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

Early life

He was born in Luling, Texas, but 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.

First appearance

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 then hooked him up with 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

His most famous role to date is that of the Klingon Starfleet officer Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. During several interviews, he claims to have been interested in the role of Worf because of his role of playing a nice guy before on television and wanted to break away from any stereotyping of him as a "nice guy".

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. Then he turned around without saying a word and stalked out, slamming the door behind him. The director said "He's the perfect Klingon. I want him!"

Dorn has appeared on-screen in more Star Trek episodes and movies as the same character than anyone else. According to his Internet Movie Database entry he has made 282 Star Trek appearances (176 episodes of The Next Generation, 101 episodes of Deep Space Nine, and 5 of Star Trek films including his appearance as Colonel Worf in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.), comfortably ahead of his next closest competitor Colm Meaney with 211 appearances.

His voice has also deepened from his years of playing Worf. It is very noticeable when hearing him speak in first season episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the later season episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the Next Generation movies. This natural deepening was sometimes enhanced by digital processing to make Worf sound more "alien," particularly in Star Trek: Nemesis.

Star Trek directorial credits

• "In the Cards"
• "Inquisition"
• "When It Rains..."
• "Two Days and Two Nights"

Other appearances

Dorn has also appeared in the Christmas movie The Santa Clause 2 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 & Taurus in Gargoyles, Kalibak and John Henry Irons/Steel in Superman: The Animated Series, and the Fright Knight in Danny Phantom, among others. 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, and 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 Martin Centurion Robots in cartoon Duck Dodgers. He provided the voice of Kraven the Hunter in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series. IMDB has also reported him as voicing several Tauren NPCs in World of Warcraft, and in Here Thar Be Dwarves, the 30th episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy he plays King Beardbottom. He is the voice of the narrator in the 1996 DOS game, Vikings, Strategy of Ultimate Conquest!.

Hobbies

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 owns several aircraft, including an old Air Force T-33 Shooting Star trainer jet, an F-86 Sabre, and a Sabreliner twin engine jet. The T-33 is often referred to as "his starship." Michael Dorn also serves on several organizations, one of which is the Air Force Heritage Foundation where he is on the advisory board. Dorn has also done interviews for the "Private Jets" episode of Modern Marvels on The History Channel.

External links

• His filmography
• Serves on the Air Force Aviation Heritage Foundation as an advisory board member

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