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After years of playing Counselor Deanna Troi in the Star Trek series and movie spin-offs, Marina Sirtis is surprisingly down-to-earth. By Jane Oddy.

Marina Sirtis has come a long way. Born in North London, her Greek immigrant parents opposed her ambition to become an actress. Luckily, she persuaded them to change their minds when she secretly applied for – and gained – a place at the prestigious Guildhall School of Drama.

After graduating and treading the boards in various forgettable regional theatre productions, Marina headed for Hollywood in search of fame and fortune. And in far-off Los Angeles it finally happened for her when she landed a dream role in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Fans of Star Trek all over the world now know her as Deanna Troi – the half-human, half-Betazoid psychologist with an amazing ability to read minds and emotions.

Although Next Generation has ended its TV run, it was by no means the end of Marina's adventures in outer space. She also starred in the sci-fi series' big-screen adaptations, including the latest, Nemesis, in which she finally marries Commander William T Riker (Jonathan Frakes). The actress smiles: "The wedding was for the fans. For me it was all about the dress like most brides! It was my first filming on the movie and we all got together and we had a party for two days."

Marina herself has some strong views on marriage, as her parents discovered when they tried to find a Greek husband for her years ago. In Greece it is normal practice for brides and grooms to be brought together by the elders of their families. But after being raised in London, she was less than happy to find that a matchmaker was deciding her future. "I came home one night and there were some people leaving the house," she says. "This matchmaker said, 'We've found a lovely boy for you'. I said, 'Do you think I'm ugly?'. And this woman said, 'Oh no, you're lovely'. So I said, 'Well, don't you think I can find my own husband?'. My mother was furious. But they never tried it again."

After moving to Hollywood and landing her Star Trek role, Marina found love on her own terms and met American rock guitarist Michael Lamber. They married in a Los Angeles ceremony attended by Trekkie co-star Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard) 11 years ago. Today Marina and Michael, live in a sprawling Spanish-style home in the exclusive Hollywood Hills with their cats and dogs. "We lead a quiet life. Minnie Driver is our neighbour and she does enough partying for both of us! I did the whole party scene when I was young and I first came to America. It's not that I avoid people but I feel like I'm too old for it now to be honest!."

While she might feel too tired to party, 43-year-old Marina's lost none of her enthusiasm for Star Trek. Although she works on other movies and TV projects, she still regards her Star Trek job with awe. "It's the most amazing thing to ever happen to me," she says. "Getting the role of Troi took six weeks of auditions and when I finally got the part it was like a dream come true. Yes, Cinderella, you shall go to the ball. In the early years, as the youngest woman on the regular cast, I got to do all the girlfriend/boyfriend, sexy stuff so I was lucky I was the obvious choice to do all that."

She regularly goes to the Star Trek weekend conventions and enjoys meeting Trekkie fans face to face. "I'm very grateful to the fans," she says. "I have some great stuff in my life because these people turned their TV sets on for seven years and watched the movies. It would be the height of ingratitude if I said anything bad about them. I hate to hear other actors describe having these fans as a hardship. I want to shake them! Just stay home and act in front of the mirror!"

There are rumours that the latest movie may be the last outing for the Starship Enterprise but Marina is unsure: "As long as they find me something new to do, I'll be quite happy. I think that's all you can ask for after 179 episodes and four movies. So long as you come up with something new, I think that's quite an achievement."