Michael Dorn (born December 9, 1952) is an American actor best known for his role as the Klingon character Worf in the Star Trek franchise, appearing in all seven seasons of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), and later reprising the role in seasons four through seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1995–1999) and season three of Star Trek: Picard (2023). Dorn has appeared more times as a regular cast member than any other Star Trek actor in the franchise's history, spanning five films and 284 television episodes.[1]
Outside of shows and movies, he has had voice roles in several Star Trek-related games, as well as more obscure voice roles such as a major companion Marcus and the main antagonist Frank Horrigan of the action RPG game Fallout 2 (1998) and a Krogan character in Mass Effect 2 (2010), among many other similar roles.
Early life
Dorn was born in Luling, Texas, the son of Allie Lee (née Nauls) and Fentress Dorn Jr.[2][better source needed] He grew up in Pasadena, California, where he studied radio and television production at Pasadena City College. Following his graduation, he pursued a career in music as a performer with several different rock-music bands, traveling to San Francisco and then back to Los Angeles.[citation needed]
Career
Early work
Dorn first appeared on-screen in Rocky, in an uncredited role as Apollo Creed's bodyguard.[3] Two years later, he appeared as a guest star on a 1978 episode of the television show W.E.B.. Impressed by his work, the show's producer introduced Dorn to an agent, through whom he met acting teacher Charles E. Conrad. Dorn studied with Conrad for six months, until he landed a regular role on the crime drama series CHiPs.[3]
Dorn's most notable role to date is that of the KlingonStarfleet officer Lieutenant (later Lt. Commander) Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Dorn was the last of the main actors to be cast in The Next Generation, and prepared for his audition by isolating himself from the other actors and remaining taciturn through his interview, mimicking the personality of the character.[4] His character proved so popular amongst fans that Dorn was added to the cast of spin-off series Deep Space Nine in an effort to boost ratings.[5][6]
He was one of six actors to reprise his role, in voiceover, for the Star Trek: Captain's Chair virtual reality game. In 2014, he participated in the fan-produced Star Trek episode "Fairest of Them All", giving his voice to the computer of the Mirror UniverseEnterprise.[7]
In 2012, Dorn announced a desire to return to his Klingon role in a television series tentatively titled Star Trek: Captain Worf. He said:
I had come up with the idea because I love [Worf] and I think he's a character that hasn't been fully developed and hasn't been fully realized. Once I started thinking about it, it became obvious to me that I wanted to at least put it out there, which I have, and the response has been pretty amazing. We've been contacted by different individuals–I can't say who and all that–about wanting to come on board and be part of this.[8]
In April 2022, it was announced that he would reprise his role as Worf in the third season of Star Trek: Picard, which aired in 2023.[9]
Other work
Dorn has appeared in a number of TV shows, films, and video games. He has been the spokesman for Neutrogena T-Gel Shampoo, and has appeared in a Dodge Dart car commercial. He voiced Marcus and Frank Horrigan in Fallout 2. He appeared in a 2012 tongue-in-cheek television commercial for Chrysler as "Future Guy", a time traveler sent from the future to assist development of the 2013 Dodge Dart.[10] He also plays the role of General Thain in the Castlevania: Hymn of Blood web series.[11]
Following his Star Trek career, he had supporting roles in a number of independent feature films, including Shadow Hours (2000), Lessons for an Assassin (2001), and The Santa Clause trilogy, in which he appeared in a minor role as the Sandman. Dorn reprised his role as Worf for cameo appearances on Webster and Family Guy, the latter with several of his fellow Next Generation castmates. He had a recurring role on the television series Castle, playing the therapist of NYPD police detective Kate Beckett's.[12]
^"The Lifetime Achievement Award is usually presented to an individual for their contributions to genre entertainment. Top luminaries like Stan Lee and Leonard Nimoy, Mr. Spock himself, have received this top honor. It's not new, but we extended this award to cover the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, due to its continued influence on the face of general television. It was originally doomed to failure since it was following in the footsteps of the original Star Trek, yet it carved its own identity, and its diverse cast was light years ahead of its time!" —Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films[26]
^Greenwald, Jeff (1998). "Worf Factors". Future Perfect: How Star Trek Conquered Planet Earth. New York: Viking. p. 79. ISBN978-0-670-87399-9. Dorn plays the immensely popular Worf ... Worf may be the most complex and sympathetic character in the history of Star Trek.
^Charting New Territory: Deep Space Nine Season Four (DVD). Robert Hewitt Wolfe (writer/producer). Paramount. 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) Of Worf, Wolfe says that the studio felt DS9's ratings were sagging at the end of the third season, and he and the other writers were asked to give viewers a new reason to watch. Their answer was to make Worf a part of the cast.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalamanao"Michael Dorn (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved September 3, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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