David Warner, vetetran actor and Star Trek guest star, dies
David Warner in his many STAR TREK roles
"I offer a toast. The undiscovered country … the future." – Chancellor Gorkon
JULY 26, 2022 - From playing Hamlet to quoting from Hamlet, he built a long career in stage, film, and television, embodying characters ranging from Frankenstein’s creature and Professor Abraham Van Helsing to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Bob Cratchit. David Warner, the Bafta-nominated, Emmy-winning actor, has died at the age of 80, from a cancer-related illness.
According to the BBC, Warner trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and was renowned early on for his title roles in Hamlet and Henry VI with the Royal Shakespeare Company. As Star Trek fans know, he would go on to quote Hamlet as Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and to torture Captain Jean-Luc Picard as Gul Madred in “Chain of Command, Parts I and II,” from season six of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He would also reprise the voice of Gorkon for the Star Trek: Klingon Academy video game.
Warner’s other genre work included roles in such productions as The Omen, Batman Beyond, TRON, and Doctor Who audio plays.
Warner is remembered as “a kind-hearted, generous and compassionate man, partner and father, whose legacy of extraordinary work has touched the lives of so many over the years.” For more on his life and career, head over to the BBC.
Please join all of us in offering our condolences to the friends and family of David Hattersley Warner.
David is a contributing writer for Daily Star Trek News on the Roddenberry Podcast Network. He is a librarian, baseball fan, and book and movie buff. He has also written for American Libraries and Skeptical Inquirer. David also enjoys diverse music, but leans toward classical and jazz. He plays a mean radio.
