René Auberjonois

Biography

René Auberjonois (June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was a distinguished American actor celebrated for his versatile performances on both stage and screen. He is perhaps best known for his role as Odo in the acclaimed series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and as Clayton Endicott III on the sitcom Benson.

Auberjonois's career took off in the theater world, where he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 1970 for his captivating portrayal of Sebastian Baye alongside Katharine Hepburn in Coco, a musical by André Previn and Alan Jay Lerner. He received three additional Tony nominations for his exceptional performances in Neil Simon's The Good Doctor (1973), Roger Miller's Big River (1985), and Cy Coleman's City of Angels (1989), securing a Drama Desk Award for his work in Big River.

With over 200 screen credits, Auberjonois was a familiar face in several long-running TV series, including his Emmy-nominated role as Clayton Endicott III on Benson (1980–1986) and later as Paul Lewiston on Boston Legal (2004–2008). His film career featured notable roles in several Robert Altman films, including Father John Mulcahy in M*A*S*H (1970) and Chef Louis in Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989), where he performed the memorable song "Les Poissons." Additionally, Auberjonois lent his voice to characters in animated films like Cats Don't Dance (1997) and contributed his talents to various video games and animated series.