Today in Star Trek History: Richard Kiley Is Born
Images: Paramount.
“The voice you’re now hearing is Richard Kiley. We spared no expense.” – John Hammond
MARCH 31, 2023 – His film career goes back to 1951, when he appeared in The Mob, with Broderick Crawford. He also made many appearances on stage and television, including his Tony Award winning performance as both Don Quixote and Miguel Cervantes in Man of La Mancha and his Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy winning appearance as Paddy Cleary in The Thorn Birds.
Today in Star Trek history we celebrate the birthday of the great actor, singer, and narrator, Richard Kiley.
Star Trek fans know Kiley from his performance as the terraformer, artist, and author and one of the Federation’s greatest minds (just ask him), Gideon Seyetik. You’ll find that performance in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s second season episode, “Second Sight.”
Kiley was born in Chicago in 1922 and briefly attended Loyola University but, according to The Independent, "seceded after a set-to with a particularly belligerent cleric. I decided that in the process of inclusion there is also a process of exclusion, and I don't believe in that. I don't like groups of any kind - not political or religious." He went to drama school, served in the United States Navy, and worked in radio soap operas before heading to New York to join the Actors’ Workshop. He made his New York stage debut in Misalliance (1953) and had already made his television debut in 1950 in The Clock, the suspense/anthology series based on an ABC radio series which ran from 1946-48.
Kiley’s unmistakable voice served him well as a narrator, from the voice of The Cosmos in Howard the Duck to National Geographic specials, PBS’s Planet Earth, and, of course, the tour guide in Jurassic Park. (He was also named in Michael Crichton’s novel and narrated the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride at the Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando. Thus he was the only person to appear in the book, film, and ride.)
Some of Kiley’s other genre work included appearances in Night Gallery (1969), The Twilight Zone (1986), and The Ray Bradbury Theater (1991).
Richard Kiley’s final acting role was in the 1999 television movie, Blue Moon, which aired the month after his death.
But today we celebrate what would have been the 101st birthday of Richard Paul Kiley. And we’re sparing no expense.
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.
