René Auberjonois was born on June 1, 1940, in New York City, New York, and became a celebrated actor known for his roles in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Benson, and Boston Legal. He was also a Tony Award-winning stage actor and a prolific voice actor.

Auberjonois came from an artistic family—his father, Fernand Auberjonois, was a journalist, and his grandfather was a Swiss post-Impressionist painter. His mother, Princess Laure Louise Napoléone Eugénie Caroline Murat, was a descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister. After World War II, his family moved to Paris, where he decided to pursue acting at age six. He later studied at Carnegie Mellon University, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA).

His career began in theater, winning a Tony Award for Coco (1969) and earning nominations for The Good Doctor (1973), Big River (1985), and City of Angels (1989). He gained fame on television as Clayton Endicott III in Benson (1980–1986) and later as Paul Lewiston in Boston Legal (2004–2008). His most iconic role was Odo, the shape-shifting security chief in Deep Space Nine (1993–1999).

Beyond Star Trek, Auberjonois appeared in MASH* (1970), King Kong (1976), The Little Mermaid (1989) as Chef Louis, and The Patriot (2000). He was also a voice actor, lending his talents to Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and numerous video games.

Auberjonois was married to Judith Helen Mihalyi from 1963 until his passing, and they had two children, Tessa and Rémy-Luc. He was an advocate for Doctors Without Borders, donating proceeds from autographed items to charity. He passed away on December 8, 2019, at age 79, due to metastatic lung cancer.