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Michael Dorn

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Michael Dorn
Dorn speaks at the Galileo 7.9 Convention (2005 in Neuss, Germany)
Occupation(s)Actor, Voice actor

Michael Dorn (born December 9, 1952) is an American actor known for his role as the Klingon Worf in multiple Star Trek shows and movies.

Early life and career

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.

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. The first movie he had a role in was Rocky (1976) as Apollo Creed's bodyguard.

Star Trek

Dorn's most famous role to date is that of the Klingon Starfleet officer Lieutenant (later 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.[2]

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". He appeared in 101[citation needed] episodes of Deep Space Nine, missing four during his time on the show: "Rocks and Shoals", "The Magnificent Ferengi", "Chrysalis" and "Prodigal Daughter". He has also appeared in four Star Trek movies bringing his total to 279 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 also appeared in the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as Colonel Worf. As Colonel Worf, he represented 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.[3] His two favorite episodes of The Next Generation are "The Offspring" and "The Drumhead".[4]

Star Trek directorial credits

Other appearances

Dorn has also appeared in the Christmas movies The Santa Clause 2 and 3 playing The Sandman and in Ali as a pilot. He is the voice of I. M. Weasel in the animated series I Am Weasel, R.E.G.I.S. Mark V and Number 14 in Megas XLR, Coldstone in Gargoyles, Darkseid's son Kalibak and John Henry Irons (aka Steel) in Superman: The Animated Series, and the Fright Knight in Danny Phantom, among others. During the early 1990s, he guest starred in several episodes of Dinosaurs and appeared in The Outer Limits as well. Dorn has also appeared in various computer games, including Emperor: Battle for Dune, a computer 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, the critically acclaimed Mission Critical as Commander Dana, captain of the spaceship. He has also been the spokesman for Neutrogena T-Gel Shampoo, and has appeared in a car commercial. Dorn has also appeared on Family Guy as Worf with fellow Star Trek: The Next Generation stars Jonathan Frakes and Patrick Stewart in the episode "Peter's Got Woods". Dorn has 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 as well as an appearance in Martial Law. IMDB has also reported him as voicing several NPCs voices in World of Warcraft, and in "Here Thar Be Dwarves", the 30th episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, as King Beardbottom. He is the voice of the narrator in the 1996 DOS game, Vikings, Strategy of Ultimate Conquest!. He also reappeared in the DC animated universe as Kalibak, in episodes of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. He recently appeared in the Ben 10 episode "The Return" and Be Afraid Of The Dark as Doctor Vicktor and BenVicktor. He also is the voice of Maero in the video game Saints Row 2.

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

Dorn appeared as the President of the United States on Volume 4 of Heroes.[5] 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.

Dorn, along with other members of Star Trek: The Next Generation provided voices for the Family Guy episode Not All Dogs Go to Heaven in which Stewie uses a transporter to kidnap the cast for a day.

He has also recently provided his voice for the krogan, Gatatog Uvenk, a minor antagonist in the video game Mass Effect 2.

Personal life

Dorn enjoys flying, something he was not permitted to do while in The Next Generation but was apparently able to do after joining the cast of Deep Space Nine. He has flown with the Blue Angels as well as the Thunderbirds. 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[6] 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'd 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).[7]

References

  1. ^ Michael Dorn Family Tree
  2. ^ Memory-alpha.orgnTalk:Michael Dorn
  3. ^ Biography for Michael Dorn
  4. ^ http://gaming.trekcore.com/finalunity/dorninterview.html Gaming.trekcore.com
  5. ^ "Michael Dorn A Surprise Guest On Tonight's Heroes + Denise Crosby Appears On Prison Break". Retrieved 2008-12-16.
  6. ^ :::Air Force Aviation Heritage Foundation :::
  7. ^ http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/inst_reports2.cfm?article=5067
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