Robert O'Reilly (born March 25, 1950) is an American film, stage, and television actor who has appeared in a variety of roles. He appeared in the Star Trek franchise for over ten years, primarily in his recurring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Chancellor Gowron, the leader of the Klingon Empire. He has also appeared in over 100 films and television episodes, and has acted on Broadway and at Carnegie Hall. His links with the Colony Theatre Company resulted in his receiving a Drama-Logue Award in 1981 for directing the play Getting Out.
Career O'Reilly has appeared in over a hundred films and television episodes, primarily as either the antagonist or as a villain. The television series he has appeared in include Cheers, Darkroom, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy, Sledge Hammer!, MacGyver, In the Heat of the Night, NYPD Blue, and twice in Dallas. His film appearances include the Jim Carrey film The Mask. He has retired from acting.
Star Trek
O'Reilly made his first appearance in the Star Trek franchise with an appearance in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Manhunt". The character he played in that episode has been referred to both as "Tough guy" and "Scarface".Nemecek (2003): p. 145 He was then cast as the Klingon Gowron in the episode "Reunion" which saw the character become the new Chancellor of the Klingon Empire. O'Reilly had just finished appearing on stage as Edmund in King Lear and saw similarities between the two characters which resulted in him basing Gowron upon the Shakespearian character. The episode was directed by TNG cast member Jonathan Frakes, and O'Reilly later said that he thought he was hired both for the sense of curiosity he brought to the role and a piercing, unsettling gaze he and others referred to as "that crazy loon eyeball thing".
He went on to appear as Gowron over the course of the next decade in several further episodes of The Next Generation, as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also filmed segments for the video game Star Trek: Klingon, which was also directed by Frakes. The game was the first Star Trek game to use real actors, and was awarded the Sci-Fi Universe Reader's Choice Universe Award for Best Achievement in Genre Multi-Media. At the time of filming the game, he had heard a rumour that Michael Dorn was joining the cast of Deep Space Nine. Given the relationship between Gowron and Dorn's character, Worf, O'Reilly thought that this might lead to his return to a Star Trek television series too. Both Dorn and O'Reilly reprised their characters together in the series four opening episode "The Way of the Warrior". O'Reilly also appeared as a different Klingon in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive VCR Board Game, a video cassette-based board game. His likeness was used for three action figures, a life-size poster and several lithographs.
After the end of Deep Space Nine, O'Reilly made one further appearance in Star Trek as the character Kago-Darr in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Bounty". He was thankful for the role, as he felt that the writers and producers of the show had created it for him specifically as his family was trying to adapt following the birth of his triplets. After his retirement from acting, he continues to attend Star Trek conventions, including performing in character as Gowron alongside J. G. Hertzler as fellow Klingon Martok. In 2020, he reprised the voice of Gowron and the Klingon Aakar, an ancestor of Gowron's, in the video game Star Trek Online.
Theatre O'Reilly has appeared on Broadway in the revival of The Tavern, and also appeared off-Broadway in The Promise and at Carnegie Hall in / by Nam June Paik. He is currently associated with the Colony Theatre Company as an actor and director. He first became involved with the theatre company about a year after its founding. Amongst these was Getting Out by Marsha Norman, for which he was awarded a Drama-Logue Award and nominated for an award by the Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle in 1981. He directed Generations by Dennis Clontz, which was runner up to the American Theatre Critics' Association award for best new play outside of New York.
Filmography
+ Year Title Role Notes Ref 1979 Fantasy Island Gustav 1 episode 1981 Archie Bunker's Place Thug 1 episode 1981 Flamingo Road 1 episode 1981 CHiPs Ryan 1 episode 1981 The Incredible Hulk Sonny Episode: "Patterns" 1981 McClain's Law Carl 1 episode 1981 Darkroom Sebastian 1 episode 1982 World War III Maj. Veigh TV miniseries 1982 The Phoenix Dolfo 1 episode 1982 Father Murphy Clete Walker 1 episode 1983 Bring 'Em Back Alive Rolf Schuller 1 episode 1983 Voyagers! Klaus 1 episode 1983 The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour Man with the gun TV movie 1982–1984 The Fall Guy Troy / Ice / Delaney 3 episodes 1983–1985 T. J. Hooker Sheehan / Jack Riker 2 episodes 1984–1985 Knight Rider Synder / Jack Simpson 2 episodes 1984Hill Street BluesNolanEpisode: "Nichols from Heaven" 1986 Highway to Heaven Cal Episode: "The Torch" 1986 The Equalizer Fur Collar Man Episode: "Dead Drop" 1986 The Equalizer Chance Episode: "Tip on a Sure Thing" 1986-1987 Sledge Hammer! Ganger / Assassin 2 episodes 1989 Star Trek: The Next Generation Scarface Episode: "Manhunt" 1990–1993 Star Trek: The Next Generation Gowron 1991 The Flash Victor Kelso Episode "Fast Forward" 1992-1993In The Heat of the NightCarl DeLissa2 Episodes 1993 Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive VCR Board Game Kavok Video game 1994 The Mask The Figure Film 1996 Star Trek: Klingon Gowron Video game 1998 Star Trek: The Next Generation: Klingon Honor Guard Gowron (voice) Video game 1994–1999 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Gowron 1999 The Omega Code Technician Film 2003 Star Trek: Enterprise Kago-Darr Episode: "Bounty" 2003 Star Trek: Elite Force II Krindo (voice) Video game 2010 Star Trek Online Aakar (voice) Video game 2019 The Circuit: Star Crew Film
Personal life O'Reilly's wife Judy gave birth to triplet sons Jack, Michael and Joseph in 1997. The family reside in Burbank, California. O'Reilly's hobbies include golf and baseball.
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