Wikimedia Commons/Youtube Brian Bonsall and Brian Bonsall as Alexander in "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
Child actor Brian Bonsall is best known for his role as Andy Keaton, the baby of the family in the sitcom “Family Ties.” However, he also had a recurring role in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Bonsall played Worf’s son, Alexander Rozhenko, in seven episodes of the series.
Bonsall took a few more roles after his appearances in “The Next Generation.” However, according to Colorado Daily, he retired from acting before he entered high school. He moved back to Colorado to attend high school and graduated in 2000.
After graduation, Bonsall’s life took a dramatic turn. He was arrested multiple times between 2007 and 2010. Luckily, his run-ins with the law motivated him to turn his life around.
Here’s everything you need to know.
The Arrests
Bonsall was arrested for the first time in 2001. The Denver Post reported that Bonsall was picked up for drunk driving and his license was taken away.
The Denver Post also reported on his 2007 arrest for an assault on his then-girlfriend. Bonsall’s girlfriend told authorities that he had poured an alcoholic beverage over her face while she slept and then put her in a chokehold. She said that when she tried to leave Bonsall threw her down and prevented her from going. Bonsall insisted that he was acting in self-defense because his accuser had attacked him with a knife.
That incident led to charges of second-degree assault and false imprisonment. The Colorado Daily reported that he was sentenced to probation. The terms of the probation required Bonsall to attend domestic violence courses and take daily breathalyzer tests to prove his sobriety.
Unfortunately, Bonsall did not adhere to those conditions. In 2009, Bonsall missed a court hearing that was scheduled because of his failure to meet the requirements of his probation. He went on the run became a fugitive.
According to The Daily Camera, Bonsall was finally apprehended in 2009 after yet another assault. This time, he was accused of hitting a friend across the head with a broken barstool. He was charged with third-degree assault along with the charges for violating his probation. Bonsall admitted that he’d been drinking heavily, and claimed that he didn’t remember the incident at all.
Just a few months later, Bonsall was arrested again. The Daily Camera reported that Bonsall had yet again violated the terms of his probation by testing positive for marijuana use. Bonsall’s lawyer stated that Bonsall was using medical marijuana. She argued that the terms of his probation should only prohibit alcohol use since all of his arrests happened while he was intoxicated.
Luckily, that was Bonsall’s last arrest.
Leaving the Past Behind
After his arrest in 2010, Bonsall began to do the work to turn his life around. In an interview with StarTrek.com in 2016, Bonsall said that he’s “never had the opportunity to tell [his] story.”
“My drunken run-ins with the law are… behind me, so I’m pretty happy about that. I’m not proud of my past mistakes but you live and you learn, I guess… hopefully. I’ve learned a lot about myself, that’s for sure.”
He hasn’t spoken about his arrests in interviews. Instead, he chooses to talk about what’s going on in his life now.
These Days He’s a Rockstar
Bonsall has been passionate about music for over two decades. He formed his first band with his friends in 1998. He joined multiple punk and punk-pop bands in the Denver area in his early twenties, but nothing really took off.
In 2011, he started seriously pursuing a career in music. Bonsall threw himself into the industry, joining multiple musical projects. He played local gigs with his bandmate, Mike Orgeron. He also began to distribute his original music on Soundcloud.
In 2012, Bonsall started playing with multiple acts including the Bushwackers and his own band A Life Worth Living. In 2014, Bonsall started an acoustic band called Bootjack & Bonz. He played with that band for about a year before forming Lowjob, a pop-punk band that became his major project for the next several years.
Bonsall got his big break in 2016 when he was asked to tour with pop-punk band The Ataris. Bonsall got to see the world with the band and joined them for major tours like the Vans Warped Tour in 2017.
In 2019, Bonsall launched a new project called Sunset Silhouette with one of the guys he’d started his very first band with, Evan Jones. Bonsall is still focusing on Sunset Silhouette these days.
And a Family Man
Bonsall told StarTrek.com in 2016 that his then-girlfriend was “a huge, positive support for me.” The two have been together for several years, and they finally tied the knot in 2018. On his social media, Bonsall frequently posts pictures of his wife, gushing about what an amazing influence she’s been.
The couple welcomed their first child on August 24th, 2019. Bonsall said that it seeing his son Oliver for the first time was “true love at first sight.”
These days, Bonsall’s social media is mostly pictures of his adorable son and his beautiful wife. The pandemic put a hold on his music career, but it looks like he’s getting back to work.
Bonsall’s story truly proves that adolescent mistakes can be left in the past.