Michael Forest, the prolific character actor who played Apollo in the classic Star Trek episode “Who Mourns for Adonais?” and appeared in countless Roger Corman B-movies, died on October 14. He was 97.
Michael Forest as Apollo in Star Trek (Credits: Paramount)
Forest most recently resided at an assisted living facility in Sparks, Nevada, and his death was announced on Facebook by his friend James A. Brown. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he built one of the most varied résumés in Hollywood history.
From Corman to the Twilight Zone
Forest was a familiar face in the low-budget world of Roger Corman, starring in a string of the legendary producer’s B-movies. But his television career was just as vast, with guest appearances across scores of series from the early days of TV — The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, The Twilight Zone, and The Dick Van Dyke Show — through to later work on Silk Stalkings and daytime soaps.
The Voice Behind the Anime
Later in his career, Forest became a respected voice actor, lending his voice to numerous anime projects in their English adaptations. It was yet another chapter in a career that seemed to touch every corner of the entertainment industry.
But for generations of fans, he will always be Apollo — the outsized, thunderbolt-hurling god of the second season of Star Trek, a role he played with memorably theatrical gusto. A performer who could move from Corman schlock to Roddenberry sci-fi to anime voiceover without missing a beat is a rare talent indeed.
Source: Deadline — read the full story there.