingdom of Heaven, and Syriana.
El Fadil's first directed episode, 'Business as Usual', presented him with some challenges. One of the main DS9 characters, Quark, was portrayed in a completely different way in the episode, leading to acting challenges for Armin Shimerman. On top of that, one of the guest stars, legendary tough guy Lawrence Tierney, had recently had a stroke.
Although it didn't impair his ability to deliver lines, the stroke did damage his memory and he had trouble remembering his lines, causing El Fadil a fair bit of stress. The episode did get completed, however, and is considered one of DS9's best.