Michael Dorn

Imposing (6'5"), solidly-built African-American actor, primarily on TV, who enjoyed a breakthrough role when he was cast as a Klingon member of the starship Enterprise crew, Lieutenant Worf, on the hit syndicated series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987-94). Intensive makeup was applied to transform Dorn into Worf, complete with ridged forehead. Dorn's stern manner and simmering anger in the role played across his character's surface, while simultaneously implying that the Klingon's inherently warlike nature had been channeled into altruistic ambitions. Dorn also played another Klingon role, that of an unnamed defense attorney, in the feature "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991), which toplined the cast of the original "Trek" series. He reprised the role of Worf on the syndicated "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" from 1995 to 1999 and appeared in each of the big-screen adventures of the "Next Generation" crew, "Star Trek: Generations" (1994), "Star Trek: First Contact" (1996), "Star Trek: Insurrection" (1998) and "Star Trek: Nemesis" (2002). He also branched out into directing TV episodes of the franchise spin-offs "Deep Space Nine" and "Enterprise" while continuing to appear in films and TV series -- including "The Guardian" and "The Santa Claus 2" -- while also enjoying a lucrative sideline as a voice actor for animated cartoons, commericals and TV narration.