Michael Dorn
on .Michael Dorn (born December 9, 1952) is an American actor. 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.
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 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).
His most famous role to date is that of the Klingon Starfleet officer Worf in ' and '. During several interviews, he claims to have been interested in the role of Worf because of his 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 didn't 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 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 Cow & Chicken;, Dr. John in Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, R.E.G.I.S. Mark V and Number 14 in Megas XLR, and Marcus the Mutant in Fallout 2. Dorn has also appeared in , a computer game loosely based on Frank Herbert's Dune novels, as the Duke of House Atreides.
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 planes, including an old Air Force T-33 Shooting Star trainer jet and a Sabreliner twin engine jet. The T-33 is often referred to as "his starship".
External links
- {} at the Internet Movie Database
- Michael_Dorn article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
