Merrick here...

...BEN CROSS. So says his official web site.

Cross' career ranges from greatness (CHARIOTS OF FIRE) to poop (S.S. DOOMTROOPER), with many stops in-between.

TrekMovie has an interesting side-by-side comparison of Cross next to Mark Lenard, who originated the role of Sarek. You can see that HERE.

Cross has never struck me as being a terribly dimensional actor (although this characterization may be unfair - I haven't see much of his work). At first glance, this might make him uniquely suited to play Spock's father. However, Mark Lenard's iteration of Sarek (seen in THE ORIGINAL SERIES as well as THE NEXT GENERATION) was often surprisingly nuanced...almost imperceptibly conveying range and depth while upholding a severe veneer.

Can Cross pull-off this layering? We'll see...