What Star Trek's Kurn Looks Like In Real LIfe

As some of the prickliest personalities in the "Star Trek" universe, Klingons rarely get a chance to show their more vulnerable side. But as the brother of USS Enterprise-D security chief Worf (Michael Dorn) on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Kurn served as a reminder that humans don't have monopolies on family, loyalty, and connection.

The role was brought to life by seasoned character actor Tony Todd, whose numerous other portrayals include roles on shows like "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," "Andromeda," "Charmed," and "24." Like many supporting "Star Trek" actors, Todd has played several other roles in the franchise. He showed up as a Hirogen in "Star Trek: Voyager," played a grown-up Jake Sisko on "Deep Space Nine," portrayed an ensign in the computer video game "Star Trek: Elite Force II," and appeared in the MMORPG "Star Trek Online" as Rodek, Kurn's reprogrammed identity. 

In a franchise full of memorable Klingons like Gowron, B'Elanna Torres, and the cloned Kahless, Todd's performance as Kurn has earned raves from fans. To many, he epitomizes what it means to be Klingon from his mannerisms to the way he carries himself.

And like most actors to take on the ridge prosthetics, from Christopher Lloyd's Commander Kruge to forgotten villain Maltz (John Larroquette), Todd looks completely different from his Klingon counterpart in real life. Although he bears the height and build of a warrior at 6 feet 5 inches tall, Todd's real-world charisma couldn't be further from Kurn's briny persona.

Like Doug Jones, who plays Saru on "Star Trek: Discovery," and Jeffrey Combs, whose many roles include Weyoun from "Deep Space Nine" and the lovable "Star Trek: Enterprise" Andorian Shran, Tony Todd is one of those "Star Trek" actors with something of a cult following for his reputation as a genre legend. He has appeared in more than 150 roles altogether, often believably delving into the minds of troubled, dark, and twisted characters like Bludworth from "Final Destination" and the titular Candyman — a role that required Todd to endure 23 bee stings.

By the time he was cast as Kurn, he had auditioned for "The Next Generation" several times. Todd would later tell the official "Star Trek" website that back when the show was filming, no one could truly grasp the cultural impact of the second live-action Trek series. But that didn't stop him from wanting to be a part of it. And with Todd's audition for Kurn, the production team realized they'd struck gold. Todd recounted not even making it home before he got the news. "I was literally walking off the Paramount lot and the casting director came running after me," he said.

For Todd, being involved with the "Star Trek" franchise did not disappoint. He found the main cast extremely welcoming — particularly Michael Dorn, who was grateful to see Worf's personal storyline getting enriched. In turn, Todd has been grateful for the chance to join the "Star Trek" community. Expressing those feelings to the Xena fan publication Whoosh! Online, he joked, "Considering some fans thought it looked like I had a basketball on my head. 'Star Trek' was probably the first show that gave me access to the fan world, so I'm always grateful to them."