Remembering Tony Todd, 1954 - 2024

StarTrek.com honors the late actor and his numerous contributions to the Star Trek universe.

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StarTrek.com is saddened to learn of the passing of actor Tony Todd, who most notably played Kurn, Worf's Klingon brother, and the adult Jake Sisko. Todd passed away on November 6, 2024, at the age of 69, at his home according to his reps.

Born on December 4, 1954, in Washington, D.C., Todd grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, before becoming an alumnus of the Artists Collective, Inc., then studying at the University of Connecticut before shifting to theater at the Tony Award-winning Eugene O'Neill National Theatre Institute.

Beginning his career in theater, Todd would go on to accrue more than 200 film and television credits under his name, as well as acting on and off Broadway. Todd made a name for himself in genre media, embodying the titular role in Candyman (1992), and its various film sequels, as well as being a fixture in The Crow (1994), The Rock (1996), and Final Destination (2000) and its subsequent sequels.

Todd made several recurring television appearances in series such as Homicide: Life on the Street, Boston Public, The District, 24, Splatter, Chuck, Transformers Prime, The Young and the Restless, Scream: The TV Series, The Flash, and more.

Todd first appeared in the Star Trek universe as the Klingon Commander Kurn, son of Mogh and brother of Worf, in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Sins of The Father," then returning for "Redemption" and "Redemption, Part II," as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Sons of Mogh."

In the fan-favorite DS9 episode, "The Visitor," Todd portrayed the adult Jake Sisko as Captain Benjamin Sisko's son spends decades of his life trying to rescue his father following an accident.

In , recalling his experience with "The Visitor," Todd shared, "'The Visitor' changed my life, not just in terms of convention appearances, but at the time that episode was done the Internet was just exploding and I remember sitting for hours just basking in the glow of the love that was being written about that single episode."

"The story behind my doing it is that the woman who raised me, my aunt, was a single woman, and she'd passed away at the beautiful age of 82," continued Todd. "I'd just finished Candyman 2 and it devastated me because she was a person I talked to every day. Fortunately, she was able to see some of the beginnings of my success. But I was in a state of shock and I wasn't able to work for four months. They sent me the script for 'The Visitor.' It wasn’t a complete offer, but they sent it for my consideration and wanted me to come in and see them. So it was the role that got me up off the bed, out of the house, and into the producers' office. When I went in, I saw a lot of actors who I felt were of the age and who were people I respected. But I went in and I got it. So that was sort of my homage to the parental figure in my life that I loved and cherished."

Todd would also portray a Hirogen hunter in Star Trek: Voyager's "Prey," and lend his memorable voice to several Star Trek video games.

The entire Star Trek family sends their condolences to Todd's family, friends, loved ones, and fans around the world.