Michael_Dorn

Michael Dorn

Michael Dorn

American actor

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 4 through 7 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[1] television episodes.

Quick Facts Born, Alma mater ...

Outside of the Star Trek franchise, Dorn has appeared in the television series CHiPs (1979–1982), and has had voice roles as Coldstone and Taurus in the animated series Gargoyles (1994–1997), Kalibak in the DC Animated Universe, I.M. Weasel in I Am Weasel (1997–2000), Lord Darkar in the Nickelodeon dub of Winx Club (2011), and Captain Mozar in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2015–2016).

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]

Star Trek

Michael Dorn at the 2012 Phoenix Comic-Con with the cast of Next Generation. (L to R: LeVar Burton, Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, and Wil Wheaton)

Dorn's most notable 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. 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[5] that Dorn was added to the cast of spin-off series Deep Space Nine in an effort to boost ratings.[6]

Dorn (as Worf) has the record for the most on-screen appearances of any Star Trek character. As Worf, he appeared in 175 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (missing only the episodes "Code of Honor", "Haven", and "Shades of Gray"), 102 episodes of Deep Space Nine, four Star Trek movies, and 7 episodes of Star Trek: Picard, bringing his total to 288 appearances as the character. He also appeared as Worf's ancestor, Colonel Worf, in the 1991 film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and directed the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes "In the Cards", "Inquisition" and "When It Rains...", and the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Two Days and Two Nights".

He was one of six actors to reprise his role, in voice over, 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 Universe Enterprise.[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. Also in animation as I Am Weasel as the voice of the titular character. 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.[12]

In March 2023, Dorn was announced as the writer for a comic starring Steel (John Henry Irons), whom he voiced in Superman: The Animated Series. Steelworks #1 was published on June 6, 2023, with art by Sami Basri.[13]

Dorn provides the voice of the character Battle Beast in the animated series Invincible.

Personal life

A member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association,[14] Dorn is an accomplished pilot. He has flown with the Blue Angels as well as the Thunderbirds.[3] He has owned several jet aircraft, including a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, which he jokingly refers to as his "starship",[15] a North American F-86 Sabre, and currently owns a North American Sabreliner. Dorn also serves on several aviation organizations, one of which is the Air Force Aviation Heritage Foundation,[16] where he is on the advisory board. He has done interviews for the "Private Jets" episode of Modern Marvels on The History Channel.

Dorn stated in a 2010 interview that he had been diagnosed with an "early early" stage of prostate cancer, which led him to become a vegan.[17]

Filmography

Film

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Television

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Video games

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Web series

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Awards and honors

Notes

  1. "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[25]

References

  1. [1]
    "Michael Dorn - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  2. [2]
    "Michael Dorn Family Tree". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  3. [3]
    "Star Trek Database – Dorn, Michael". Star Trek Database. CBS Entertainment. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  4. [4]
    Selected Crew Analysis: Casting (DVD). Michael Dorn (actor). Paramount. 2002.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. [5]
    Greenwald, Jeff (1998). "Worf Factors". Future Perfect: How Star Trek Conquered Planet Earth. New York: Viking. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-670-87399-9. Dorn plays the immensely popular Worf ... Worf may be the most complex and sympathetic character in the history of Star Trek.
  6. [6]
    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.
  7. [7]
    Sloan, Sam (June 16, 2014). "Star Trek Continues: Fairest Of Them All – A Slice of SciFi Review". Slice of SciFi. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  8. [8]
    Schaefer, Sandy (September 4, 2012). "Michael Dorn Confirms He's Working on a 'Star Trek: Captain Worf' TV Series". Screen Rant. IndieClick Film Network. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  9. [9]
    Petski, Denise (April 5, 2022). "'Star Trek: Picard': LeVar Burton & Michael Dorn Among 6 'Next Generation' Alums Joining Third & Final Season". Deadline. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  10. [10]
    Vellequette, Larry (September 5, 2012). "Chrysler's latest treat wears a silver suit". Automotive News. Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  11. [11]
    "Warp Factor 2 announces "Castlevania: Hymn of Blood" Web Series". PRWeb. October 26, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  12. [12]
    "Castle Exclusive: Star Trek's Michael Dorn Is Beckett's Shrink". TV Guide. August 4, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  13. [13]
    "Star Trek Icon Michael Dorn Joins DC to Script a New Steel Series". CBR. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  14. [14]
    "AOPA Online: Instructor Reports". Aopa.org. November 30, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  15. [15]
    Freeze, Di (June 2008). "Michael Dorn: A Trek worth Remembering". Airportjournals.com. Airport Journals. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  16. [16]
    ":::Air Force Aviation Heritage Foundation :::". Afahf.org. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  17. [17]
    "Worf from 'Star Trek' goes vegan".
  18. [18]
    "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 opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
  19. [19]
    Schedeen, Jesse (June 1, 2017). "Arrow: Season 5 Review". IGN. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  20. [20]
    Guggenheim, Marc (April 5, 2017). "marcguggenheim". tumblr. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  21. [21]
    Swann, Erik (October 17, 2023). "Tim Allen Clashes With Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet In The Santa Clauses Season 2 Trailer, And I'm Down To See These Sitcom Legends Face Off". CinemaBlend. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  22. [22]
    Forté, Malik (February 18, 2016). "Master of Orion Voice Cast Includes Mark Hamill, Michael Dorn, and More". Nerdist. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  23. [23]
    "LEGO DC Super-Villains Story Trailer Brings Back Classic Animated Series Voice Actors". GameRevolution. August 21, 2018.
  24. [24]
    "Indivisible Cast List Revealed". August 6, 2019.
  25. [25]
    Pascale, Anthony (February 4, 2024). "'Star Trek: Picard' Wins 4 Saturn Awards, 'Strange New Worlds' Wins 1". TREKMOVIE.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024.
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