Kenneth Mars (April 4, 1935 – February 12, 2011) was an American actor. He appeared in two

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...

films: as the deranged

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

playwright Franz Liebkind in '' The Producers'' (1967) and Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friedrich Kemp in ''

Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor ...

'' (1974). He also appeared in

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...

's '' What's Up Doc?'' (1972), and

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's ''

Radio Days ''Radio Days'' is a 1987 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, who also narrates the story. The film looks back on an American family's life during the Golden Age of Radio using both music and memories to tell the story. ...

'' (1987), and ''

Shadows and Fog ''Shadows and Fog'' is a 1991 American black-and-white comedy film directed by Woody Allen and based on his one-act play ''Death'' (1975). It stars Allen, Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, Kathy Bates, David Ogden Stiers, Jodie Foster, Lily Tomlin, J ...

'' (1991). Mars appeared in two seasons of '' Malcolm in the Middle'' as Otto Mannkusser, Francis's well-meaning but dimwitted boss and a German immigrant who owns a dude ranch. He voiced King Triton, Ariel's father, in the 1989

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

animated film ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

'' and its

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

, as well as its companion

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

, and the '' Kingdom Hearts'' series. He also did several other animated voice-over film roles such as Littlefoot's grandfather in the ''Land Before Time'' series (up to 2008) and that of Professor Screweyes in '' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'' (1993), and King Colbert (Prince Cornelius's father) in '' Thumbelina'' (1994).

Early life

Mars was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. His father, Bernard "Sonny" Mars, was a radio and television personality. Kenneth studied fine arts and acting at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Career

Mars made his acting debut in 1962 as a book publisher on ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City p ...

''. He later appeared on such television series as '' Gunsmoke'', ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...

'', ''

McMillan & Wife ''McMillan & Wife'' (known simply as ''McMillan'' from 1976–77) is an American police procedural television series that aired on NBC from September 17, 1971, to April 24, 1977. Starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in the title roles, the ...

'', '' Columbo'', and '' The Bob Crane Show''. He also appeared in dramatic roles such as Will Turner, a former FBI agent, in

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

's ''

The Parallax View ''The Parallax View'' is a 1974 American political thriller film produced and directed by Alan J. Pakula, and starring Warren Beatty, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels and Paula Prentiss. The screenplay by David Giler and Lorenzo Semple Jr. was base ...

''. Mars played Harry Zarakartos on the

Richard Benjamin Richard Samuel Benjamin (born May 22, 1938) is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of well-known film productions, including ''Goodbye, Columbus'' (1969), based on the novella by Philip Roth; ''Catch-22'' (1970), fro ...

Paula Prentiss Paula Prentiss (née Ragusa; born March 4, 1938) is an American actress. She is best known for her film roles in '' Where the Boys Are'' (1960), ''What's New Pussycat?'' (1965), ''Catch-22'' (1970), '' The Parallax View'' (1974), and '' The Stepf ...

1967 CBS-TV sitcom '' He & She''. He was featured in a number of small roles in broadcasts such as the ''

Misfits of Science ''Misfits of Science'' is an American science fiction comedy-drama television series created by James D. Parriott that aired on NBC from October 4, 1985, to February 21, 1986. Plot The series discussed super-powered humans and their madcap ad ...

'' pilot episode and the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode "

Shadowplay Shadow play refers to shadow puppetry or shadow theatre. Shadowplay, Shadow Play or The Shadow Play may refer to: Literature * ''Shadowplay'' (novel), 2007 novel by Tad Williams *''Shadowplay'', 1990 novel by Jo Clayton *''Shadowplay'', 1993 nove ...

". He was cast opposite

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

in '' Hello Mother, Goodbye!'', a 1973 television pilot aired by

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

but never picked up as a series. From 1970 to 1974, Mars guest starred in five episodes of '' Love, American Style'', playing various characters. In 1977, Mars became a series regular on both the ''

Sha Na Na Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll doo-wop group. Formed in 1969, but performing a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs, it simultaneously revived and parodied the music and the New York street culture of the 1950s. After ga ...

'' variety series and on Norman Lear's talk show parody '' Fernwood 2-Night'' in the memorable recurring role of eccentric William W.D. 'Bud' Prize, from Fernwood's Chamber of Commerce. He continued the role on '' America 2-Night'' in 1978. In 2001, Mars portrayed a comedic famous but washed-up photographer on '' Just Shoot Me''. Before his death, his final television roles were Otto, the German dude ranch owner on

Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an Television in the United States, American Commercial broadcasting, commercial terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by Fox C ...

's '' Malcolm in the Middle'', an appearance on Disney Channel's '' Hannah Montana'', and a reprise of his role as Grandpa Longneck in '' The Land Before Time'' television series. In 1969, Mars portrayed a marshal trying to raise a posse to pursue '' Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'', only to have his address to the townsfolk hijacked by a friendly bicycle salesman. Mars frequently played characters with exaggerated accents. He portrayed German characters in '' The Producers'' (1967) and ''

'' (1974), and played a

Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...

ian musicologist, Hugh Simon, in '' What's Up, Doc?'' (1972). His first broadly accented character was that of Sir Evelyn Oakleigh in the 1962 Off-Broadway revival of the Cole Porter musical ''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

''. He also appeared in the 1962 Broadway play '' The Affair''. In 1975, ABC/Dunhill released a comedy LP produced by Earl Doud, ''Henry the First'', featuring Mars in a number of comedy bits as

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

, including a cover version of the

Bachman–Turner Overdrive Bachman–Turner Overdrive, often abbreviated BTO, were a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded by Randy Bachman, Robbie Bachman and Fred Turner in 1973. Their 1970s catalogue included five top-40 albums and six US top-40 sing ...

song, " Takin' Care of Business". Mars cultivated a lengthy voice acting career, launching it by voicing several characters on ''

Uncle Croc's Block ''Uncle Croc's Block'' is an hour-long live-action/animated television series. It was produced by Filmation, and broadcast on ABC in 1975–76. The show was a spoof of live kids' shows but with (as MeTV would later describe it) a "bitter edge". C ...

''. He voiced the roles of

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

's father King Triton in ''

'' and in the video games '' Kingdom Hearts'' and '' Kingdom Hearts II.'' He voiced Littlefoot's Grandpa Longneck in The ''Land Before Time'' series of films and the spin-off television series, and the villainous Professor Screweyes in '' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story.'' He played some minor roles on the popular radio show, ''

Adventures in Odyssey ''Adventures in Odyssey'' (AIO), or simply ''Odyssey'', is an Evangelical Christian radio drama and comedy series created and produced by Focus on the Family. Aimed at families with children age 12 and younger, the series first aired in 1987 as ...

''. He played Sweet William in ''

Fievel's American Tails ''Fievel's American Tails'' is an animated television series, produced by Amblimation, Nelvana, and Universal Cartoon Studios. It aired on CBS for one season in 1992, and continued Fievel's adventures from the film '' An American Tail: Fievel Goe ...

'', which took place after '' An American Tail: Fievel Goes West''. He voiced characters on many animated television series, such as '' The Smurfs'', '' The Biskitts'', ''

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo ''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated mystery comedy series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It is the eighth incarnation of the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise and depicts younger versions of the title character and his human companion ...

'', ''

TaleSpin ''TaleSpin'' is an American animated television series first aired in 1990 as a preview on Disney Channel and later that year as part of '' The Disney Afternoon''. It features characters adapted from Disney's 1967 animated feature ''The Jungle Bo ...

'', and ''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, until ...

'', as well as video games such as '' Fallout'' and '' Kingdom Hearts''. In 2008, Mars retired from acting after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years prior. His final performance was as Grandpa Longneck in the animated television series '' The Land Before Time''.

Personal life

In 1977, Mars married Barbara Newborn. They had two daughters, Susannah and Rebecca. The marriage lasted until his death in 2011.

Illness and death

In 2006, Mars was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had already spread beyond his pancreas. His cancer made him so ill that he could not reprise his role as King Triton for '' The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning'', so Jim Cummings took over the role. As well as not being able to voice Triton, he could not voice Grandpa Longneck in '' The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends'' (Littlefoot’s Grandpa does appear in the film, but has no lines) and couldn't return to reprise his role as Otto in season 6 of '' Malcolm in the Middle''. He died from the disease on February 12, 2011, at the age of 75.

Filmography

Film

Television

* '' Gunsmoke'' (1967) Robber Clyde Hayes * '' The Ghost & Mrs. Muir'' (1968-1970, TV series) as Joshua T. Albertson / Ellsworth Gordon (2 episodes) * '' He & She'' (1967–1968, TV series) as Harry Zarakartos * '' Guess Who's Sleeping in My Bed?'' (1973, TV series) as Mitchell Bernard * '' The New Original Wonder Woman (pilot)'' (1975, TV series) as Colonel Oberst Von Blasko (1 episode) * '' It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman'' (1975, TV special) as Max Mencken * ''

Fernwood 2 Night ''Fernwood 2 Night'' (or ''Fernwood Tonight'') is a comedic television program that was broadcast weeknights from July 1977 to September 1977. It was created by Norman Lear and produced by Alan Thicke as a spin-off/summer replacement for '' Mar ...

'' (1977, TV series) as William W.D. "Bud" Prize (8 episodes) * '' Baa Baa Black Sheep'' (1977, TV series) as Harold French * '' America 2-Night'' (1978, TV series) as William W.D. "Bud" Prize * '' Goin' Coconuts'' (1978) as Kruse * ''Heaven Only Knows'' (1979, TV series) * ''

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again ''The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again'' is a 1979 American comedy-Western film directed by Vincent McEveety. Produced by Walt Disney Productions, it is a sequel to '' The Apple Dumpling Gang'' (1975), starring the comedy duo of Tim Conway and Do ...

'' (1979) as Marshal Woolly Bill Hitchcock * '' Carol Burnett & Company'' (1979, TV series) * ''Hart to Hart'' (1980, TV series) * ''

Full Moon High ''Full Moon High'' is a 1981 American comedy horror film written and directed by Larry Cohen. Plot The film is about a teenager who goes on a trip to Transylvania with his father and gets bitten by a werewolf. Made ageless, he attempts to put h ...

'' (1981) as Coach Cleveland / Principal Cleveland * '' Yellowbeard'' (1983) as Mr. Crisp / Verdugo * '' The Biskitts'' (1983) as King Max * ''

The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1983) as Orson Kane * '' Prince Jack'' (1984) as

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

* '' Protocol'' (1984) as Lou * '' Fletch'' (1985) as Stanton Boyd * ''

Beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

'' (1985) as Adolphe Norbecker * ''

'' (TV) (1985) as Sen. Donner * ''

The Adventures of the American Rabbit ''The Adventures of the American Rabbit'' (released in the UK as simply ''The American Rabbit'') is a 1986 animated film directed by Fred Wolf and Nobutaka Nishizawa. It was released by Clubhouse Pictures. Plot The story begins just after the ...

'' (1986) as Walt / Vultor the Buzzard (voice) * ''

'' (1987) as Rabbi Baumel * ''

'' (1988–1991, TV series) as Dogcatcher Ghost (voice) * '' For Keeps?'' (1988) as Mr. Bobrucz * '' Illegally Yours'' (1988) as Hal B. Keeler * '' Rented Lips'' (1988) as Rev. Farrell * '' The Smurfs'' (1989, TV series, voice) * ''

Get Smart, Again! ''Get Smart, Again!'' is a 1989 American made-for-television comedy film based on the 1965–1970 NBC/ CBS sitcom ''Get Smart!'' starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon reprising their characters of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. It originally aired ...

'' (1989, TV series) as Cmdr. Drury * '' Police Academy 6: City Under Siege'' (1989) as The Mayor / The Mastermind * '' Tiny Toon Adventures'' (1990, TV series) as Flavio (voice) (episode: "Hollywood Plucky") * ''

Timeless Tales from Hallmark ''Timeless Tales from Hallmark'' is an American live-action/animated direct-to-video series of fairy tale adaptations hosted by Olivia Newton-John, produced by Hanna-Barbera and Hallmark Cards. Eight videocassettes were released between 1990 and ...

'' (1991) * ''

Darkwing Duck ''Darkwing Duck'' is an American animated superhero comedy television series produced by Disney Television Animation (formerly Walt Disney Television Animation) that first ran from 1991 to 1992 on both the syndicated programming block ''The Disn ...

'' (1991, TV series) as Tuskernini (voice) * ''

'' (1991) as Armstead the Magician * ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...

'' (1992) as Homeless Man * ''

'' (1992, TV series) as Sweet William * ''

'' (1992-1994, TV series) as King Triton (voice) * '' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'' (1993) as Professor Screweyes (voice) * '' Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron'' (1993) as Dr. Wally Gilbert Kenrousch (voice) * '' Bonkers'' (1993, TV series) as Gloomy (voice) * ''

'' (1993, TV series) as Ludwig van Beethoven (voice) * '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1994, TV series) as Richard (voice) * '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1994) as Colyus * '' Thumbelina'' (1994) as King Colbert (voice) * ''The Land Before Time'' series (II-XIII) (1994-2008) as Littlefoot’s Grandpa (voice) * ''

Freakazoid! ''Freakazoid!'' is an American superhero comedy animated television series created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and developed by Tom Ruegger for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title characte ...

'' (1995, TV series) as Dr. Gunter Hunter Hanker (voice) * '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1995, TV series) as M2 (voice) * ''

The Drew Carey Show ''The Drew Carey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995 to September 8, 2004. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the series revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalize ...

'' (1997, TV series) as Mr. Tinsley * '' Fallout'' (1997, Video Game) as Vault 13 Overseer (voice) * '' Godzilla: The Series'' (1998, TV series) as Dr. Alexander Preloran (voice) * '' The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea'' (2000) as King Triton (voice) * ''

Becker Becker () is one of the German-language surnames, along with Bäcker and Baecker, that derive from the root, which refers to baking. The surname began as a name for a baker (and thus his family). In northern Germany it can also derive from the ...

'' (2001, TV series) as Melvin * '' Just Shoot Me'' (2001, TV series) as Horst * '' Kingdom Hearts'' (2002) as King Triton (voice) * ''

Teddy Bears' Picnic "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody by American composer John Walter Bratton, written in 1907, and lyrics added by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy in 1932. It remains popular as a children's song, having been recorded by nu ...

'' (2002) as Gene Molinari * '' Kingdom Hearts II'' (2006, Video Game) as King Triton (voice)

Discography

*''Henry the First'' (1974) -

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mars, Kenneth 1935 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American comedians Male actors from Chicago 20th-century American comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American male video game actors American male comedians Dunhill Records artists Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pancreatic cancer People from Granada Hills, Los Angeles American male comedy actors Northwestern University alumni