Actor Tony Todd, a film and television veteran who appeared in three different Star Trek series playing multiple roles, has passed away at age 69. He died on Wednesday at his home in Marina Del Rey, California according to his wife Fatima in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday, when the news of his passing was first reported.
RIP Tony Todd
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1954, Tony Todd grew up in Connecticut, eventually training as an actor at the Artists Collective before beginning a storied career on screen and stage, including Broadway. His credits includes hundreds of film and television roles dating back to the 1980s, with early standouts including a part in the 1986 Best Picture Oscar-winning Vietnam War movie Platoon. Todd appeared in several other high-profile films including 1996’s’ The Rock. He was particularly well-known for genre roles, especially horror, including playing the villain in the 1992 classic Candyman, earning him a nomination from Critics Choice Awards. He also appeared in several entries from the Final Destination series of films, including the upcoming Final Destination: Bloodlines.
Todd’s television credits are even more extensive with dozens of roles in a variety of series including a guest spot on the sitcom Night Court, a regular role in the soap The Young and the Restless, co-starring in the western mini-series Black Fox with Christopher Reeve, and recurring roles in the police drama Homicide: Life on the Street and the spy show Chuck. His TV credits also leaned towards genre with guest and recurring roles in The Flash, Stargate SG-1, Xena: Warrior Princess, Smallville, and more. He also also lent his distinctive voice to several animated series and video games, including 2023’s Spider-Man 2 as Venom.
Tony Todd as Kurn in TNG “Sins of The Father”
Star Trek fans are familiar with Todd for appearing in six episodes from the franchise, include three episodes of The Next Generation and one episode of Deep Space Nine as Kurn, Klingon brother of Worf, beginning with the episode “Sins of The Father” in 1990. Todd appeared without makeup in the acclaimed 1995 Deep Space Nine episode “The Visitor,” playing an older Jake Sisko. His final TV appearance in the franchise was in 1998, as a Hirogen Alpha in the Voyager episode “Prey.” In 2019 Todd appeared as a Moclan Delegate in Seth MacFarlane’s TNG-homage show The Orville.
Tony Todd as older Jake Sisko in DS9 “The Visitor”
Todd reprised his role as Kurn for the 1998 video game Star Trek: The Next Generation: Klingon Honor Guard. He also was part of 2003’s Star Trek: Elite Force II and in 2017 he voiced Kurn (General Rodek) for Star Trek: Online.
In a 1998 interview with Woosh, Todd said “The Visitor” was his favorite Star Trek appearance. In the same interview he credited Trek for giving him “access to the fan world.” In a 2014 interview (via The Burnettwork, seen below) Todd talked about how his “personal growth” as an actor was “solidified” by Star Trek.
Todd has continued to work consistently, including appearing in four films and voicing for two animated television shows and a video game in the last couple of years. He will also be heard in the upcoming Indiana Jones video game. He can be seen below at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 panel.
Toddy Todd is survived by his wife and two children. TrekMovie offers our condolences to the friends and family of Tony Todd.
So sad, but did you forget to post about Patti Yasutake (Nurse Alyssa Ogawa) who passed away in August?
Really??
They posted about it at all their social media pages.
Maybe but she deserved to be here too.
First thing I thought off. Poor Patti
What a great guy. Kurn is one of the all time great supporting characters in Trek. Tony Todd was **everywhere** growing up watching TV & movies in the 80s & 90s.
He was a fantastic character actor and it was great having him on Trek.
I always thought that Arnold Moss had given Trek its most eloquent, theatrical guest star turn as Anton Karidian, but that crown may well have passed to Tony Todd after “The Visitor.” Sad to see him go, but he’s in franchise Valhalla with that performance.
Yeah, Kurn was a strong, memorable performance, but Todd’s turn as an old Jake Sisko broke my heart.
Sin of the father was season 3 of TNG? I am wondering if Tony Todd was really the first guest star who really made TNG cast up their game. I seem to be in a minority of people who prefer TNG season 1 to season 2, there were various guest stars in those 2 seasons but none come to mind (other than Remmick on “conspiracy”!!) but really Todd IMO was not giving an inch to Michael Dorn, who responded likewise. Those 2 and the writing from Moore really gave us the Klingons again in Star Trek and they continued to be awesome all through the 24th Century Berman era shows. Todd was bad-ass as Kurn and I think it was a turning point for what the right guest actor could do in a well written story
Agreed. Those two actors in turtleheads plus a strong Ron Moore Klingon script. That whole thing set the stage for Trek’s slow, reluctant creep into serialized storytelling. And yeah, Todd gave Dorn no room for comfort in that episode. Those men must’ve had such fun shooting that.
Oh, I think the actress playing worfs baby momma and selar was definitely upping the game.
While I love Tony Todd, I feel a need to note that seasons 1 and 2 had some fantastic guest actor performances:
True, but apart from Suzie Plaskson who is also GREAT how many of them did we ever see again? They returned to Kurn and Tony Todd for a reason. He is by far the breakout guest star. I rate him above John De Lancie now because I am seeing that for the most part De Lancie’s Q was not such a well written character until after Season 3. The strange thing is, De Lancie was the best he ever was IMO in Season 2 of PICARD and that show was the lowest point of the franchise. Well it wasn’t even Star Trek really but he was superb.
We saw four of the eleven again. :) But I do take your meaning.
Q was at his best in Deja Q and Tapestry.
And it is even more to Todd’s credit, given he was working under the usual lousy plasticky old age makeup. Suppose I should finally see him in the living dead remake.
It’s a great movie. Watching it this evening in his honor.
The Visitor was such a great ep and so full of heart!!!
I just rewatched CONSCIENCE for the 1st time in maybe 15 years and Moss’ ‘I am tired!’ really popped. Plus the show has a nice music cue when the phaser is on overload in Kirk’s quarters. But still there’s something about the show that doesn’t connect for me, probably because it feels a little too raw and unfinished, despite having one of the first significant McCoy/Spock exchanges. (the garden variety of spray bottle used to poison Riley doesn’t help much either, nor the ‘set phaser on heart attack/not vaporize’ finale.) But at least it does firmly come down in the ‘kirk has a decision to make’ category, which is nearly always a major plus in my book.
The Visitor isn’t just great Trek, it’s among the best television drama, showcasing Mr. Todd’s talent. Rest easy …..
It’s my all-time favorite Star Trek episode.
The look in his eyes when he is about to die and he sees sisko made me really believe he was about to be a kid again and see his father and that everything was going to be ok.
But also, I have to point out, it seems that in the future alternate Jake lived, the Dominion War never seemed to have happened.
The Dominion was probably able to to take power more covertly in that timeline, since their Martok Changeling wouldn’t have been discovered.
i think the writers had not worked out the impact the dominion would have at that stage so did not include them in this story.
One thing is for sure, in that timeline we would have never gotten our *ITS A FAAAAKE!* moment!
That could be too. Maybe the dominion was their own version of Section 31 in that timeline.
No Words.
This one hurts. He was such a nice person.
I wish I had gotten a chance to meet the man!
RIP Mr Todd and best wishes to your family and friends. Why are we losing so many of our Trek family lately?? :(. He was truly a man who could go toe to toe with Worf in every episode he was in!
Oh man, this is sad. I still remember watching him as Candyman and my first real introduction to him.
And The Visitor will not just be one of his best performances but still probably one of the best Star Trek episodes of all time.
RIP brotha.
I first saw him in Platoon and The Crow, with the latter where he was menacing. He will be missed. RIP
He was such an incredibly gifted actor, and always seemed like such a nice guy too. I always loved it when he was on an episode. RIP
Everytime I watch “The Visitor” I cry. Tony was amazing in that episode and his performance was what I immediately thought of when I heard he had passed. Let’s hope Kurn’s ascendance to Stovokor is greeted by Kahless and a few pain sticks! KaPlah!
He was GREAT. I loved all his Star Trek roles, and his X-Files episode. He was fun in ‘The Rock’ as well with Sean Connery and Nick Cage.
Sad to see this news. Aside from maybe Jeffrey Combs, I can’t think of a more valuable Trek guest actor. He gave Kurn real depth in limited opportunities and his turn as Jake Sisko in The Visitor is one of the greatest acting performances in the history of Trek. An incredibly distinctive and instantly recognizable voice. RIP.
Tony Todd is one of those actors I wanted to see in more things… and yet he was incredibly prolific and in-demand. I just needed to hear that voice more and more. He had fantastic range and his contributions to Trek will be beloved forever.
What a sweet man he was. Perfect casting for the role of Kurn. But he knocked it out of the park in “The Visitor”. I rarely feel sad, when an actor passes, but this is different. It feels like he has always been with me. 😢
So devastating. I always hoped to meet him. He was truly one of the greats.
RIP Tony Todd! This is a sad day. What an amazing artist.
Very sad.
RIP to Terri Garr too.
This might be too shallow for some, but to me he was definitely THE MOST HANDSOME Klingons of all! 😎✨️
Rest in Power, Tony Todd! 💪🏾🪽
Great actor, seemed a gentle, humble guy. RIP.
The man deserves a Klingon death howl, and I mean that with the greatest respect. Played one of the best Klingons and made me cry in “The Visitor.” I always got excited seeing him in anything.
Great actor. RIP!
A truly gifted actor. He will be missed. RIP Tony.
A legend.
This is sad news — and very unexpected.
Tony Todd brought his blazing charisma to every superbly-acted performance as Kurn, whether it involved portaying him as the Klingon aristocrat and dynamic warrior, or as the drunk and despondent younger brother quietly weeping while pouring his heart out to Worf. It was a masterclass in making a character realistic and nuanced. Hopefully one of the future Trek shows can mention Kurn in a suitably honourable way, as a tribute to Mr Todd.
We all know about the emotional impact of “The Visitor” too, of course, an episode that is now even more poignant.
My sincere condolences to Tony Todd’s family and friends.
Yeah this is sad news for sure. Even though I first saw him in TNG , it was Candyman that I first remembered him (and not being under Klingon makeup helps). I have seen him in various other movies and shows but of course being a Trek fan is where his work stands out the most.
I actually forgot he was on Voyager and played one of the first Hirogen. I remembered how excited I was when he was rumored to be in Discovery. I remembered him being one of the first potential actors on the show.
Tony Todd was a great actor and person. I’m going to rewatch The Visitor which I’m sure many have in the last few days.
RIP