R.I.P. Andreas Katsulas

trekgeezer · February 15, 2006, 11:51:56 AM

From Scifiwire: Andreas Katsulas, the character actor known to SF fans as G'Kar on Babylon 5 and a familiar face from Star Trek and other SF&F TV shows, died Feb. 13 of lung cancer in Los Angeles, his agent, Donna Massetti, confirmed to SCI FI Wire. He was 59.

Katsulas, a longtime resident of Los Angeles, played the Narn ambassador G'Kar for five years in the syndicated cult TV series Babylon 5, starting in 1993. He reprised the role in subsequent Babylon 5 telefilms.

Katsulas was also no stranger to Trek fans, playing Romulan Cmdr. Tomalak in Star Trek: The Next Generation. His last appearance in a Trek series was as a Vissian captain on an episode of Enterprise.

Born in St. Louis, Katsulas held a master's degree in theater from Indiana University, his official Web site said. After performing in plays in St. Louis, New York and Boston, he went on to film roles in such movies as Michael Cimino's The Sicilian, which brought him to Los Angeles, then in Ridley Scott's Someone to Watch Over Me and Blake Edward's Sunset.

Katsulas moved to Los Angeles permanently in 1986 and found scores of television and film parts in everything from TV's Alien Nation and Max Headroom to the big screen's The Fugitive, in which he played the infamous one-armed man, and Executive Decision opposite Kurt Russell and Steven Seagal.

ThadC · February 15, 2006, 11:56:55 AM

That is too bad. I liked him in Babylon 5.

LH-C · February 15, 2006, 12:16:19 PM

He was such an awesome actor. He and Peter Jurasik had great chemistry together on Babylon 5. My personal favorite role of Katsulas's though is Frederick Sykes (aka The One-Armed Man) in 'The Fugitive'.

raj · February 15, 2006, 01:53:50 PM

That is a bummer. Died far too young. Loved him as G'Kar. You're right LH-C, he and Jurasik were great together.

Flangepart · February 15, 2006, 04:05:44 PM

I faveorite Lando/G'kar scene.
Trapped together on a bombed elevator on B-5, they have this exchange...

Lando : Oh, i hate my life.."
G'Kar :"So do i!"
Lando : "Shut-up!"
G'kar quietly laughs his ass off.

Great scene. Great actors.
Man....Tis a loss indeed.

akiratubo · February 15, 2006, 08:56:21 PM

Another one of "those guys" is no longer with us. :( RIP, Mr. Katsulas.

trekgeezer · February 16, 2006, 01:29:07 PM

Andreas and Peter Jurasik should've gotten Emmies for their parts in B5.

One my favorite scenes is in 'A View from the Gallery' , an episode told from the perspective of two maintenance technicians on the station. When they see Londo and G'kar having one of their "discussions", one of the men looks at the other and says, "I wonder how long they've been married?"

raj · February 16, 2006, 03:53:53 PM

Amen on those Emmies Trek.
My favorite scene was early on, when G'Kar came up to Lando in the bar, and treated him as a friend; right after Lando had met with the Shadows to start the war. If that meeting had happened half an hour sooner. . . (but then, that was the point of the scene.)

trekgeezer · February 16, 2006, 06:59:14 PM

Hey, you gotta dig when the Commander goes to see G'kar and his assistant, N'toth, says he's busy. First three scantily clad human women come out of his bedroom and then G'kar appears in his little shorty robe. He did ask Lyta to sleep with him so they could get some telepath DNA back into the Narn race.

Straczynski was a genius for the way he took the characters of Londo and G'kar and flipped them on their head. Londo started out a loveable buffoon and when the Shadows showed up he started on a slow train ride to hell he couldn't get off of. G'kar was a real slimy character at first and then turned into a real hero and statesman. These two got the greatest lines on the show.

Man, I just can't believe Andreas is dead. He's the third actor from the show to go. Richard Biggs who played Dr. Franklin died in 2004 from a tear in his aorta. Tim Choate who played Zathras died in 2004 in a motorcycle crash. These guys are dropping faster than the original Star Trek crew.