# Who the heck is Mark Jackson? (Isaac on "The Orville") **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2017, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-heck-is-mark-jackson-isaac-on-the-orville/804846 "2017-12-19T06:33:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-heck-is-mark-jackson-isaac-on-the-orville/804846/1 "2017-12-19T06:33:11Z")
Mark Jackson plays “Isaac” on the TV show “The Orville,” the artificial life form who functions as sort of the Spock/Data character on the show. His voice sounds VERY familiar. Yet his IMDb bio gives very little data as to where I might have seen/heard him before. It does hint at him being “an accomplished voice over artist,” so perhaps I’ve heard him on a commercial or somewhere else non-IMDb-able. Anyone know? Thanks! > **[Mark Jackson - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2961481/?ref_=tt_cl_t8)** > > Mark Jackson. Actor: The Orville. Mark is an English actor who was born in Rotterdam on the 23rd August to British parents Jill Cornelius, a nurse from Coventry, and Andy Jackson, an engineer from Birkenhead. He also has a younger sister, Danielle,... ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-heck-is-mark-jackson-isaac-on-the-orville/804846/2 "2017-12-19T09:46:17Z")
He talks a little about his previous acting work in [this interview](https://youtu.be/U_c8BcgoXcg?t=1276). ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-heck-is-mark-jackson-isaac-on-the-orville/804846/3 "2017-12-19T14:52:01Z")
Whether intentional or not, he sounds a lot like Data to me. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-heck-is-mark-jackson-isaac-on-the-orville/804846/4 "2017-12-19T14:55:30Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Whether intentional or not, he sounds a lot like Data to me. I think he sounds like Alan Tudyk doing a Data impression. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-heck-is-mark-jackson-isaac-on-the-orville/804846/5 "2017-12-19T16:26:42Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > I think he sounds like Alan Tudyk doing a Data impression. And he claims it’s just him doing an American accent. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-heck-is-mark-jackson-isaac-on-the-orville/804846/6 "2017-12-19T17:17:54Z")
He’s come a long way since\* “Energizer! Oi!”\* phase. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-the-heck-is-mark-jackson-isaac-on-the-orville/804846/7 "2017-12-24T18:48:23Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Whether intentional or not, he sounds a lot like Data to me. He sounds more like the robots that Mr Burns replaced the employees at the nucleon plant with on the Simpsons. (granted Brent Spiner played them as well, but they felt more soulless than Data)