“Star Trek,” “The Little Mermaid” Actor René Auberjonois Passes Away at 79

René Auberjonois, an actor known for his role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and voice work in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, passed away on December 8 in his home in Los Angeles due to metastatic lung cancer, according to the Washington Post.

  • Auberjonois was also known for his roles in the television series Benson and the 1970 film M.A.S.H.
  • Auberjonois was a character actor in theater, film and television through the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
  • The actor was born in  in New York City on June 1, 1940 and was raised in New York, Paris and London.
  • He graduated from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1962 before joining various theater companies around the county, eventually landing three roles on Broadway in 1968.
  • He later won a Tony Award for best actor for his role in Coco, a play on the life of designer Coco Chanel.
  • Later in his career, Auberjonois did most of his work in voice-over, including his role as the French chef in Disney’s The Little Mermaid in 1989.
  • He also went on to be a regular in the ABC dramady Boston Legal from 2004 to 2008.
  • Auberjonois is survived by his wife of 56 years, the former Judith Mihalyi; his daughter, Tessa Auberjonois; his son, Rèmy-Luc Auberjonois; two sisters; and three grandchildren.