Michael Forest, the actor best known for playing the Greek god Apollo in the original “Star Trek” series, died Oct. 14, 2026, at 97. His friend James A. Brown announced the death, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Forest was living at a senior facility in Sparks, Nevada, identified by Page Six as MorningStar Senior Living, at the time of his death.
Born Gerald Michael Charlebois on April 17, 1929, in Harvey, North Dakota, Forest built a screen career that spanned more than six decades and over 200 credits, according to Page Six. He also appeared in more than 20 movies shot in Spain, France and England, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
Michael Forest’s Star Trek Apollo Role
Forest’s most enduring role came in the “Star Trek” second-season episode “Who Mourns for Adonais?,” which first aired in September 1967. He played Apollo opposite Leslie Parrish’s Lt. Carolyn Palamas, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In a 2012 interview with StarTrek.com cited by Page Six, Forest recalled the casting process for the role. “They had me take my shirt off to see if I had the muscles they were looking for,” he said. “Then they wanted me to do it in a British accent.
I said, ‘That, for me, won’t work out. I can give you Mid-Atlantic theater speech, which I think will work for this character.'” Forest also told the outlet that the work he did before and after Star Trek was “as good, if not better than the episode itself,” while acknowledging the role had given him his 15 minutes of fame.
Forest reprised Apollo in 2013 for the fan-produced web series “Star Trek Continues,” appearing alongside his late wife, actress Diana Hale, who played Athena in the same production, according to Deadline. Hale died in 2022. In 2020, Forest joined roughly 40 other “Star Trek” actors in Snoop Dogg’s sci-fi parody film “Unbelievable!!!!!.”
Early Career With Roger Corman
Forest moved to Los Angeles in 1955 and met director Roger Corman through an acting class, a connection that launched one of the defining partnerships of his career. His 1957 starring turn as the barbarian Zarko in “The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent” led directly to his work with Corman.
Forest went on to appear in the horror heist film “Beast From Haunted Cave” (1959) as local guide Gil Jackson, the war film “Ski Troop Attack” (1960) as an American soldier, and the sword-and-sandal adventure “Atlas” (1960), all tied to the Corman family of productions. Standing six-foot-3 and 215 pounds in his prime, Forest had considered a career in boxing before choosing acting after watching a friend perform at the Seattle Rep Playhouse.
Television And Film Credits
Forest’s television resume included appearances on “Zorro,” “Have Gun – Will Travel,” “Maverick,” “Ben Casey,” “The Outer Limits,” “Gunsmoke,” “Gomer Pyle: USMC,” “I Spy,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Gilligan’s Island,” “Get Smart” and “The Rookies.” He also appeared in the “Twilight Zone” episode “Black Leather Jackets,” which premiered Jan. 22, 1964, playing one of three motorcycle-riding alien brothers sent to wipe out humanity. On “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” he played a former boyfriend of Laura Petrie’s character who had become a priest. Later credits included the daytime soap circuit and the series “Silk Stalkings,” along with appearances on “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.”
On the big screen, Forest starred alongside Jim Brown and Raquel Welch in “100 Rifles” (1969), played a wealthy older man opposite Madonna’s character in “Body of Evidence” (1993), and portrayed a pilot in Tom Hanks’ “Cast Away” (2000).
Voice Work And Later Years
While living in Rome from 1968 to 1978, Forest, who was fluent in Italian, dubbed more than 500 films, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In the 1990s and 2000s he shifted largely to voice and dubbing work, lending his voice to animated series and video games including entries in the “Power Rangers” and “Dynasty Warriors” franchises as well as “World of Warcraft” and various anime projects.
Information on survivors beyond his late wife, Diana Hale, was not included in the available reporting on his death.
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