Bruce Mars (born October 23, 1935), also known as Brother Paramananda, is a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

of the

Self-Realization Fellowship Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) is a worldwide religious organization founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda, the Indian guru who authored '' Autobiography of a Yogi''. Before moving to the United States, Yogananda began his spiritual wo ...

in Los Angeles, California, and a former actor.

Acting career

After working on some

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

productions in New York City, Mars moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. He gained a guest role on ''

Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...

'', where he met casting director Joe D'Agosta. Mars later contacted D'Agosta after the casting director moved on to work on ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'', and was brought in to audition for the role of Junior Navigations Officer Dave Bailey in episode "

The Corbomite Maneuver "The Corbomite Maneuver" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Jerry Sohl and directed by Joseph Sargent, it first aired on November 10, 1966. In the episode, the ' ...

", alongside five other actors. Anthony Call was cast instead, but Mars also appeared in the background as Crewman #1. D'Agosta kept Mars in mind for a bigger part, and when casting was underway for "

Shore Leave Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is also known as "liberty" within the United States Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. During the Age of Sail, shore leave was often abused by the members of the ...

", he suggested to Mars that he should come in for a further audition for the part of Finnegan. Mars later said he felt like he had "nailed this baby" and was offered the role in person. Based on the success of this, he was brought back for a third occasion to play a 20th-century police officer in the episode " Assignment: Earth". Outside of ''Star Trek'', he appeared in the ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden ...

'' episodes "Killers of the Deep" and "The Abominable Snowman".

Religious career

Mars left the acting profession to become a

with the

in Los Angeles and eventually took the name Brother Paramananda. He said in an interview with the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' in 2004 about his spiritual awakening, "The words 'karma' and 'reincarnation' are being thrown around everywhere, even in sports - at some TV basketball game, a guy tried a shot and couldn't make it, and the radio announcer said it was his karma. I went the whole hog and became a monk and walked away. Nowadays people don't have to run away to meditate. There are doctors, lawyers, a mother with three children - anyone can do it. There's more acceptance." During his time at the Fellowship, he conversed with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

on several occasions, who on one occasion said to Paramananda, "Man, you made the right choice. People don't know my life or that I sometimes cry myself to sleep because I don't know God."

Filmography

Notes

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mars, Bruce 1935 births 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American monks 20th-century Buddhist monks 20th-century American Buddhists American yogis Devotees of Paramahansa Yogananda Kriya yogis Living people 21st-century American monks 21st-century Buddhist monks 21st-century American Buddhists