Kenneth Alexander Mitchell (November 25, 1974 – February 24, 2024) was a Canadian actor. He was known for his role as Eric Green in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

television series ''

Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...

'' (2006–2008) and for portraying various characters in '' Star Trek: Discovery'' (2017–2021). In film, he appeared as

Ralph Cox Ralph Cox (born February 27, 1957) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Boston Bruins in the 7th round (122nd overall) of the 1977 NHL Entry Draft. Cox played his high school hockey at Archbishop William ...

in the sports biopic ''

Miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

'' (2004) and as Joseph Danvers in '' Captain Marvel'' (2019).

Early life

Mitchell was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

on November 25, 1974. He attended

Earl Haig Secondary School Earl Haig Secondary School, formerly Earl Haig Collegiate Institute, is a public high school with 2,048 students in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In addition to being a public secondary school, the school is also host to the Claude Watson Arts Progr ...

in his hometown, before studying

landscape architecture Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures for constructio ...

at the

University of Guelph The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...

. He subsequently worked in Toronto and

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

, before becoming acquainted with an agent through his friend.

Career

Mitchell began his acting career in commercials and independent productions. His first major roles came in ''

Leap Years A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to keep ...

'' and ''

Odyssey 5 ''Odyssey 5'' is a Canadian science fiction television series, which was shown in 2002 on Space in Canada and on Showtime in the United States. The premise involves five space travelers who witness the destruction of the Earth; they are given ...

''. In 2004, Mitchell was cast in the film ''

'' with Kurt Russell, in the role of hockey player

who was the last player cut from the

1980 Mens Olympic Hockey Team The "Miracle on Ice" was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's ice hockey t ...

. Mitchell appeared as Eric Green in the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

drama ''

'', which was cancelled by

in May 2007, but was brought back onto the 2007–08 schedule following a fan campaign to save the show. In 2014, Mitchell was cast in ABC's ''

The Astronaut Wives Club ''The Astronaut Wives Club'' is an American period drama television series developed by Stephanie Savage for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It was based on Lily Koppel's 2013 The Astronaut Wives Club (book), book of the same name. The serie ...

'' television drama series, playing the role of

Deke Slayton Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton (March 1, 1924 – June 13, 1993) was an American Air Force pilot, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts. He went on to become NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut O ...

. Mitchell played three recurring

Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon language, Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a humanoid species of aliens in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star T ...

characters in '' Star Trek: Discovery'': season 1's Kol and season 2's Kol-Sha (Kol's father) and Tenavik. He also appeared in season 3 as Aurellio, a character whose use of a wheelchair-like device matched Mitchell's real situation with his progressing

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, Terminal illness, terminal neurodegenerative disease, neurodegenerative disorder that results i ...

(ALS) disease; Mitchell hinted that he would be seen in season 4 playing a character who, like Mitchell's progressing situation, has lost the use of his voice. Mitchell was cast in the FX series '' The Old Man'' by Dan Shotz, a friend of Mitchell's who was also an executive producer on ''Jericho''. The role also incorporated Mitchell's condition into the character.

Personal life

Mitchell married actress Susan May Pratt in May 2006. Together, they had two children, a daughter (born 2007) and a son (born 2012). They resided in Los Angeles, where Mitchell relocated to in the mid-2000s. In February 2020, Mitchell revealed that he had been diagnosed with

(ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Beginning in October 2019, he used a power wheelchair. To incorporate Mitchell's wheelchair, the showrunners of ''Star Trek: Discovery'' said Aurelio's wheelchair was a hover chair to help him move as a result of a genetic condition. By August 2021, Mitchell had lost his voice due to the disease. Mitchell died on February 24, 2024, at the age of 49.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Kenneth 1974 births 2024 deaths 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States Canadian male television actors Male actors from Toronto Deaths from motor neuron disease in California Canadian actors with disabilities Canadian wheelchair users University of Guelph alumni