Robert O'Reilly

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates {{#invoke:Other people|otherPeople}} Template:Infobox person Robert O'Reilly (born March 25, 1950) is an American film, stage, and television actor who has appeared in a variety of roles. He appeared in the Star Trek franchise for over ten years, primarily in his recurring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Chancellor Gowron, the leader of the Klingon Empire. He has also appeared in over 100 films and television episodes, and has acted on Broadway and at Carnegie Hall. His links with the Colony Theatre Company resulted in his receiving a Drama-Logue Award in 1981 for directing the play Getting Out.

Career

O'Reilly has appeared in over a hundred films and television episodes, primarily as either the antagonist or as a villain. The television series he has appeared in include Cheers, Darkroom, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy, Sledge Hammer!, MacGyver, In the Heat of the Night, NYPD Blue, and twice in Dallas.<ref name=startrekbio/> His film appearances include the Jim Carrey film The Mask.<ref name=startrekbio/> He has retired from acting.<ref name=catchingup>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Star Trek

File:Riverside Trek Fest 2014 (14349292930).jpg

O'Reilly (sitting) as Gowron, with J. G. Hertzler as Martok, at the Riverside Trek Fest in 2014

O'Reilly made his first appearance in the Star Trek franchise with an appearance in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Manhunt".<ref name=startrekbio>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The character he played in that episode has been referred to both as "Tough guy" and "Scarface".<ref name=startrekbio/><ref name="nemecek145">Nemecek (2003): p. 145</ref> He was then cast as the Klingon Gowron in the episode "Reunion" which saw the character become the new Chancellor of the Klingon Empire.<ref name=startrekbio/> O'Reilly had just finished appearing on stage as Edmund in King Lear and saw similarities between the two characters which resulted in him basing Gowron upon the Shakespearian character.<ref name=catchingup/> The episode was directed by TNG cast member Jonathan Frakes, and O'Reilly later said that he thought he was hired both for the sense of curiosity he brought to the role and a piercing, unsettling gaze he and others referred to as "that crazy loon eyeball thing".<ref name=catchingup/>

He went on to appear as Gowron over the course of the next decade in several further episodes of The Next Generation, as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also filmed segments for the video game Star Trek: Klingon,<ref name=startrekbio/> which was also directed by Frakes.<ref name=catchingup/> The game was the first Star Trek game to use real actors,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and was awarded the Sci-Fi Universe Reader's Choice Universe Award for Best Achievement in Genre Multi-Media.<ref name=startrekbio/> At the time of filming the game, he had heard a rumour that Michael Dorn was joining the cast of Deep Space Nine. Given the relationship between Gowron and Dorn's character, Worf, O'Reilly thought that this might lead to his return to a Star Trek television series too. Both Dorn and O'Reilly reprised their characters together in the series four opening episode "The Way of the Warrior".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> O'Reilly also appeared as a different Klingon in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive VCR Board Game, a video cassette-based board game.<ref name=startrekbio/><ref name=catchingup/> His likeness was used for three action figures, a life-size poster and several lithographs.<ref name=startrekbio/>

After the end of Deep Space Nine, O'Reilly made one further appearance in Star Trek as the character Kago-Darr in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Bounty". He was thankful for the role, as he felt that the writers and producers of the show had created it for him specifically as his family was trying to adapt following the birth of his triplets.<ref name=catchingup/> After his retirement from acting, he continues to attend Star Trek conventions, including performing in character as Gowron alongside J. G. Hertzler as fellow Klingon Martok.<ref name=catchingup/> In 2020, he reprised the voice of Gowron and the Klingon Aakar, an ancestor of Gowron's, in the video game Star Trek Online.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Theatre

O'Reilly has appeared on Broadway in the revival of The Tavern, and also appeared off-Broadway in The Promise and at Carnegie Hall in / by Nam June Paik.<ref name=colonybio/> He is currently associated with the Colony Theatre Company as an actor and director. He first became involved with the theatre company about a year after its founding.<ref name=colonybio/> Amongst these was Getting Out by Marsha Norman,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> for which he was awarded a Drama-Logue Award and nominated for an award by the Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle in 1981.<ref name=startrekbio/><ref name=colonybio/> He directed Generations by Dennis Clontz, which was runner up to the American Theatre Critics' Association award for best new play outside of New York.<ref name=startrekbio/><ref name=colonybio/>

Filmography

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Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
1979	Fantasy Island	Gustav	1 episode	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1981	Archie Bunker's Place	Thug	1 episode	<ref name=":0" />
1981	Flamingo Road		1 episode	<ref name=":0" />
1981	CHiPs	Ryan	1 episode	<ref name=":0" />
1981	The Incredible Hulk	Sonny	Episode: "Patterns" Template:Small	<ref name=":0" />
1981	McClain's Law	Carl	1 episode	<ref name=":0" />
1981	Darkroom	Sebastian	1 episode	<ref name=":0" />
1982	World War III	Maj. Veigh	TV miniseries	<ref name=":0" />
1982	The Phoenix	Dolfo	1 episode	<ref name=":0" />
1982	Father Murphy	Clete Walker	1 episode	<ref name=":0" />
1983	Bring 'Em Back Alive	Rolf Schuller	1 episode	<ref name=":0" />
1983	Voyagers!	Klaus	1 episode	<ref name=":0" />
1983	The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour	Man with the gun	TV movie	<ref name=":0" />
1982–1984	The Fall Guy	Troy / Ice / Delaney	3 episodes	<ref name=":0" />
1983–1985	T. J. Hooker	Sheehan / Jack Riker	2 episodes	<ref name=":0" />
1984–1985	Knight Rider	Synder / Jack Simpson	2 episodes	<ref name=":0" />
1984	Hill Street Blues	Nolan	Episode: "Nichols from Heaven"	<ref name=":0" />
1986	Highway to Heaven	Cal	Episode: "The Torch" Template:Small
1986	The Equalizer	Fur Collar Man	Episode: "Dead Drop" Template:Small	<ref name=":0" />
1986	The Equalizer	Chance	Episode: "Tip on a Sure Thing" Template:Small	<ref name=":0" />
1986-1987	Sledge Hammer!	Ganger / Assassin	2 episodes	<ref name=":0" />
1989	Star Trek: The Next Generation	Scarface	Episode: "Manhunt"	<ref name=":0" />
1990–1993	Star Trek: The Next Generation	Gowron	Template:Hidden	<ref name=":0" />
1991	The Flash	Victor Kelso	Episode "Fast Forward" Template:Small
1992-1993	In The Heat of the Night	Carl DeLissa	2 Episodes	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1993	Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive VCR Board Game	Kavok	Video game	<ref name=":0" />
1994	The Mask	The Figure	Film
1996	Star Trek: Klingon	Gowron	Video game	<ref name=":0" />
1998	Star Trek: The Next Generation: Klingon Honor Guard	Gowron (voice)	Video game	<ref name=":0" />
1994–1999	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine	Gowron	Template:Hidden	<ref name=":0" />
1999	The Omega Code	Technician	Film
2003	Star Trek: Enterprise	Kago-Darr	Episode: "Bounty"	<ref name=":0" />
2003	Star Trek: Elite Force II	Krindo (voice)	Video game	<ref name=":0" />
2010	Star Trek Online	Aakar (voice)	Video game	<ref name=":0" />
Template:TBA	Star Crew: The Protocols of Urbiessa		Also known as "The Circuit"	<ref name=":0" />

Personal life

O'Reilly's wife Judy gave birth to triplet sons Jack, Michael and Joseph in 1997. The family reside in Burbank, California.<ref name=colonybio>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> O'Reilly's hobbies include golf and baseball.<ref name=startrekbio/>

References

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if:

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