The man who played Kang in three iterations of “Star Trek,” Michael Ansara, has died, according to his former agent.
Ansara was 91. He has starred in over 189 films and television series and earned over $8 million throughout his career. His first roles he was paid only $100 in the 1940’s. The veteran character actor was probably best known for playing the Klingon leader in the original “Star Trek” series, then again in the legendary sci-fi series “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Voyager.” Ansara ended his life in his home of Calabassas California. He was married to I Dream of Jeanie Star Barbara Eden, the couple divorced in 1974 after having a song Matthew. Unfortunately their son passed in 2001 from a drug overdose. In 1977 he married Beverly Kushida and the couple were still married at the time of his death.
The actor has had a long career since the golden ages of Hollywood but he had humble beginnings far from the Hollywood hills. Michael Ansara was born in Syria in 1922 and his family migrated to America when he was 2 years old. He was raised in Massachusetts. His family enrolled him in acting classes as a teen to help him battle his social anxiety. It inspired him to become an actor which led him to enroll in Los Angeles City College. His first acting experience came in the film Action in Arabia with a small walk on role. He was paid only $25. In 1945 he earned his Bachelors degree in Arts which helped catapult his acting career. Ansara’s first role was in several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents followed by Broken Arrows in 1956. But his most notable role would come in 1966 when he was cast in the long running series Star Trek. He reprised his role in the 1993 film version Deep Space Nine. He has also made appearances in the classic television series Batman as Mr. Freeze.
Michael Ansara has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6666 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. Following his son’s death he retired from acting to focus on his family.
