# Brian Bonsall
**Brian Bonsall** (Brian Eric Bonsall, born 1981 in [Torrance, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/torrance-california)) is an American rock musician, singer, and guitarist, and a former child actor best known for playing Andrew "Andy" Keaton on the NBC sitcom *Family Ties* (1986–1989) and Alexander Rozhenko, the son of Worf, on *Star Trek: The Next Generation* (1992–1994).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095176/bio/) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/76130-brian-bonsall)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Brian Eric Bonsall, born 1981, Torrance, California, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095176/bio/) |
| Signature TV role | Andrew "Andy" Keaton, the youngest Keaton child on *Family Ties*, 1986–1989; 78 credited episodes[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/76130-brian-bonsall) |
| Star Trek role | Alexander Rozhenko, Worf's son, in 7 episodes of *Star Trek: The Next Generation*, 1992–1994[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/76130-brian-bonsall) |
| Feature films | *Mikey* (1992, title role), *Father Hood* (1993, Eddie Charles), *Blank Check* (1994, Preston Waters)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/brian_bonsall) |
| Retirement from acting | Stepped away around 1995, at about age 14[4](https://www.tvline.com/2021792/tv-child-stars-actors-hollywood/) |
| Music career | Bands include The Late Bloomers (from 1998), Thruster, The Light on Adam's Stereo, Bootjack & Bonz, Lowjob, Sunset Silhouette, and Lights In The Sky; joined The Ataris in 2016[5](https://brianbonsall.bandcamp.com/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095176/bio/) |
| Family | Married Courtney Bonsall on October 21, 2017; one son, Oliver (born 2019)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095176/bio/) |
## Family Ties
Bonsall joined *Family Ties* at about three and a half years old, when the Keaton family welcomed a fourth child, Andrew "Andy" Keaton; he began filming around age four and remained on the show through its final three seasons.[6](https://celebrityparentsmag.com/celebrity-interviews/actor-brian-bonsall-is-forming-his-own-family-ties/) • [7](https://kidschildhood.com/brian-bonsall/) The sitcom centered on former hippie parents Steven ([Michael Gross](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-gross)) and Elyse ([Meredith Baxter](https://www.edgepedia.org/meredith-baxter)) and their children, including [Alex P. Keaton](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-p-keaton), played by Michael J. Fox.[7](https://kidschildhood.com/brian-bonsall/) In a 2023 interview, Bonsall described the set as feeling like a family and recalled the workload: at his youngest, he was working 8 hours a day, 6 days a week.[6](https://celebrityparentsmag.com/celebrity-interviews/actor-brian-bonsall-is-forming-his-own-family-ties/)
For this part, he received a pair of Young Artist Awards in the Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Under Ten category, one in 1987 and another in 1988.[7](https://kidschildhood.com/brian-bonsall/) His performance as Andy made him one of the most recognizable child performers on American television in the late 1980s, and he reprised the character in a 1992 guest appearance on *Parker Lewis Can't Lose*.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/76130-brian-bonsall)
## Star Trek: The Next Generation
Between 1992 and 1994, Bonsall played Alexander Rozhenko, the Klingon son of Worf ([Michael Dorn](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-dorn)) and K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson), in seven episodes of *Star Trek: The Next Generation*.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/76130-brian-bonsall) • [4](https://www.tvline.com/2021792/tv-child-stars-actors-hollywood/) He was one of several actors to play the role, which had first appeared in the 1990 episode "Reunion" with Jon Steuer; after Steuer's single appearance, the character was recast with a succession of performers, including Bonsall.[8](https://www.avclub.com/what-s-it-like-to-be-a-child-actor-on-star-trek-1798278194) Rotten Tomatoes' profile notes that he appeared under heavy makeup as the Klingon youth.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/brian_bonsall)
## Film career
Bonsall's feature debut was the 1992 horror film *Mikey*, in which he was cast against his sitcom image as a boy who murders a succession of foster families.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/brian_bonsall) In 1993 he played Eddie Charles, the son of [Patrick Swayze](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-swayze)'s character, in the comedy *Father Hood*.[9](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/262554)
His best-known film role came in 1994 as Preston Waters, the boy who stumbles into $1 million, in the Disney comedy *[Blank Check](https://www.edgepedia.org/blank-check-film)*.[7](https://kidschildhood.com/brian-bonsall/) Also in 1994 he appeared in the television movies *Father and Scout* (with [Bob Saget](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-saget)) and *Lily in Winter*, and he appeared in two made-for-TV movies that year before leaving acting.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095176/) • [11](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=5288)
## Leaving acting
In the mid-1990s, at about age 14, Bonsall retired from acting and turned to music.[4](https://www.tvline.com/2021792/tv-child-stars-actors-hollywood/) In his own account, he told a VH1 or E! interview while still young that he was done acting for the time being, largely because he wanted a normal school life; schools had been removing him because he left for months at a time for acting jobs. He said the industry heard the message and opportunities stopped coming, and that at the time he did not mind.[6](https://celebrityparentsmag.com/celebrity-interviews/actor-brian-bonsall-is-forming-his-own-family-ties/) After stepping away, he moved to Colorado, attended Missouri Military Academy for one year, and graduated from Boulder High School in 2000.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095176/bio/)
## Music career
Bonsall has played primarily in punk and rock projects around Colorado. His Bandcamp catalog lists the following releases: *This One's For Dick* by The Late Bloomers (1999), *Glue This In Your Stereo* by Thruster (2004), *Colorado Skies* by The Light on Adam's Stereo (2007), *Vultures Acoustic* by Bootjack & Bonz (2015), *We Share* by Lowjob (2016), *Detour* (2018) and *Far Beyond Suburbia* (2019) by Sunset Silhouette.[5](https://brianbonsall.bandcamp.com/) He started the band Late Bloomers in 1998.[11](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=5288)
In 2016 he joined the punk rock band [The Ataris](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-ataris), a gold-record-earning band, as second guitar, and he sings and plays rhythm guitar in the Denver-based punk band Lights In The Sky.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095176/bio/) In 2025, The Ataris played shows including The Nile Theater in Phoenix/Mesa and the [House of Blues](https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-blues) venues in Houston and Dallas, and in October 2025 he announced releases of "Bad Dream" and "Finally Something" with Lights In The Sky.[12](https://thecinemaholic.com/brian-bonsall/) He has said that he has no interest in acting, preferring a career in music.[11](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=5288)
## Legal troubles and sobriety
Bonsall was convicted of DUI charges in 2001 and 2004. In March 2007 he was arrested in [Boulder, Colorado](https://www.edgepedia.org/boulder-colorado), on a domestic violence charge stemming from allegations by his girlfriend; in August 2007 he pled guilty to assault charges and was placed on two years probation.[11](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=5288) In a 2025 profile he described turning to alcohol as a way to cope after leaving acting, and has since spoken of maintaining sobriety, with his family as a central motivation.[12](https://thecinemaholic.com/brian-bonsall/)
## Personal life
Bonsall married Courtney Bonsall on October 21, 2017, and they have one son, Oliver, born 2019; the couple runs a machine shop that Courtney owns, and Bonsall describes himself as a stay-at-home dad.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095176/bio/) • [6](https://celebrityparentsmag.com/celebrity-interviews/actor-brian-bonsall-is-forming-his-own-family-ties/) He has participated in fundraisers and became a patron of Star Warrior Convention (SWC), which works to combat bullying and promote fair play.[12](https://thecinemaholic.com/brian-bonsall/) In 2025 he appeared as himself in the [Investigation Discovery](https://www.edgepedia.org/investigation-discovery) documentary series *Hollywood Demons*, in the episode "Child Stars Gone Violent", discussing the pitfalls of early fame.[12](https://thecinemaholic.com/brian-bonsall/) • [13](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/family-ties-child-star-guilt-ridden-over-impersonator-who-attacked-multiple-women)
## References
1. [Brian Bonsall - Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095176/bio/)
2. [Brian Bonsall, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/76130-brian-bonsall)
3. [Brian Bonsall Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/brian_bonsall)
4. [Popular TV Child Actors That Left Hollywood Behind, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/2021792/tv-child-stars-actors-hollywood/)
5. [Music | Brian Bonsall, Bandcamp](https://brianbonsall.bandcamp.com/)
6. [Actor Brian Bonsall Is Forming His Own Family Ties, Celebrity Parents Magazine (September 7, 2023)](https://celebrityparentsmag.com/celebrity-interviews/actor-brian-bonsall-is-forming-his-own-family-ties/)
7. [Brian Bonsall as a Child Star, Kids' Childhood](https://kidschildhood.com/brian-bonsall/)
8. [What's it like to be a child actor on Star Trek?, The A.V. Club (April 1, 2015)](https://www.avclub.com/what-s-it-like-to-be-a-child-actor-on-star-trek-1798278194)
9. [Brian Bonsall, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/262554)
10. [Brian Bonsall - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095176/)
11. [Brian Bonsall, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=5288)
12. [Brian Bonsall: Where is the Child Actor Today?, The Cinemaholic](https://thecinemaholic.com/brian-bonsall/)
13. ['Family Ties' star Brian Bonsall details pitfalls of fame in new documentary, Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/family-ties-child-star-guilt-ridden-over-impersonator-who-attacked-multiple-women)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born before 1986*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license