Sadly, legendary character actor René Auberjonois was reported to have died December 8th. The cause of death was metastatic lung cancer; he was 79. Auberjonois was one of the stars of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999), playing the shapeshifter Odo. He was one of Hollywood’s most prolific character actors, with at least 228 credits to his name–and that’s not counting all the theatre work he did. In addition to his live-action work, he often worked as a voice actor, most notably as the hilariously violent Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid (1989).

One of Auberjonois's most famous roles, the shapeshifter Odo

Auberjonois was remembered by his fellow cast and crew members and fans alike on social media, with many tweets lauding him for his kind and compassionate nature as well as his incredible career. He was working until his death, with one last credit, Cortex, being scheduled for release in 2020.

Auberjonois’s career began with the movie MASH (1970), directed by Robert Altman, which was the inspiration for the eventual TV series of the same name starring Alan Alda. He was a frequent convention guest. Additionally, he appeared in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine documentary What We Left Behind in 2018.

René Auberjonois will be remembered for a long and excellent career as one of film and television’s favorite character actors, as well as for his career in theatre. He will be sorely missed.