- Born in a small village in Syria, Michael Ansara came to the United States with his American parents at the age of two, living in New England, until the family's relocation to California ten years later. He entered Los Angeles City College with the intention of becoming a doctor, but got sidetracked into the dramatics department. A stint at the Pasadena Playhouse (where fellow students included Charles Bronson, Carolyn Jones and Aaron Spelling) led to roles on stage and in films; the starring role (as Cochise) on the popular television series Broken Arrow (1956) elevated Ansara to stardom.
During the series' run, he met actress Barbara Eden on a date arranged by the 20th Century-Fox publicity department; the two later married. He played the Klingon commander Kang on three Star Trek television series: Star Trek (1966), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Star Trek: Voyager (1995). He also played Buck Rogers' evil adversary Kane on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979), and provided the voice of Mr. Freeze on Batman: The Animated Series (1992) and its spin-offs. Michael Ansara died at age 91 from complications of Alzheimer's disease in his home in Calabasas, California on July 31, 2013.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tom Weaver <TomWeavr@aol.com>
- SpousesBeverly Kushida(June 4, 1977 - July 31, 2013) (his death)Barbara Eden(January 17, 1958 - May 25, 1974) (divorced, 1 child)Jean Byron(May 15, 1949 - October 3, 1956) (divorced)
- Children
- Deep authoritative voice
- Often played brooding, menacing villains
- Often played Native American characters
- Following his death, he was interred with his son Matthew Ansara at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles, California.
- On Monday, June 25, 2001, his son Matthew Ansara (with second wife Barbara Eden) died of an accidental drug overdose at age 35. His body was found in his car in a parking lot off a freeway in Los Angeles, California.
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6666 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
- Early in his career, he was identified as being an Egyptian. In fact, he was born in Syria of Lebanese extraction and has no connection with Egypt at all.
- Along with Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Armin Shimerman, John de Lancie, Richard Poe and Mark Allen Shepherd, he was one of only seven actors to play the same character in three different live-action "Star Trek" series. He played Kang in Star Trek (1966), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Star Trek: Voyager (1995).
- That has been one of the best, most rewarding things about being an actor -- traveling throughout the world, meeting all kinds of different people and learning about other cultures.
- We're all human. We have our foibles, we've made mistakes and yet there is still greatness.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content