Early Life and Career
Sheppard was born in London to an Anglo-Irish family but was educated in Ireland. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 1956-58 before spending 12 years as Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He appeared on Broadway in 1966 with Marat/Sade and later in 1975 with Sherlock Holmes. He won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for The Homecoming in 1995, at the Matrix Theatre. He is the father of actor Mark Sheppard.
He appeared in several episodes of different series of Star Trek, notably "The Schizoid Man" and "Bliss", as well as the feature films Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (as the warden of a Klingon gulag) and in Star Trek (as a member of the Vulcan High Council, but was uncredited). Outside of Star Trek, he is probably best known for his roles as Blank Reg on Max Headroom and Confederate General Isaac Trimble in the films Gettysburg and Gods and Generals.
He has appeared in two roles on the science fiction series Babylon 5 (1994–1998), first as a "Soul Hunter" in the episode of the same name and secondly as Narn war leader G'Sten, an uncle of main character G'kar, in the "The Long Twilight Struggle". He was also a runner-up for the role of Ambassador G'Kar on the series, though the role eventually went to Andreas Katsulas. He also played a computer hologram for an A.I. programme during the first and second season of seaQuest DSV.
He was one of several Star Trek actors who voiced characters on the animated series Gargoyles, including playing the father of Jonathan Frakes' character David Xanatos and as the Norse god Odin.
He appeared in two notable episodes of MacGyver, as the incarcerated (and rather insane) serial killer "Dr. Zito" as well as appearing in the series Minder in Series 1 episode "Come in T-64, Your Time Is Ticking Away".
He appeared in the 1978 television film The Nativity. He starred alongside John Terry in the 1980 fantasy film Hawk the Slayer. He appeared in the 1992 comedy film There Goes the Neighbourhood. He narrated the introductions and mission briefings for the first three installments of the Medal of Honour video game series.
He appeared in the 1988 comedy horror film Elvira, Mistress of the Dark as Elvira's Great-Uncle Vincent Talbot who was an evil warlock.
He played Father Meehan in the Stephen King movie "Needful Things".
Sheppard was cast in the 1996 adventure game Zork Nemesis, playing the live-action role of Bishop Francois Malveaux, one of the four alchemists central to the plot of the game.
In 2000, he voiced the character Ignatius Cheese in the game Escape from Monkey Island.
In 2002, he voiced the wizard Merlin in the Justice League episode "A Knight of Shadows".
Sheppard played the role of Captain Archibald Witwicky in the 2007 live action film Transformers.
He voiced over for the character John Adams in the Wii game The Conduit, and provided the voice of the keeper of the underworld in the television series Legend of the Seeker throughout its second season.
Sheppard appeared in the television series NCIS, in the Season 6 episode, - "Broken Bird" where he played the older version of a man named "Marcin Jerek" while his son Mark Sheppard played the younger Marcin Jerek.
On 4 August 2010, Sheppard was announced as the voice actor for the video game Civilization V.
Sheppard appeared on Season 4 of Mad Men, Episode 10, "Hands and Knees", playing the part of Lane Pryce's father.
On 4 December 2010, Sheppard appeared on Hallmark Channel Original Films Farewell Mr. Kringle as Kris Kringle.
In December 2009, Sheppard voiced the part of Santa in Disney's Christmas special Prep & Landing. Following that, he returned as the voice of Santa in the sequels, Prep & Landing: Operation: Secret Santa and Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice.
He appeared in the opening episode of series six of Doctor Who, "The Impossible Astronaut", playing the character Canton Everett Delaware III. He portrays an older version of Delaware while his son Mark Sheppard portrays the younger version in the same episodes. He and his son are among the few actors to have appeared in both the Star Trek and Doctor Who franchises.
Read more about this topic: W. Morgan Sheppard
Famous quotes containing the words early, life and/or career:
“In early times every sort of advantage tends to become a military advantage; such is the best way, then, to keep it alive. But the Jewish advantage never did so; beginning in religion, contrary to a thousand analogies, it remained religious. For that we care for them; from that have issued endless consequences.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)
“The future of humanity is uncertain, even in the most prosperous countries, and the quality of life deteriorates; and yet I believe that what is being discovered about the infinitely large and infinitely small is sufficient to absolve this end of the century and millennium. What a very few are acquiring in knowledge of the physical world will perhaps cause this period not to be judged as a pure return of barbarism.”
—Primo Levi (1919–1987)
“My ambition in life: to become successful enough to resume my career as a neurasthenic.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)