René Murat Auberjonois (; June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was an American actor and director. He was best known for portraying Odo on ''

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

'' (1993–1999). He first achieved fame as a stage actor, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 1970 for his portrayal of Sebastian Baye opposite

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

in the

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

Alan Jay Lerner Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre b ...

musical '' Coco''. He went on to earn three more Tony nominations for performances in

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

's '' The Good Doctor'' (1973),

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country and pop hits " King of the Road", " Dang Me", and "Eng ...

's '' Big River'' (1985), and

Cy Coleman Cy Coleman (born Seymour Kaufman; June 14, 1929 – November 18, 2004) was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist. Life and career Coleman was born Seymour Kaufman in New York City, United States, to Eastern European Jewish parents ...

's '' City of Angels'' (1989); he won a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

for ''Big River''. A screen actor with more than 200 credits, Auberjonois was most famous for portraying characters in the main casts of several long-running television series, including Clayton Endicott III on '' Benson'' (1979–1986), for which he was an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominee, and Paul Lewiston on ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 200 ...

'' (2004–2008). In films, Auberjonois portrayed

Father Mulcahy This is a list of characters from the '' M*A*S*H'' franchise, covering the various fictional characters appearing in the novel '' MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors'' and its sequels, the 1970 film adaptation of the novel, and the televisi ...

in the film version of ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. T ...

'' (1970); the expedition scientist Roy Bagley in ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'' (1976); Chef Louis in '' The Little Mermaid'' (1989), in which he sang "

Les Poissons "Les Poissons" (in French "les poissons" simply means "the fishes") is a song from the 1989 film '' The Little Mermaid'', which is sung in the film and in ''The Little Mermaid'' Broadway show by the character Chef Louis. Chef Louis is voiced by Re ...

"; and Reverend Oliver in '' The Patriot'' (2000). In the American animated musical comedy film '' Cats Don't Dance'' (1997), Auberjonois voiced Flanagan. Auberjonois performed as a voice actor in a number of popular video games. He provided the voice of Janos Audron in the ''

Legacy of Kain ''Legacy of Kain'' is a series of dark fantasy action-adventure video games primarily developed by Crystal Dynamics and formerly published by Eidos Interactive, then Square Enix Europe after 2009. The first title, '' Blood Omen: Legacy of Kai ...

'' series (2001–2003); the enigmatic Mr. House in '' Fallout: New Vegas'' (2010); Karl Schafer in the ''

Uncharted ''Uncharted'' is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. Created by Amy Hennig, the ''Uncharted'' franchise follows a group of treasure hunters who travel across th ...

'' video game series; and Odo in '' Star Trek Online'' (2018 expansion).

Early life

Auberjonois was born June 1, 1940 in New York City. His father, Swiss-born

Fernand Auberjonois Fernand Auberjonois (25 September 1910 – 27 August 2004) was a Swiss-American journalist who worked as the foreign correspondent of the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' and the ''Toledo Blade''. Throughout most of the Cold War, Auberjonois was one o ...

, was a

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

-era foreign correspondent and

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

-nominated writer. Auberjonois' mother, Laure Louise Napoléone Eugénie Caroline Murat, was a great-great-granddaughter of

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...

(one of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

's marshals and

King of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou In 1382, the Kin ...

during the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...

), and his wife—Napoleon's youngest sister— Caroline Bonaparte. Auberjonois had a sister and a brother, and two half-sisters from his mother's first marriage. Auberjonois wrote that his French family name, an uncommon one in the United States, means "

armorer Historically, an armourer is a person who makes personal armour, especially plate armour. In modern terms, an armourer is a member of a military or police force who works in an armoury and maintains and repairs small arms and weapons system ...

." Auberjonois' grandfather, also René Auberjonois, was a Swiss

post-Impressionist Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction ag ...

painter. His maternal grandmother, Hélène Macdonald Stallo, was an American from

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

, Ohio; his maternal grandfather's mother was a Russian noblewoman, Eudoxia Michailovna Somova, and his maternal grandfather's paternal grandmother, Caroline Georgina Fraser, who was the wife of Prince Napoleon Lucien Charles Murat, was an American from

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. Auberjonois' family moved to Paris after World War II. After a few years in France, the family moved back to the United States and joined the South Mountain Road artists' colony in

Rockland County, New York Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of ...

, whose residents included Burgess Meredith,

John Houseman John Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanian-born British-American actor and producer of theatre, film, and television. He became known for his highly publicized collaboration with directo ...

, and Lotte Lenya. The Auberjonois family also lived for a time in London, where Auberjonois completed high school while studying theatre. To complete his education, he attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

), and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of Fine Arts in 1962.

Career

Theatre

After college, Auberjonois worked with several different theatre companies, beginning at the prestigious

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

in Washington, D.C., and then he traveled between Los Angeles, California, and New York, working in numerous theatre productions. He helped found the

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The Americ ...

in San Francisco, the

Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a 739-seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center designed by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of Downtown Los Angeles. Named for real estate developer Mark Taper, the Forum, the neighborin ...

in Los Angeles, and the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

Repertory Company in New York City. He was a member of the Peninsula Players summer theater program during the 1962 season. In 1968, Auberjonois landed a role on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, and appeared in three plays that season: as Fool to Lee J. Cobb's ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

'' (the longest running production of the play in Broadway history), as Ned in '' A Cry of Players'' (which played in repertory with King Lear), opposite

Frank Langella Frank A. Langella Jr. (; born January 1, 1938) is an American stage and film actor. He has won four Tony Awards: two for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his performance as Richard Nixon in Peter Morgan's '' Frost/Nixon'' and as André in Flor ...

, and as Marco in ''Fire!'' In 1969, he earned a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

for his performance as Sebastian Baye alongside

in '' Coco''. He received Tony nominations for his roles in

's '' The Good Doctor'' (1973) opposite Christopher Plummer; as the Duke in '' Big River'' (1984), winning a

; and, memorably, as Buddy Fidler/Irwin S. Irving in '' City of Angels'' (1989), written by Larry Gelbart and

. Auberjonois' other

appearances included Malvolio in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' (1972); Scapin in ''Tricks'' (1973); Mr. Samsa in ''

Metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

'' (1989); Professor Abronsius in '' Dance of the Vampires'', the English-language version of

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

's musical adaptation of ''Tanz der Vampire''; and Jethro Crouch in ''

Sly Fox ''Sly Fox'' is a comedic play by Larry Gelbart, based on Ben Jonson's ''Volpone'' (''The Fox''), updating the setting from Renaissance Venice to 19th century San Francisco, and changing the tone from satire to farce. The play revolves around the ...

'' (2004), for which he was nominated for Outstanding Featured Actor In A Play, an

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newsp ...

. Auberjonois appeared many times at the

, notably as

Malvolio Malvolio is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's comedy '' Twelfth Night, or What You Will''. His name means "ill will" in Italian, referencing his disagreeable nature. He is the vain, pompous, authoritarian steward of Olivia's house ...

in ''Twelfth Night'' and as

Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( Alekseyev; russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Soviet Russian t ...

in ''Chekhov in Yalta''. As a member of the Second Drama Quartet, he toured with Ed Asner,

Dianne Wiest Dianne Evelyn Wiest (; born March 28, 1948) is an American actress. She has won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress for 1986’s '' Hannah and Her Sisters'' and 1994’s ''Bullets over Broadway'' (both of which were directed by Woo ...

, and Harris Yulin. He appeared in the

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and polit ...

and

work, ''Every Good Boy Deserves Favor'', at the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in Washington, D.C., and the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

in New York. He directed many theatrical productions, and starred in the Washington, D.C. production of ''

12 Angry Men ''Twelve Angry Men'' is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a ...

'' (2004), where he portrayed "Juror #5" to

Roy Scheider Roy Richard Scheider (; November 10, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supporting ...

's "#8" and Robert Prosky's "#3". He made his debut at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. in 2008 as the titular character in

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

's ''

The Imaginary Invalid ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' (French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act '' comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes (H.495, H.4 ...

''. He was on the advisory board of

Sci-Fest LA Sci-Fest LA (The Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival) is an annual festival featuring one-act plays in the science fiction genre, held in Los Angeles. It was co-founded by veteran Los Angeles theatre producers Michael Blaha and Lee Co ...

, the first annual Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival, held in May 2014. In 2018, Auberjonois was inducted into the

American Theater Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...

Films

Auberjonois played Father Mulcahy in the original film version of ''

''. His subsequent film roles included the gangster Tony in '' Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach'' (1988), and Reverend Oliver in '' The Patriot'' (2000). He made

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

s in a number of films, including: Dr. Burton, a mental asylum doctor patterned after

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

, in '' Batman Forever'' (1995), and a bird expert who gradually transforms into a bird in

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New ...

's 1970 film '' Brewster McCloud''. He appeared as Colonel West in the 1991 ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' film '' Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country''. His other notable film appearances include; '' McCabe & Mrs. Miller'' (1971), '' Images ''(1972), ''

Pete 'n' Tillie ''Pete 'n' Tillie'' is a 1972 American comedy-drama film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett. Its advertising tagline was: "Honeymoon's over. It's time to get married." Screenwriter Julius J. Epstein was nomin ...

'' (1972), '' The Hindenburg'' (1975), ''

'' (1976), '' The Big Bus'' (1976), '' Eyes of Laura Mars'' (1978), '' Where the Buffalo Roam'' (1980), ''

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People * Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) * Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California ...

'' (1987), '' My Best Friend Is a Vampire'' (1987), ''The Feud'' (1989), '' Inspector Gadget'' (1999), and '' Eulogy'' (2004). Auberjonois portrayed the character of Straight Hollander in the 1993

Miramax Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a lea ...

film '' The Ballad of Little Jo''. He voiced Professor Genius in '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'', Louis the Chef in the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and 2nd ''Little Mermaid'' films, Flanagan in '' Cats Don't Dance'', the Butler in '' Joseph: King of Dreams'', and the concierge in '' Planes: Fire & Rescue''. In 2019, Auberjonois portrayed the title role in '' Raising Buchanan'' as mediocre U.S. president

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

Television

Shimerman, Visitor and Auberjonois by Beth Madison, 2

In addition to having been a regular actor on three television shows ('' Benson'', a situation comedy; ''

'' in science fiction; and ''

'', a

legal Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...

comedy drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

), Auberjonois guest starred on many television series, including; ''

Nash Bridges ''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The s ...

'', ''

Ellery Queen Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve ...

'', ''

Family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

'', ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...

'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investiga ...

'', ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...

'', ''

Starsky & Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a ''Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by th ...

'', ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...

'', '' Harry O'', ''

The Jeffersons ''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, ...

'', '' The Outer Limits'', '' Night Gallery'', '' Hart to Hart'', '' Matlock'', ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...

'', '' The Bionic Woman'', ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

'', ''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...

'', ''

Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illino ...

'', '' The Bob Newhart Show'', '' Star Trek: Enterprise'', ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, ...

'', ''

Warehouse 13 ''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Syfy network, and was executive produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins for Universal Cable Productions. Describ ...

'', '' Archer'', '' L.A. Law'', ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy ...

'' (for which he received an Emmy nomination, playing a different character than the one he played on ''The Practice'' spinoff ''Boston Legal''), '' Saving Grace'', ''

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Char ...

'', ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis (writer), Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was r ...

'', '' NCIS'', '' The Good Wife'', '' The Librarians'', and '' Madam Secretary''. His television movie credits include '' The Rhinemann Exchange'', ''

The Dark Secret of Harvest Home ''The Dark Secret of Harvest Home'' is a 1978 American television horror-thriller miniseries, produced by Universal Television and directed by Leo Penn, that aired January 23–24, 1978 on NBC. The screenplay was based on the 1973 novel '' ...

'', Disney's ''

Geppetto Geppetto ( , ), also known as Mister Geppetto, is an Italian fictional character in the 1883 novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi. Geppetto is an elderly, impoverished woodcarver and the creator (and thus 'father') of Pinocch ...

'',

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and e ...

's ''Billy The Kid'', the remake of ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'', and the ''Sally Hemings: An American Scandal'' (2000) miniseries. He portrayed the character Fortunato in an episode of '' American Masters'' entitled "Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul" (1995). He received a third Emmy Award nomination for his performance in ABC's ''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow''. He played NASA scientist Dr. Felix Blackwell in the episode "Phoenix" on '' NCIS''. Auberjonois voiced animated roles, including characters on '' Snorks'', '' Batman: The Animated Series'', Leonard McLeish on '' Pound Puppies'' (2010), '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', Master Fung in the first episodes of '' Xiaolin Showdown'' (before being replaced by

Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...

), Azmuth on '' Ben 10: Omniverse'', Renard Dumont on '' The Legend of Tarzan'', ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics univers ...

'', '' Max Steel'', '' Fantastic Max'', ''

Challenge of the GoBots ''Challenge of the GoBots'' (or ''GoBots'' for short) is an American animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera, based on the GoBots toyline released from Tonka. The show was first broadcast in syndication on September 8, 1984, then the show joine ...

'' (as the treacherous "Dr. Braxis"), '' Archer'', '' Young Justice'', '' Random! Cartoons'', and '' Avengers Assemble''. He lent his voice talents to the 2001 Public Broadcasting System (PBS) '' American Experience'' documentary "Woodrow Wilson" as the title character, along with the 2003 PBS historical documentary '' Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites''. Auberjonois directed television shows, including ''

Marblehead Manor ''Marblehead Manor'' is an American sitcom that originally aired in first-run syndication from September 19, 1987 to May 28, 1988. It starred Paxton Whitehead, Phil Morris, Linda Thorson, Bob Fraser and Michael Richards. The series was a Dame ...

'', and various episodes of ''Deep Space Nine''.

Voice acting

Auberjonois was active in radio drama. He read "The Stunt" by Mordechai Strigler for the

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

(NPR) series ''Jewish Stories From the Old World to the New'', and he recorded novels on tape. On PRI, he was featured numerous times on '' Selected Shorts'', reading works of dramatic fiction. His voice was heard in Disney's '' The Little Mermaid'' (receiving alphabetical top billing as Louis the Chef and singing "Les Poissons"), and as The Skull in '' The Last Unicorn''. He did voice work on the ''Challenge of the GoBots'' series in 1980s as Dr. Braxis, He was the voice of Peter Parker on the 1972

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foun ...

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

LP "From Beyond the Grave" (BDS 5119), a radio-style narrative replete with sound effects and rock and roll song interludes provided by "The Webspinners", in which the characters of The Vulture,

The Lizard The Lizard ( kw, An Lysardh) is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; Lizard village, also known as The Lizard, is the most southerl ...

, Green Goblin, The Kingpin, Aunt May and

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

appeared. In 1984–1985, he lent his voice to DeSaad, an associate of the villainous

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby to serve as the primary antagonist of his "Fourth World (comics), Fourth World" metaseries, and was firs ...

on the animated series '' Super Friends''. From 1986 to 1987, he voiced Alvinar in the cartoons series ''

Wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

''. He also provided the voice of Professor Genius in '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland''. He provided the voice for Janos Audron, an ancient vampire in the ''

'' video game series; he was in ''

Soul Reaver 2 ''Soul Reaver 2'' is a 2001 action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. It is a sequel to '' Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver'' and the third game in the '' Legacy of Kain'' series. Originally devel ...

'', ''

Blood Omen 2 ''Blood Omen 2'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows and GameCube. It is the fourth title in the '' Legacy of Kain'' series and is the sequ ...

'', and '' Legacy of Kain: Defiance''. He provided the voice of Angler in the '' Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'' video game. He voice-played

General Zod General Zod is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly known as an adversary of the superhero Superman. The character, who first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), was created by Rob ...

in the Joseph Ruby-Kenneth Spears animated ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

'' series episode titled "The Hunter". Auberjonois provided minor character voices for '' Justice League'', reprising his role as Desaad, and parts such as 2003's "In Blackest Night," as Kanjar-Ro, a pirate testifying in the trial of the

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

, and as a fellow member of the

Green Lantern Corps Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic law enforcement organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing ...

in other episodes. In 2003, he provided the voice of Natori in the English dubbed version of semi-sequel to the

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

film '' Whisper of the Heart'', '' The Cat Returns''. He reprised an animated version of his character Odo from ''

'' in a cutaway joke in ''

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ch ...

''s '' Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story''. The cutaway featured a more humanoid-faced Odo threatening Stewie's alleged cousin

Quark A quark () is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei. All commonly ...

Griffin. Auberjonois also lent his voice to '' Skylanders: SuperChargers''. In 2011, he voiced villain Mark Desmond in

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

's '' Young Justice''. He was also the voice of Leonard McLeish in the '' Pound Puppies'' series,

Pepé Le Pew Pepé Le Pew is an animated character from the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons, introduced in 1945. Depicted as a French striped skunk, Pepé is constantly on the quest for love. However, his offensive ...

in 2011 on '' The Looney Tunes Show'', Azmuth in ''Ben 10: Omniverse'', and Ebony Maw in '' Avengers Assemble''.

Video games

One of Auberjonois' earliest forays into video game voice acting was the role of Janos Audron in ''

''; he continued to voice the character in subsequent releases in the ''

'' series. According to a behind-the-scenes featurette in ''Soul Reaver 2'', showing candid discussions among the voice actors during recording, he was surprised at the quality of the writing, asking, "This is for a video game?!" when the purpose of the recordings was brought to light. Auberjonois provided the voice of Karl Schäfer, the honourable German explorer in the video game '' Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'', and Mr. House, the reclusive New Vegas casino owner in the 2010 video game '' Fallout: New Vegas''. He also voiced Dr. Ignatio Mobius in '' Command & Conquer: Renegade''. He reprised his role as Odo in the game '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen''. In June, 2018 he reprised his role as Odo in the

massively multiplayer online role-playing game A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

'' Star Trek Online''.

Personal life

Auberjonois was married to his wife Judith Mihalyi from 1963 until his death in 2019. They had two children, Tessa and Remy.

Illness and death

In an interview with ''

Compassion & Choices Compassion & Choices is a nonprofit organization in the United States working to improve patient autonomy and individual choice at the end of life, including access to medical aid in dying. Its primary function is advocating for and ensuring acce ...

Magazine'', Judith Auberjonois revealed that René underwent chemotherapy for lung cancer in 2018. It was discovered in 2019 that the cancer had spread to his brain. Due to the potential for serious cognitive side effects, Auberjonois chose not to pursue the whole-brain radiation treatment suggested by his doctors. As a resident of California, Auberjonois decided to seek medical aid in dying under the California End of Life Option Act. On December 6, 2019, he spent his final hours with his family at his home in Los Angeles reminiscing over photos and listening to music. He then took the medication prescribed for assisted suicide and died at the age of 79. The California End of Life Option Act stipulates that death certificates should list the underlying terminal illness as the cause of death, rather than the use of life-ending medications. His cause of death was given as metastatic lung cancer.

Filmography

Live-action

Animation

Video games

''Deep Space Nine'' directorial credits

Book narrations

Auberjonois' voice talents also included book narrations.

The ''Pendergast'' novels

* ''

The Cabinet of Curiosities ''The Cabinet of Curiosities'' is a thriller novel by American writers Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, released on June 3, 2002 by Grand Central Publishing. This is the third installment in the Special Agent Pendergast series. Plot summary ...

'' (2002) * '' Still Life with Crows'' (2003) * ''Diogenes Trilogy'' ** '' Brimstone'' (2004) ** ''

Dance of Death The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ) (from the French language), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification of ...

'' (2005) ** ''

The Book of the Dead The ''Book of the Dead'' ( egy, 𓂋𓏤𓈒𓈒𓈒𓏌𓏤𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓅱𓇳𓏤, ''rw n(y)w prt m hrw(w)'') is an ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom ...

'' (2006) * '' The Wheel of Darkness'' (2007) * '' Cemetery Dance'' (2009) * ''Helen Trilogy'' ** '' Fever Dream'' (2010) ** '' Cold Vengeance'' (2011) ** '' Two Graves'' (2012) * ''

White Fire ''White Fire'' (also known as ''Vivre Pour Survivre'' and ''Le Diamant'') is a 1984 French- American-Italian- Turkish thriller film by Jean-Marie Pallardy. It stars Belinda Mayne, Robert Ginty, Fred Williamson, Gordon Mitchell and Jess Hahn. T ...

'' (2013) * '' Blue Labyrinth'' (2014) * ''

Crimson Shore ''Crimson Shore'' is a thriller novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The book was released on November 10, 2015, by Grand Central Publishing Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally estab ...

'' (2015) * ''

The Obsidian Chamber ''The Obsidian Chamber'' is a thriller novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The book was released on October 18, 2016 by Grand Central Publishing and is the sixteenth book in the Special Agent Pendergast Aloysius Xingu Leng Pendergas ...

'' (2016) * '' City of Endless Night'' (2018) * '' Verses for the Dead'' (2018)

Other books

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Auberjonois, Rene 1940 births 2019 suicides 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American people of Corsican descent American people of French descent American people of Russian descent American people of Swiss descent American television directors Audiobook narrators Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni Deaths by euthanasia Deaths from lung cancer in California Drama Desk Award winners House of Bonaparte Male actors from New York City Murat People from Boonville, California People from Rockland County, New York Tony Award winners