Anthony Rapp

Anthony Rapp is an American stage and film actor who plays Lt. Paul Stamets, a science officer specializing in astromycology on the USS Discovery, in Star Trek: Discovery. He is best known as the original Mark Cohen in the musical Rent, and reprised the role in the 2005 film version directed by Chris Columbus, costarring Sarah Silverman and Joel Swetow.

Rapp noted that he thought Discovery shared “DNA” with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine blended with the original series. Rapp is openly gay and has been out most of his career. His character is also the first openly gay character in the TV series.