10 Star Trek Actors Who Appeared In Shakespeare

Star Trek and Shakespeare have always had a close relationship, and numerous Shakespearean actors made the jump from the stage to the stars. From Starship Captains to Cardassians to Klingons, many iconic Star Trek characters have been played by classically trained theater actors. Beyond the actors who have connections between Shakespeare and Star Trek, references to the Bard and his work have been appearing in Star Trek since the early days of Star Trek: The Original Series. Even the humans of the far future continue to perform Shakespeare’s plays, as a way to entertain one another on a long voyage or as a way to explore their own humanity.

Not only are many Star Trek episodes named after Shakespearean quotes, but many Trek characters also reference Shakespeare’s works. Star Trek: The Next Generation may contain the most references to Shakespeare, and Patrick Stewart is the actor most associated with both Star Trek and the Bard. But Captain Jean-Luc Picard is not the only Trek character known to quote Shakespeare’s famous plays. Many of the actors on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine were also classically trained Shakspearean actors before they joined the show’s cast. Here are 10 Star Trek actors who have also performed in Shakespearean productions.

10
Christopher Plummer

Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country

The late Christopher Plummer has a long history with Shakespeare. Plummer made his Broadway debut in 1954 and went on to be nominated for multiple Tony awards, including one for portraying Iago in Shakespeare’s Othello in 1982 and one for portraying King Lear in 2004. Plummer also won a Canadian Screen Award for his performance as Prospero in The Tempest, and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Hamlet in 1964’s Hamlet at Elsinore production. A long-time fan of Star Trek, Christopher Plummer appeared in the franchise as Klingon General Chang in Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country, a role that was written specifically for him.

9
David Warner

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: The Next Generation

David Warner joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963, eventually taking on the role of Henry VI in Henry VI, Parts I, II, and III. He has also played the title role in Richard II and Hamlet. After making his film debut, Warner again starred as Henry VI in the BBC version of The Wars of the Roses cycle in 1965, and later as Don Armado in a BBC adaptation of Love’s Labour’s Lost in 1985. David Warner has portrayed three different Star Trek characters: Federation Ambassador St. John Talbot in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Klingon Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and Cardassian Gul Madred in the excellent Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter, “Chain of Command.”

8
Marc Alaimo

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation

A Wisconsin native, Marc Alaimo was active in the local theater community, appearing in numerous plays with the Marquette University Players and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in the 1960s. While there, he appeared in productions of Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, and Othello, among other non-Shakespeare plays. Alaimo played four different roles on TNG before he took on his most well-known role of Cardassian Gul Dukat on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Over the course of DS9’s seven seasons, Dukat became one of Star Trek’s most complex and fascinating villains, thanks in no small part to Alaimo’s captivating portrayal.

7
Armin Shimerman

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation

Not only has Armin Shimerman appeared in several Shakespearean stage productions, but he also teaches Shakespeare as an adjunct professor for the University of Southern California and serves as a Shakespearean scholar for Hollywood productions. Shimerman has played the Fool in King Lear and Polonius in Hamlet, and he has also appeared in productions of Richard III, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry V, Macbeth, and Measure for Measure. Armin Shimerman made his Star Trek debut as a Ferengi named Letek in TNG, and he appeared in two more small roles on that show before starring as Ferengi bartender Quark in DS9.

6
René Auberjonois

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

René Auberjonois was very involved in the theater community before he made the jump to acting on screen. He appeared on Broadway as the Fool alongside Lee J. Cobb’s King Lear in 1968 and as Malvolio in Twelfth Night in 1972. Auberjonois also performed with the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., as the lead Argan in Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid. Auberjonois is, of course, most known for his portrayal of Constable Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the lovable but irritable Changeling head of security on the space station.

5
Leonard Nimoy

Star Trek: The Original Series & Films, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness

Leonard Nimoy began his acting career in the early 1950s, with mostly minor roles in B-movies and as supporting characters on television shows. Although Nimoy went on to achieve acclaim for some of his stage roles, his career in theater began after his time on Star Trek: The Original Series. In 1975, he played Malvolio in a Pittsburgh Public Theater production of Twelfth Night and took on the title role in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Sherlock Holmes that same year. After his debut in TOS, Nimoy’s Spock went on to become one of the most recognizable characters in popular culture. Nimoy appeared as Spock in all three seasons of TOS, as well as all six TOS films. He also appeared in the TNG two-parter “Unification,” and the J.J. Abrams’ films Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness.

4
Kate Mulgrew

Star Trek: Voyager

Kate Mulgrew began acting both on stage and in television in 1975, appearing in the American Shakespeare Theatre production of Our Town and on the ABC soap opera Ryan’s Hope at the same time. In the world of Shakespeare, Mulgrew played Desdemona in Othello in 1978, Isabella in Measure for Measure in 1985, Tamor in Titus Andronicus in 1989, and Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra in 2010. Kate Mulgrew starred as Captain Kathryn Janeway for seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager and returned to voice multiple versions of Janeway in the animated Star Trek: Prodigy.

3
Avery Brooks

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

It’s no surprise Avery Brooks brought such gravitas to the role of Captain Benjamin Sisko on DS9, as he has a long history performing in classical theater. Brooks was even awarded the William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre by the Shakespeare Theatre Company. He has portrayed Othello in multiple productions of the play, and also starred as King Lear in the Yale’s Repertory Theatre production of King Lear. Brooks portrayed Captain Sisko for seven seasons on DS9, taking the Star Trek franchise through some of its darkest storylines up to that point, including the depiction of the devastating Dominion War.

2
William Shatner

Star Trek: The Original Series & Films

William Shatner joined the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario in 1954, appearing in a production of Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine. Shatner had a minor role in a production of Henry V, and also served as an understudy for Christopher Plummer. When Plummer had to miss a performance, Shatner delivered a different interpretation of the role, impressing Plummer. William Shatner also starred as Mark Antony in a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation production of Julius Caesar in 1960, six years before he would join the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series as Captain James T. Kirk. Kirk appeared in all three seasons of TOS and all six films, and Shatner’s distinctive acting style helped make Captain Kirk a household name.

1
Patrick Stewart

Star Trek: The Next Generation & Films, Star Trek: Picard

Sir Patrick Stewart is likely the first name that comes to mind when thinking about Star Trek and Shakespeare, and for good reason. He has likely appeared in more Shakespeare plays than most of the names on this list. Stewart joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, appearing in productions of Hamlet, Henry V, The Taming of the Shrew, King Lear, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Stewart starred as Prospero in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s production of The Tempest in 1995 and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre’s production in 2006. Stewart has also starred as Macbeth twice, for a stage production in 2007-2008 and a BBC television film in 2010.

Patrick Stewart has appeared in Hamlet as Claudius both on stage and in a 2009 BBC television adaptation alongside David Tennent’s Hamlet. In 2011, Stewart starred as Shylock in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Merchant of Venice. For seven seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Patrick Stewart commanded the USS Enterprise-D as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, becoming the favorite Captain of a whole new generation of Star Trek fans. Like Stewart, Captain Picard is also a Shakespeare fan and quotes the Bard often throughout TNG and Star Trek: Picard. With numerous references and crossover actors, Shakespeare and Star Trek remain inextricably linked. I guess all the galaxy really is a stage, after all.