Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Benson actor Rene Auberjonois has died

Sad bit of news to report this Monday morning, as its been confirmed that THE PATRIOT and MCCABE & MRS. MILLER actor Rene Auberjonois has passed away.

Auberjonois was born into an artistic family on June 1, 1940 in NYC. The son of a Cold War era foreign correspondent and Pulitzer Prize nominated author, Rene Auberjonois moved around a lot as a child living everywhere from London, to France, and even the famous South Mountain Road artists colony in Rockland, NY. He was a 1962 graduate of the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University where he majored in theater.

Upon graduation, Auberjonois began his acting career in earnest starting off on the Arena Stage in Washington D.C.. before helping to found the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Auberjonois' big break came in 1968 when he starred in not one, but three Broadway plays alongside such acting greats as Frank Langella. The following year he played opposite Katharine Hepburn as Sebastian Baye in the play Coco, for which he won a Tony Award.

Rene Auberjonois' first film role finally came in 1970 where he starred as Father John Patrick "Dago Red" Mulcahy in MASH. Over the next forty-nine years, the New York City native would go on to star in over thirty films including KING KONG and BATMAN FOREVER. Auberjonois was also an accomplished voice actor, appearing in dozens of animated series including The Snorks, Pound Puppies, and Justice League.

However, Rene Auberjonois is probably best known for two key television roles. From 1980 to 1986 he starred opposite Robert Guillaume as Clayton Endicott III in the acclaimed show Benson. Then in the 1990s he landed his most famous role as Odo, a member of the Changeling species and head of security on the program Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Auberjonois died at home of lung cancer on December 8. He is survived by his wife of fifty-six years Judith and his two children.

Rest in peace Mr. Auberjonois.