David Clennon (born May 10, 1943) ^[1] is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Miles Drentell in the ABC series thirtysomething and Once and Again , as well as his role as Palmer in the John Carpenter film The Thing . He has been frequently cast in films directed by Hal Ashby , Costa-Gavras and Jordan Walker-Pearlman .

Life and career [ edit ]

Born in Waukegan, Illinois , the son of Virginia, a homemaker, and Cecil Clennon, an accountant, Clennon attended the University of Notre Dame from 1962 to 1965. He studied at the Yale School of Drama for three years and became a member of their professional acting company. In 1996 he married Perry Adleman, a writer, camera assistant and photographer. They have two children. ^{[ citation needed ]}

In 1980, Clennon provided the voice for Admiral Motti in NPR 's Star Wars The Original Radio Drama . He was a regular on the TV shows Barney Miller , Almost Perfect , The Agency , and Saved . Clennon also played Carl Sessick (a.k.a. Carl the Watcher) on Ghost Whisperer and appeared on Star Trek: Voyager as Dr. Crell Moset. In 1993 he won an Emmy award for his guest appearance on the series Dream On . ^[2]

Clennon often performs at New Haven, Connecticut 's Long Wharf Theatre . ^{[ citation needed ]}

Political activism [ edit ]

Clennon staunchly opposed the Vietnam War , often participating in protests, and remains politically active. In 2013, he repeatedly spoke out against the film Zero Dark Thirty and refused to vote for it for an Academy Award , stating that it promoted using torture as acceptable. ^[3]

I firmly believe that the film Zero Dark Thirty promotes the acceptance of the crime of torture as a legitimate weapon in America's so-called war on terror. In that belief, following my conscience, I will not vote for Zero Dark Thirty in any category. I cannot vote for a film that makes heroes of Americans who commit the crime of torture. ^[4]

In 2018, he opposed the four Emmy nominations for Ken Burns 's documentary program The Vietnam War , feeling that it contained "half-truths, distortions and omissions" about the war. ^[5]

Filmography [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• David Clennon at IMDb