Rene Auberjonois portrays Security Officer Odo, an alien male who is a Changeling. In his natural shape he is a gelatinous liquid, however he can take any form he desires. To assimilate and function on the space station, he takes on a humanoid shape. "Odo is a curmudgeon of sorts," Rene explains. "He is very rigid and uptight, yet there is a wonderful humor about him."
Auberjonois was born in New York City and raised in nearby Rockland County. At 16, Rene took to the stage under the tutelage of family friend and noted director John Houseman. The son of a news correspondent, Auberjonois moved with his family to London, England, where he continued his theatre training while completing high school. Returning to the United States to attend college, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pennsylvania.
Immediately following college, Auberjonois began his career in theatre at the prestigious Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and from there he traveled between Los Angeles and New York starring in numerous theatre productions. He helped found the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, the Mark Taper Repertory in Los Angeles and the Brooklyn Academy of Music Repertory Company in New York. Additionally, Auberjonois has starred in such productions as Shakespeare's "Richard III" and "Twelfth Night."
Auberjonois' first appearance on Broadway was in the musical "Coco" with Katherine Hepburn, for which he won a Tony Award. He was also honored with Tony Award nominations for his performances in the Broadway productions of "Big River," "The Good Doctor" and for his role as movie mogul Buddie Fidler in the musical "City of Angels." As a member of the Second Drama Quartet, Auberjonois toured with fellow thespians Ed Asner, Dianne Wiest and Harris Yulin during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's third season hiatus. He appeared with the Quartet in a theatrical production of "Don Juan In Hell." The company's tour included performances in New York, Stanford, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.
While his theatre credits are impressive, Auberjonois has also made his mark on the silver screen, beginning with his debut in Robert Altman's ground-breaking black comedy "M*A*S*H." Since then he has appeared in feature films such as "Eyes of Laura Mars," "Brewster McCloud," "The Hindenberg" co-starring George C. Scott and in the remake of "King Kong." Auberjonois also portrayed the character of Straight Hollander in the 1993 Miramax feature film, "The Ballad of Little Jo." In addition, he appeared in the blockbuster "Batman Forever" as the insane psychiatrist Dr. Burton.
Auberjonois' voice is instantly recognizable. Auberjonois was the voice of Chef Louis in Disney's animated feature "Little Mermaid," and provided a voice-over for Turner Broadcasting's first feature film, "Cats Don't Dance." The actor has also recorded many novels, including Shadow Moon, based on George Lucas' feature film "Willow," Batman Forever, and two Star Trek novels.
On television, Auberjonois is a two-time Emmy Award-nominee for his performances in ABC's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and Benson. He is well known to audiences for his six-year portrayal of Chief of Staff Clayton Endicott III on the hit series Benson. Auberjonois is also known for his work on Showtime's Faerie Tale Theatre in "The Frog Prince" with Robin Williams and "Sleeping Beauty." He has also guest starred on countless television shows, including Matlock, Civil Wars, and L.A. Law.