- published: 23 Feb 2010
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Brian Eric Bonsall (born December 3, 1981) is an American former child actor. He is best known for playing the youngest Keaton child, Andy, on the NBC sitcom Family Ties from 1986 through 1989. He is also known for his portrayal of Alexander Rozhenko, the son of Worf, on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Bonsall was born in Torrance, California. At the age of five, he won the role of Andy Keaton on the sitcom Family Ties. Bonsall won three Young Artist Awards for his performance on the series. He was also nominated for a Young Artist Award for his starring role in the made-for-TV movie Do You Know the Muffin Man? in 1990. He made his feature film debut in the horror film Mikey, playing the title role, a demonic young boy who terrorizes his adoptive parents.
In science fiction circles, he is predominantly known for the part of Alexander Rozhenko, son of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Klingon security officer, Mr. Worf—a recurring role he played for 7 episodes across several seasons.
He played Patrick Swayze's son in the 1993 film Father Hood. In 1994, he starred in the Disney comedy Blank Check and co-starred with Bob Saget in the TV movie comedy Father and Scout. In the same year, he played the main role in the thriller Mikey. This caused controversy in the UK owing to its depiction of a child killer at a time when the murder of Jamie Bulger had caused sensitivity about violent behaviour by children. As of August 2011, the film is one of the few banned in the UK. His other acting credits include the TV movie Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme and guest appearances on television series such as The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Young Riders.