| Michael Dorn | |
|---|---|
at the Galileo 7.9 Convention in 2005 in Neuss, Germany |
|
| Born | December 9, 1952 Luling, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, Voice actor |
Michael Dorn (born December 9, 1952) is an American actor, and voice artist who is best known for his role as the Klingon Worf from the Star Trek franchise.
Contents |
Dorn was born in Luling, Texas, the son of Allie Lee (née Nauls) and Fentress Dorn, Jr.[1] He grew up in Pasadena, California. He studied radio and television production at the Pasadena City College. From there he pursued a career in music as a performer with several different rock music bands, travelling to San Francisco and then back to Los Angeles.
The first movie Dorn had a role in was Rocky (1976) as Apollo Creed's bodyguard, though he was not credited.[2] He first appeared as a guest on the television show W.E.B. in 1978. The producer was impressed with his work, so he introduced Michael to an agent who introduced him to acting teacher Charles Conrad to study acting for six months. He then landed a regular role on the television series CHiPs.[2]
Dorn's most famous role to date is that of the Klingon Starfleet officer Lieutenant J.G. (later Lieutenant and then Lt. Commander) Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He said he got the role by showing up at the interview with several people. He did not smile or speak or sit, but stood in a corner in rigid attention posture, like the stereotypical Klingon warrior. When called, he marched into the room, scowled, and shook the interviewer's hand sharply. After reading, he gruffly thanked the director, and walked out. He attributes this reading in character as a Klingon warrior to getting the part.[3]
Dorn has appeared on-screen in more Star Trek episodes and movies as the same character than anyone else: he appeared in 175 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, missing three: "Code of Honor", "Haven" and "Shades of Gray," 102[4] episodes of Deep Space Nine, missing four during his time on the show: "Rocks and Shoals", "The Magnificent Ferengi", "Chrysalis" and "Prodigal Daughter" and he also appeared in five Star Trek movies, including The Undiscovered Country (not as Worf), Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis, bringing his total to 281 appearances as Worf. Colm Meaney is the only other person who has made over 200 appearances on Star Trek with 216 episodes; Majel Barrett had 233 "appearances" but many of these were voice only.
Dorn's appearance in the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was as Colonel Worf, representing Captain James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy at their trial on Qo'noS and also unmasked the real assassin: Colonel West. Although never confirmed on screen, the character of Colonel Worf was intended to be the grandfather of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Worf.
Dorn is also one of six actors (the other actors being Jonathan Frakes, Kate Mulgrew, George Takei, Avery Brooks and Majel Barrett) to lend his voice to Star Trek: Captain's Chair, reprising his role of Lieutenant Commander Worf.
Dorn's voice deepened from his years of playing Worf.[5] His two favorite episodes of The Next Generation are "The Offspring" and "The Drumhead".[6]
Dorn has also appeared in various video games, including Emperor: Battle for Dune, a game loosely based on Frank Herbert's Dune novels, as the Duke of House Atreides, Dr. John in Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, Special Agent Frank Horrigan and Marcus the Mutant Sheriff in Fallout 2, as Maero in Saints Row 2, the critically acclaimed Mission Critical as Commander Dana, captain of the spaceship, and Gatatog Uvenk the minor antagonist in Mass Effect 2. Dorn later reprised his role as Marcus in Fallout: New Vegas.[7] He is the voice of the narrator in the 1996 DOS game, Vikings, Strategy of Ultimate Conquest!.
Dorn has been the spokesman for Neutrogena T-Gel Shampoo, and has appeared in a car commercial. Dorn has appeared on Webster and Family Guy as Worf; the latter along with fellow Star Trek: The Next Generation stars in the episodes "Peter's Got Woods" and "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven". One of his most known works in television was to voice I.M. Weasel, protagonist of the animated series I Am Weasel. Dorn also supplied the voice of the Martian Centurion Robots in cartoon Duck Dodgers. He provided the voice of Kraven the Hunter in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series and appeared on Martial Law. He voiced several NPCs in World of Warcraft, Gorgon in Fantastic Four and King Beardbottom in "Here Thar Be Dwarves", the 30th episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Dorn also reappeared in the DC animated universe as Kalibak, in episodes of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. He appeared in the Ben 10 episode "The Return" and Be Afraid Of The Dark as Doctor Vicktor and BenVicktor. Dorn appeared as the President of the United States on Volume 4 of Heroes.[8] Dorn also appeared again with Sylvester Stallone in Shade as a high stakes poker player. Michael Dorn has also appeared in SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron as Mutilor the alien antagonist. He was also the voice of Rufus 3000 in the Kim Possible movie A Sitch in Time. He also appeared on Without a Trace on November 15, 2007. He voiced the former Great Spirit Mata Nui in the recent film, BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn. Months later, LEGO hired him to return to the voice of Mata Nui in "Mata Nui Saga", a illustrated blog in BIONICLE.com. In 2010 he voiced Tassadar in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.
More recently, he voiced the immortal supervillain Kru'll the Eternal in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and, fittingly, Guardship Commander Dorn in Strange Frame: Love & Sax as well as Gork and several minor characters in Adventure Time. He currently has a recurring role on the television series Castle, playing Detective Beckett's therapist.[9]
Dorn enjoys flying, something he was not permitted to do while in The Next Generation but was able to do after joining the cast of Deep Space Nine. He has flown with the Blue Angels as well as the Thunderbirds.[2] Dorn has owned several aircraft, including a T-33 Shooting Star, an F-86 Sabre, and currently owns a North American Sabreliner. The T-33 was often referred to as "his starship." Michael Dorn also serves on several organizations, one of which is the Air Force Heritage Foundation[10] where he is on the advisory board. Dorn has also done interviews for the "Private Jets" episode of Modern Marvels on The History Channel. He is also a fan of Comedy Central's South Park and admitted in an interview that he wished they had asked him to guest voice himself in his appearance in the episode "Fun with Veal". He is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).[11]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | Klingon Defence Attorney | |
| 1994 | Star Trek Generations | Lieutenant Commander Worf | |
| 1995 | Amanda and the Alien | Lieutenant Vint | |
| 1996 | Star Trek: First Contact | Lieutenant Commander Worf | Commander, USS Defiant |
| 1998 | Star Trek: Insurrection | Lieutenant Commander Worf | |
| 2001 | The Gristle | Tar | |
| 2001 | Ali | Black pilot | |
| 2002 | Star Trek: Nemesis | Lieutenant Commander Worf | |
| 2002 | The Santa Clause 2 | The Sandman | |
| 2006 | The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause | The Sandman |
| Years | Television show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–1982 | CHiPs | Officer Jebediah Turner (31 episodes) | |
| 1991–1994 | Dinosaurs | Elders | |
| 1994–1997 | Gargoyles | Coldstone | |
| 1995–2000 | The Outer Limits | Pete Claridge | |
| 1996 | Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Apollo (one episode) | voice |
| 1996–2000 | Superman: The Animated Series | Kalibak and John Henry Irons (a.k.a. Steel) | |
| 1997–1999 | I Am Weasel | I.M. Weasel | |
| 2004–2005 | Megas XLR | R.E.G.I.S. Mark V and Number 14 | |
| 2004–2007 | Danny Phantom | Fright Knight | |
| 2011– | Castle | Dr. Carver Burke |