Trivia

His mother was Princess Laure Louise Napoléone Eugénie Caroline Murat (November 13, 1913 - May 10, 1986) and on her side, René was the great-great-great-grandson of Joachim [Napoléon] Murat, King of Naples and King of Sicily, formerly Grand-Duke of Berg and Kleve, and of his wife (Marie Annonciade) Caroline Bonaparte, sister of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France.

Turned down the role of Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H (1972). He had played the role in the 1970 motion picture version.

Turned down the role of John Bosley in Charlie's Angels (2000), which went to Bill Murray.

Outside of the Star Trek (1966) cast, he was the oldest Star Trek cast member until his death.

Tried changing his surname very early on to "Aubert" because casting directors were unable to pronounce "Auberjonois" (which is pronounced roughly as "oh-bear-zhon-wah"). When he discovered that his new name caused just as much trouble, he decided to keep the real one.

Grandson of well-known Swiss post-impressionist painter René Auberjonois (1872-1957).

His father was Swiss, of Swiss-French descent, and was born in Valeyres-sous-Montagny. René's maternal grandparents were Prince Michel Anne Charles Joachim Napoléon Murat, who was born in Oleksandrivs'k, Luhans'ka oblast, Ukraine, and Hélène Macdonald Stallo, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His maternal grandfather's mother was a Russian noblewoman, and his maternal grandfather's paternal grandmother was also an American from Charleston, South Carolina. René's mother's ancestry was Russian, German, French, Corsican Italian, Scottish, English, and distant Tatar.

Was inducted into The Actors Hall of Fame.

Taught acting at Juilliard.

Attended and graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Had two children: Tessa Auberjonois and Remy Auberjonois.

Had appeared in both Batman: The Animated Series (1992) and Batman Forever (1995), both as characters with the title of Doctor: Dr. March in the former and Dr. Burton in the latter. In the former, as Dr. March, he also made an homage to Batman (1989) with a line referring to bats as survivors.

Won Broadway's 1970 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Musical) for "Coco". He was also nominated as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Dramatic) in 1974 for "The Good Doctor", and as Best Actor (Featured Role - Musical) in 1985 for "Big River" and in 1990 for "City of Angels".

In the same tradition as Jonathan Frakes, of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) reprising Commander Riker, Auberjonois reprised Constable Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) for an episode of Family Guy (1999).

Was one of only 32 actors or actresses to have starred in both the original Star Trek (up to and including Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)) and then in one of the spin-offs. His role in the original Star Trek was uncredited as Colonel West in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (a film that counts as part of the original Star Trek series).

Had appeared with Michael Dorn in six different productions: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Aladdin (1994), The Savage Dragon (1995), Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys (1996) and Fallout: New Vegas (2010).

Both he and his Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) co-star Colm Meaney appeared in "Stargate", playing the leader of a human civilization on another planet whose population lived under the surface. In both cases, the main characters of the series in question attempted to form an alliance and arrange an exchange of technology before learning that this civilization could not be trusted. Auberjonois played Alar, leader of the Eurondans in the Stargate SG-1 (1997) episode "The Other Side"; Meaney played Cowen, leader of the Genii in the Stargate: Atlantis (2004) episodes "Underground" and "The Storm".

He is the first regular cast member of one of the "Star Trek" spin-off series to die.

He was awarded the Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Performance in 1981 for "Twelfth Night" and for "Chekhov in Yalta", in 1982 for "The Misanthrope" and in 1983 for "Richard III", awarded at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

His stage work included portraying Juror #5 in the Washington D.C. production of "Twelve Angry Men". His castmates included Roy Scheider as Juror #8, and Robert Prosky as Juror #3.

As a teen growing up in an artist colony in the Hudson River Valley along the base of the Ramapo Mountains near New City, NY, Auberjonois babysat for the family of Bill Mauldin, the cartoonist who had recently costarred with Audie Murphy in The Red Badge of Courage (1951), and whose "Willie and Joe" characters had represented and spoke for U.S. infantry "dogfaces" on the European front during the Second World War.

His Grandfather, Swiss post-impressionist painter René Auberjonois (1872-1957) was behind the designs and costumes of the first performance of Igor Stravinsky's "L'histoire ID Soldat" (1918) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Has three grandchildren.

Had appeared in two different productions which featured a character named General Hammond: M*A*S*H (1970) and Stargate SG-1 (1997).

Alumnus of the College of Fine Arts (CFA) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU); School of Drama, class of 1962.

Had the distinction during his "Trek" acting career of playing two roles disguised as a member of the Klingon Empire's high council. To partake in an assassination on 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)' as Starfleet Colonel West. To thwart an assassination on 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)' episode "Apocalypse Rising" as Constable Odo.

He has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: M*A*S*H (1970), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) and The Little Mermaid (1989).

Is mentioned in "Big Lou", the biography of actor Louis Edmonds, because he and Edmonds both starred in an avant garde Broadway play that flopped after just a few performances in the late 1960s. The play was called "Fire!" and it is covered in detail in "Big Lou".