Remembering Malachi Throne, 1928-2013

It’s our sad duty here at StarTrek.com to report the passing of the talented character actor Malachi Throne, who passed away on March 13 at the age of 84. Throne was a Trek favorite thanks to his five appearances, three on TOS and two on Star Trek: The Next Generation. For TOS, he provided the voice of The Keeper in “The Cage” and was Commodore Jose I. Mendez in both halves of the “The Menagerie” two-parter; his casting in the latter prompted the producers to recast the voice of The Keeper. Years later, on TNG he portrayed Pardek, a duplicitous Romulan senator, in “Unification I” and “Unification II.” And though it’s not considered an official appearance, Throne essayed a Klingon in the Star Trek New Voyages fan film In Harm’s Way.Beyond Star Trek, Throne was a dependable, go-to actor in Hollywood for decades, and often played roles that buried him beneath layers of makeup. Among his credits were Lost In Space, The Outer Limits (in an episode with William Shatner), The Time Tunnel, Mission: Impossible (with Leonard Nimoy), Batman, The Defenders, It Takes a Thief (on which he was a regular opposite Robert Wagner), Kojak, Law & Order, Melrose Place, Babylon 5, Catch Me If You Can and The West Wing, as well an such animated programs as Beyond Batman, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Green Lantern: First Flight.

Throne was also a regular on the convention circuit and a familiar presence on the theater scene in Los Angeles, where he lived. Please join us at StarTrek.com in sending our condolences to his family, friends and many fans.