Kenneth Mars (April 4, 1935 – February 12, 2011) was an American actor. He appeared in two Mel Brooks films: as the deranged Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in The Producers (1967) and Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friedrich Kemp in Young Frankenstein (1974). He also co-starred in Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc? (1972) as well as appearing in Woody Allen's Radio Days (1987) and Shadows and Fog (1991).
Mars appeared in two seasons of Malcolm in the Middle as Otto Mannkusser, Francis's well-meaning but dimwitted boss, a German immigrant who owns a dude ranch. He voiced roles such as King Triton, Ariel's father, in the 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid and its sequel, as well as its companion television series and the Kingdom Hearts video game series. He also voiced Littlefoot's grandfather Longneck in The Land Before Time series (1994–2008), Professor Screweyes in We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), King Colbert in Thumbelina (1994), and Tuskernini in Darkwing Duck (1991–1992). He voiced the Vault 13 Overseer in Interplay's Fallout. In 2001 he played Grace's Uncle Sid on Will and Grace.
Early life Mars was born in Chicago. His father, Bernard "Sonny" Mars, was a radio and television personality.Profile, chicagotribune.com; accessed June 27, 2015. Kenneth studied fine arts and acting at Northwestern University.
Career Mars made his acting debut in 1962 as a book publisher on Car 54, Where Are You?. He later appeared on such television series as Gunsmoke, Get Smart, McMillan & Wife, Columbo, Harry O, The Bob Crane Show, and Police Woman. He also appeared in dramatic roles such as Will Turner, a former FBI agent, in Warren Beatty's The Parallax View.
Mars played Harry Zarakartos on the Richard Benjamin-Paula Prentiss 1967 CBS-TV sitcom He & She. He was featured in several small roles in broadcasts such as the Misfits of Science pilot episode and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Shadowplay". He was cast opposite Bette Davis in Hello Mother, Goodbye!, a 1973 television pilot aired by NBC but never picked up as a series. From 1970 to 1974, Mars guest starred in five episodes of Love, American Style, playing various characters.
In 1977, Mars became a series regular on both the Sha Na Na variety series and on Norman Lear's talk show parody Fernwood 2-Night in the recurring role of eccentric William W.D. 'Bud' Prize, from the Fernwood Chamber of Commerce, reprising the role on America 2-Night in 1978. In 2001, Mars portrayed a comedic famous but washed-up photographer on Just Shoot Me. Before his death, his final television roles were Otto, the German dude ranch owner on Fox's Malcolm in the Middle, an appearance on Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, and reprising his role as Grandpa Longneck in The Land Before Time television series.
In 1969, Mars portrayed a marshal trying to raise a posse to pursue Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, only to have his address to the townsfolk hijacked by a friendly bicycle salesman. He frequently played characters with exaggerated accents, portraying German characters in The Producers (1967) and Young Frankenstein (1974) and a Croatian musicologist, Hugh Simon, in What's Up, Doc? (1972). His first broadly accented character was that of Sir Evelyn Oakleigh in the 1962 Off-Broadway revival of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes. He also appeared in the 1962 Broadway play The Affair.
In 1975, ABC/Dunhill released a comedy LP produced by Earl Doud, Henry the First, featuring Mars in several comedy bits as Henry Kissinger, including a cover version of the Bachman–Turner Overdrive song, "Takin' Care of Business".
Mars also had a voice acting career, which began with voicing several characters on Uncle Croc's Block. In film, he voiced Ariel's father King Triton in The Little Mermaid and Littlefoot's grandfather Longneck in The Land Before Time franchise and its spin-off television series, as well as the villainous Professor Screweyes in We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story and Sweet William in Fievel's American Tails, sequel to An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. He had voice roles in various animated television series, such as The Smurfs, The Biskitts, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, TaleSpin, and Ludwig van Beethoven in the Animaniacs episode sketch "Roll Over, Beethoven", as well as video games such as Fallout and Kingdom Hearts, in which he reprised his role as Triton. He also played various minor roles on the popular radio show, Adventures in Odyssey.
In 2008, Mars retired from acting after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years prior. His final performance was as Longneck in the animated television series The Land Before Time.
Personal life In 1977, Mars married Barbara Newborn. They had two daughters, and the marriage lasted until his death in 2011.
Illness and death In 2006, Mars was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had already spread beyond his pancreas. Due to the cancer, he was unable to reprise his role as Triton in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, with Jim Cummings taking over the role, and Grandpa Longneck, his Land Before Time character, did not have a speaking role in the thirteenth film, The Wisdom of Friends. Mars died from cancer on February 12, 2011, at the age of 75.
Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes 1963 Act One Robert E. Sherwood 1967 The Producers Franz Liebkind 1969 The April Fools Les Hopkins Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Marshal Viva Max! Dr. Sam Gillison 1971 Desperate Characters Otto Bentwood 1972 What's Up, Doc? Hugh Simon 1974 The Parallax View Former FBI Agent Will Young Frankenstein Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friedrich Kemp 1975 Night Moves Nick 1978 Goin' Coconuts Kruse 1979 The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again Marshal Woolly Bill Hitchcock 1981 Full Moon High Coach Cleveland, Principal Cleveland1983YellowbeardMr. Crisp and Verdugo (dual role)1984Prince JackLyndon B. JohnsonProtocolLou1985FletchStanton BoydBeerAdolphe Norbecker1986The Adventures of the American RabbitWalt, Vultor the BuzzardVoice1987Radio DaysRabbi Baumel1988For KeepsMr. BobruczIllegally YoursHal B. KeelerRented LipsRev. Farrell 1989 Police Academy 6: City Under Siege The Mayor The Little Mermaid King TritonVoice A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. 1991 Shadows and Fog Armstead the Magician 1993 We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story Professor ScreweyesVoice 1994 The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure Grandpa Longneck Voice, direct-to-video Thumbelina King ColbertVoice 1995 Rough Magic Magician The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving Grandpa Longneck Voice, direct-to-video 1996 Citizen Ruth Dr. Charlie Rollins The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists Grandpa Longneck Voice, direct-to-video Bruno the Kid: The Animated Movie Professor Van Trapp Voice, direct-to-video 1997 The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island Grandpa Longneck Voice, direct-to-video 1998 The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock 2000 The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea King TritonThe Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold FireGrandpa Longneck2001The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze2002The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water Teddy Bears' Picnic Gene Molinari2003The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck MigrationGrandpa LongneckVoice, direct-to-video2005The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses2006The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1967GunsmokeClyde HayesEpisode: "The Returning"1967–68He & SheHarry Zarakartos21 episodes1968–70The Ghost & Mrs. MuirJoshua T. Albertson, Ellsworth Gordon2 episodes 1973 Hawkins Lester De Ville Episode: "Murder in Movieland"Guess Who's Sleeping in My Bed?Mitchell BernardTelevision film 1974 Hello Mother, Goodbye! Television pilot 1975 Wonder Woman Colonel Von Blasko Episode: "The New Original Wonder Woman"It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's SupermanMax MenckenTelevision special1977ColumboMikeEpisode: "The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case"Fernwood 2 Night William W.D. "Bud" Prize8 episodesBaa Baa Black SheepHarold FrenchEpisode: "Five the Hard Way"1978America 2-NightWilliam W.D. "Bud" Prize3 episodes1979Carol Burnett & CompanyVarious1980Hart to HartDr. CobbEpisode: "Murder Is a Man's Best Friend" 1981 The Facts of Life Mr. Harris Episode: "Gossip"1981–89The SmurfsKing Bullrush, additional voicesVoice, 21 episodes1983The BiskittsMax, Fetch, SnarlVoiceThe New Scooby Doo MysteriesOrson KaneVoice, episode: "The Hand of Horror"1985Misfits of ScienceSen. DonnerEpisode: "Deep Freeze" 1987–90 DuckTales Vulcan Voice, 2 episodes1988–91A Pup Named Scooby-DooMr. Trixenstuff, Ghost of McMuttmauler, additional voicesVoice, 14 episodes1989Get Smart, Again!Cmdr. DruryTelevision film The Further Adventures of SuperTed Sleepless Knight Voice, episode: "Sheepless Nights" 1990–91 TaleSpin Heimlich Menudo, Buzz Voice, 3 episodes1990227Joe BouvierEpisode: "Nightmare on 227"The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho PandaAdditional VoicesEpisode: "Pity the Poor Pirate"Timeless Tales from Hallmark Mr. BudgeknotEpisode: "Thumbelina"Garfield and Friends Sherlock Holmes Voice (as Ken Mars), episode: "Hound of the Arbuckles / U.S. Acres: Read Alert / Urban ArbuckleTiny Toon AdventuresFlavioVoice, episode: "Hollywood Plucky"Perfect StrangersAlvin 'Ace' AtkinsEpisode: "Call Me Indestructible"Shades of LAUncle Louis Burton3 episodesPotsworth & CoGreystone GiantVoice, 13 episodesShe'll Take RomanceSmokey (as Ken Mars), Television filmNew Kids on the Block(Voice, as Ken Mars), 14 episodes1991 Bobby's World (Voice, as Ken Mars), Episode: "Clubhouse Bobby" Darkwing Duck Tuskernini Voice, 6 episodes1992A Different WorldHomeless ManEpisode: "Honeymoon in L.A.: Part 2" Captain Planet and the Planeteers Moisha Lowkowitz Voice, episode: "If It's Doomsday, This Must Be Belfast" Credited as Ken Mars 1992–94 The Little Mermaid King Triton Voice, 25 episodes1992Fievel's American TailsSweet WilliamVoice, 6 episodes 1993 The Pink Panther The Commissioner Voice, 5 episodesBonkersGloomyVoice, episode: "The Toon That Ate Hollywood"AnimaniacsBeethovenVoice, episode: "Roll Over, Beethoven"RugratsPolicemanVoice, episode: "Party Animals"1994Star Trek: Deep Space NineColyusEpisode: "Shadowplay"1994–95Batman: The Animated SeriesM2, RichardVoice, 2 episodes 1995 Diagnosis: Murder Walter Carstairs Episode: "How to Murder Your Lawyer"Freakazoid!Dr. Gunter HunterhankerVoice, episode: "Candle Jack" 1996 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Grant Gendell Episode : "Bob and Carol and Lois and Clark"The Real Adventures of Jonny QuestFaustVoice, episode: "The Alchemist" 1997 The Drew Carey Show Mr. Tinsley Episode: "Hello/Goodbye" The Naked Truth Judge Episode: "The Truth" 1997–98 Life with Louie The Mayor, Priest, Rabbi, Doctor Voice, 4 episodes 1997 Police Academy: The Series Dr. Otis P. Quackenbush Episode: "Les Is More" 1998 Godzilla: The Series Dr. Alexander Preloran Voice, episode: "Leviathan"2001BeckerMelvin Golar3 episodesJust Shoot Me!HorstEpisode: "Fanny Finch"The Legend of TarzanUncle Bert/Gorilla Elder (voice)Episode: "Tarzan and the Challenger"Will and GraceUncle Sid2 episodes 2002 Good Morning, Miami Marty Episode: "Penny Wise, Jake Foolish 2002–04 Malcolm in the Middle Otto Mannkusser 25 episodes 2004 Oliver Beene Carl the Super Episode: "Fallout" 2007 Hannah Montana Gunter the Innkeeper Episode: "School Bully" 2007–08 The Land Before Time Grandpa Longneck Voice, 9 episodes
Video games YearTitleRole1995ShannaraLeah Guard, King of the Silver River, Dwarf Leader1997FalloutVault 13 Overseer2002Kingdom HeartsKing Triton2006Kingdom Hearts II
Discography Henry the First (1974) - Henry Kissinger
References
External links