Editing Kenneth Mars

{{short description|American actor (1935–2011)}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Kenneth Mars 
| image         = Kenneth Mars 1967.JPG
| caption       = Mars in 1967
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1935|04|04}}
| birth_place   = [[Chicago, Illinois]], U.S.<ref name="LA Times"/>
| death_date    = {{death date and age|2011|02|12|1935|04|04}}
| death_place   = [[Granada Hills, Los Angeles|Granada Hills, California]], U.S.
| alma mater    = [[Northwestern University]]<ref name="LA Times"/>
| occupation    = {{hlist|Actor}}
| years_active  = 1962–2008
| other_names    = Ken Mars
| spouse         = {{marriage|Barbara Newborn|1977<!--As marriage ended by death of Mars, not by death of his spouse, the year 2011 is omitted here. See instructions on [[Template:Marriage]] for more info-->}}<!-- According to IMDb his wife's name was Barbara Newborn and they had two kids. If different info out there then please provide a citation or source. Thanks. -->
| children      = 2
}}
'''Kenneth Mars''' (April 4, 1935 – February 12, 2011)<ref name="LA Times">{{cite news|access-date=2011-02-23|title=Kenneth Mars, veteran screen and voice actor, dies at 75|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-passings-20110215-story.html|url-access=subscription|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 15, 2011}}</ref> was an American actor. He appeared in two [[Mel Brooks]] films: as the deranged [[Nazi]] playwright [[Franz Liebkind]] in ''[[The Producers (1967 film)|The Producers]]'' (1967) and Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friedrich Kemp in ''[[Young Frankenstein]]'' (1974).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/8326666/Kenneth-Mars.html|location=London, UK|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Kenneth Mars obituary|date=February 15, 2011}}</ref> He also appeared in [[Peter Bogdanovich]]'s ''[[What's Up, Doc? (1972 film)|What's Up, Doc?]]'' (1972) as well as [[Woody Allen]]'s ''[[Radio Days]]'' (1987) and ''[[Shadows and Fog]]'' (1991). 

Mars appeared in two seasons of ''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'' as Otto Mannkusser, Francis's well-meaning but dimwitted boss and a German immigrant who owns a [[guest ranch|dude ranch]]. He voiced [[List of The Little Mermaid characters#King Triton|King Triton]], Ariel's father, in the 1989 [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]] animated film ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'' and its [[The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea|sequel]], as well as its companion [[The Little Mermaid (TV series)|television series]], and the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' series. He also did several other animated voice-over film roles such as Littlefoot's grandfather in the [[The Land Before Time|''Land Before Time'' series]] (1994–2008) and that of Professor Screweyes in ''[[We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (film)|We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story]]'' (1993), and King Colbert (Prince Cornelius's father) in ''[[Thumbelina (1994 film)|Thumbelina]]'' (1994). He was also the voice of Tuskernini from ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'' (1991–1992).

==Early life==
Mars was born in [[Chicago]]. His father, Bernard "Sonny" Mars, was a radio and television personality.<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/09/02/bernard-sonny-mars-71-noted-tv-radio-personality/ Profile], chicagotribune.com; accessed June 27, 2015.</ref> Kenneth studied fine arts and acting at [[Northwestern University]].<ref name="LA Times"/>

==Career==
Mars made his acting debut in 1962 as a book publisher on ''[[Car 54, Where Are You?]]'' He later appeared on such television series as ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', ''[[Get Smart]]'', ''[[McMillan & Wife]]'', ''[[Columbo]]'', ''[[Harry O]]'', ''[[The Bob Crane Show]]'', and ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]''.<ref name=TVGuide>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kenneth-mars/credits/160466/|title=Kenneth Mars| website=TVGuide.com|publisher=[[TV Guide]]|access-date=April 24, 2019}}</ref> He also appeared in dramatic roles such as Will Turner, a former FBI agent, in [[Warren Beatty]]'s ''[[The Parallax View]]''. 
 
Mars played Harry Zarakartos on the [[Richard Benjamin]]-[[Paula Prentiss]] 1967 [[CBS-TV]] sitcom ''[[He & She]]''.<ref name=TVGuide></ref> He was featured in a number of small roles in broadcasts such as the ''[[Misfits of Science]]'' pilot episode and the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode "[[Shadowplay (DS9 episode)|Shadowplay]]". He was cast opposite [[Bette Davis]] in ''[[Hello Mother, Goodbye!]]'', a 1973 television pilot aired by [[NBC]] but never picked up as a series. From 1970 to 1974, Mars guest starred in five episodes of ''[[Love, American Style]]'', playing various characters.<ref name=TVGuide></ref>

In 1977, Mars became a series regular on both the ''[[Sha Na Na (TV series)|Sha Na Na]]'' variety series and on [[Norman Lear]]'s talk show parody ''[[Fernwood 2-Night]]'' in the recurring  role of eccentric William W.D. 'Bud' Prize, from the Fernwood Chamber of Commerce. He continued the role on the revamped ''[[America 2-Night]]'' in 1978. In 2001, Mars portrayed a comedic famous but washed-up photographer on ''[[Just Shoot Me]]''. Before his death, his final television roles were Otto, the German dude ranch owner on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s ''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'', an appearance on [[Disney Channel]]'s ''[[Hannah Montana]]'', and a reprise of his role as Grandpa Longneck in ''[[The Land Before Time (TV series)|The Land Before Time]]'' television series.<ref name=TVGuide></ref>

In 1969, Mars portrayed a marshal trying to raise a posse to pursue ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'', only to have his address to the townsfolk hijacked by a friendly bicycle salesman. Mars frequently played characters with exaggerated accents. He portrayed [[Germans|German]] characters in ''[[The Producers (1967 film)|The Producers]]'' (1967) and ''[[Young Frankenstein]]'' (1974), and played a [[Croat]]ian musicologist, Hugh Simon, in ''[[What's Up, Doc? (1972 film)|What's Up, Doc?]]'' (1972). His first broadly accented character was that of Sir Evelyn Oakleigh in the 1962 [[Off-Broadway]] revival of the [[Cole Porter]] musical ''[[Anything Goes]]''. He also appeared in the 1962 Broadway play ''[[The Affair (play)|The Affair]]''.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

In 1975, ABC/Dunhill released a comedy LP produced by [[Earl Doud]], ''Henry the First'', featuring Mars in a number of comedy bits as [[Henry Kissinger]], including a cover version of the [[Bachman–Turner Overdrive]] song, "[[Takin' Care of Business (song)|Takin' Care of Business]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/henry-the-first-mw0000856963|title = Henry the First - Kenneth Mars &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits &#124; AllMusic| website=[[AllMusic]] }}</ref>

Mars cultivated a lengthy voice acting career, launching it by voicing several characters on ''[[Uncle Croc's Block]]''. He voiced the roles of [[Ariel (The Little Mermaid)|Ariel]]'s father [[King Triton]] in ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'' and in the video games ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' and ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]].''

He voiced Littlefoot's Grandpa Longneck in [[The Land Before Time|The ''Land Before Time'' series of films]] and the spin-off television series, and the villainous Professor Screweyes in ''[[We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (film)|We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story]].'' He played some minor roles on the popular radio show, ''[[Adventures in Odyssey]]''. He played Sweet William in ''[[Fievel's American Tails]]'', which took place after ''[[An American Tail: Fievel Goes West]]''. He voiced characters on many animated television series, such as ''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]'', ''[[The Biskitts]]'', ''[[A Pup Named Scooby-Doo]]'', ''[[TaleSpin]]'', and as [[Ludwig van Beethoven]] in the ''[[Animaniacs]]'' episode sketch "Roll Over, Beethoven", as well as video games such as ''[[Fallout (video game)|Fallout]]'' and ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]''.

In 2008, Mars retired from acting after being diagnosed with [[pancreatic cancer]] two years prior.<ref name="LA Times"/> His final performance was as Grandpa Longneck in the animated television series ''[[The Land Before Time (TV series)|The Land Before Time]]''.<ref name="LA Times"/>

==Personal life==
In 1977, Mars married Barbara Newborn. They had two daughters. The marriage lasted until his death in 2011.<ref name="LA Times"/>

==Illness and death==
In 2006, Mars was diagnosed with [[pancreatic cancer]] that had already spread beyond his pancreas.<ref name="LA Times"/> His cancer made him so ill that he could not reprise his role as King Triton for ''[[The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning]]'', so [[Jim Cummings]] took over the role. As well as being unable to voice Triton, he also could not voice Grandpa Longneck in ''[[The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends]]''. (Littlefoot's Grandpa does appear in the film, but has no lines.) He died on February 12, 2011, at the age of 75.<ref name="LA Times"/>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Act One (film)|Act One]]''
| Robert E. Sherwood
|
|-
| 1967
| ''[[The Producers (1967 film)|The Producers]]''
| Franz Liebkind
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1969
| ''[[The April Fools]]'' 
| Les Hopkins
|
|-
| ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]''
| Marshal
|
|-
| ''[[Viva Max!]]''
| Dr. Sam Gillison
|
|-
| 1971
| ''[[Desperate Characters (film)|Desperate Characters]]''
| Otto Bentwood
|
|-
| 1972
| ''[[What's Up, Doc? (1972 film)|What's Up, Doc?]]''
| Hugh Simon
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1974
| ''[[The Parallax View]]'' 
| Former FBI Agent Will
|
|-
| ''[[Young Frankenstein]]''
| Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friedrich Kemp
|
|-
| 1975
| ''[[Night Moves (1975 film)|Night Moves]]''
| Nick
|
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Goin' Coconuts]]''
| Kruse
|
|-
| 1979
| ''[[The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again]]''
| Marshal Woolly Bill Hitchcock
|
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Full Moon High]]''
| Coach Cleveland / Principal Cleveland
|
|-
|1983
|''[[Yellowbeard]]''
|Mr. Crisp & Verdugo (dual role)
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1984
|''[[Prince Jack]]''
|[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
|
|-
|''[[Protocol (film)|Protocol]]''
|Lou
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1985
|''[[Fletch (film)|Fletch]]''
|Stanton Boyd
|
|-
|''[[Beer (film)|Beer]]''
|Adolphe Norbecker
|
|-
|1986
|''[[The Adventures of the American Rabbit]]''
|Walt / Vultor the Buzzard
|Voice
|-
|1987
|''[[Radio Days]]''
|Rabbi Baumel
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1988
|''[[For Keeps (film)|For Keeps]]''
|Mr. Bobrucz
|
|-
|''[[Illegally Yours]]''
|Hal B. Keeler
|
|-
|''[[Rented Lips]]''
|Rev. Farrell
|
|- 
| rowspan="2" | 1989
| ''[[Police Academy 6: City Under Siege]]''
| The Mayor
|
|-
| ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]''
| [[List of The Little Mermaid characters#King Triton|King Triton]]
|Voice<ref name="btva">{{cite web |title=Kenneth Mars (visual voices guide) |url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Kenneth-Mars/ |access-date=September 10, 2023 |publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
|-
| 1991
| ''[[Shadows and Fog]]''
| Armstead the Magician
|
|-
| 1993
| ''[[We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (film)|We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story]]''
| Professor Screweyes
|Voice<ref name="btva" />
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1994
| ''[[The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure]]''
| Grandpa Longneck
| Voice, direct-to-video<ref name="btva" />
|-
| ''[[Thumbelina (1994 film)|Thumbelina]]''
| King Colbert
|Voice<ref name="btva" />
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1995
| ''[[Rough Magic]]''
| Magician
|
|-
| ''[[The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving]]''
| Grandpa Longneck
| Voice, direct-to-video<ref name="btva" />
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1996
| ''[[Citizen Ruth]]''
| Dr. Charlie Rollins
|
|-
| ''[[The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists]]''
| Grandpa Longneck
| Voice, direct-to-video<ref name="btva" />
|-
| ''Bruno the Kid: The Animated Movie''
| Professor Van Trapp
| Voice, direct-to-video
|-
| 1997
| ''[[The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island]]''
| rowspan="2" | Grandpa Longneck
| rowspan="6" | Voice, direct-to-video<ref name="btva" />
|-
| 1998
| ''[[The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock]]''
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2000
| ''[[The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea]]''
| King Triton
|-
|''[[The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire]]''
| rowspan="3" |Grandpa Longneck
|-
|2001
|''[[The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze]]''
|-
| rowspan="2" |2002
|''[[The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water]]''
|-
| ''[[Teddy Bears' Picnic (film)|Teddy Bears' Picnic]]''
| Gene Molinari
|
|-
|2003
|''[[The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration]]''
| rowspan="3" |Grandpa Longneck
| rowspan="3" |Voice, direct-to-video<ref name="btva" />
|-
|2005
|''[[The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses]]''
|-
|2006
|''[[The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers]]''
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1967
|''[[Gunsmoke]]''
|Clyde Hayes
|Episode: "The Returning"
|-
|1967–68
|''[[He & She]]''
|Harry Zarakartos
|21 episodes
|-
|1968–70
|''[[The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (TV series)|The Ghost & Mrs. Muir]]''
|Joshua T. Albertson / Ellsworth Gordon
|2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1973
| ''[[Hawkins (TV series)|Hawkins]]''
| Lester De Ville
| Episode: "Murder in Movieland"
|-
|''[[Guess Who's Sleeping in My Bed?]]''
|Mitchell Bernard
|Television film
|-
| 1974
| ''[[Hello Mother, Goodbye!]]''
| 
| [[Television pilot]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1975
| ''[[Wonder Woman (TV series)|Wonder Woman]]''
| Colonel Von Blasko
| Episode: "The New Original Wonder Woman"
|-
|''[[It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman#TV special|It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman]]''
|Max Mencken
|Television special
|-
| rowspan="3" |1977
|''[[Columbo]]''
|Mike
|Episode: "The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case"
|-
|''[[Fernwood 2 Night]]'' 
|William W.D. "Bud" Prize
|8 episodes
|-
|''[[Baa Baa Black Sheep (TV series)|Baa Baa Black Sheep]]''
|Harold French
|Episode: "Five the Hard Way"
|-
|1978
|''[[America 2-Night]]''
|William W.D. "Bud" Prize
|3 episodes
|-
|1979
|''[[Carol Burnett & Company]]''
|Various
|
|-
|1980
|''[[Hart to Hart]]''
|Dr. Cobb
|Episode: "Murder Is a Man's Best Friend"
|-
| 1981
| ''[[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]]''
| Mr. Harris
| Episode: "Gossip"
|-
|1981–89
|''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]''
|King Bullrush, additional voices
|Voice, 21 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1983
|''[[The Biskitts]]''
|Max, Fetch, Snarl
|Voice
|-
|''[[The New Scooby Doo Mysteries]]''
|Orson Kane
|Voice, episode: "The Hand of Horror"
|-
|1985
|''[[Misfits of Science]]''
|Sen. Donner
|Episode: "Deep Freeze"
|-
| 1987–90
| ''[[DuckTales (1987 TV series)|DuckTales]]''
| Vulcan
| Voice, 2 episodes
|-
|1988–91
|''[[A Pup Named Scooby-Doo]]''
|Mr. Trixenstuff, Ghost of McMuttmauler, additional voices
|Voice, 14 episodes
|-
|1989
|''[[Get Smart, Again!]]''
|Cmdr. Drury
|Television film
|-
| 1990–91
| ''[[TaleSpin]]''
| Heimlich Menudo / Buzz
| Voice, 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1990
|''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]''
|Flavio
|Voice, episode: "Hollywood Plucky"<ref name="btva" />
|-
|''[[Timeless Tales from Hallmark]]'' 
|Mr. Budgeknot
|Episode: "[[Thumbelina]]"
|-
| 1991
| ''[[Darkwing Duck]]''
| Tuskernini
| Voice, 6 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1992
|''[[A Different World]]''
|Homeless Man
|Episode: "Honeymoon in L.A.: Part 2"
|-
| ''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers]]''
| Moisha Lowkowitz
| Voice, episode: "If It's Doomsday, This Must Be Belfast"
Credited as Ken Mars
|-
| 1992–94
| ''[[The Little Mermaid (TV series)|The Little Mermaid]]''
| King Triton
| Voice, 25 episodes
|-
|1992
|''[[Fievel's American Tails]]''
|Sweet William
|Voice, 6 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1993
| ''[[The Pink Panther (TV series)|The Pink Panther]]''
| The Commissioner
| Voice, 5 episodes
|-
|''[[Bonkers (American TV series)|Bonkers]]''
|Gloomy
|Voice, episode: "The Toon That Ate Hollywood"
|-
|''[[Animaniacs]]''
|[[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]
|Voice, episode: "Roll Over, Beethoven"<ref name="btva" />
|-
|1994
|''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''
|Colyus
|Episode: "Shadowplay"
|-
|1994–95
|''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]''
|M2, Richard
|Voice, 2 episodes<ref name="btva" />
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1995
| ''[[Diagnosis: Murder]]''
| Walter Carstairs
| Episode: "How to Murder Your Lawyer"
|-
|''[[Freakazoid!]]''
|Dr. Gunter Hunterhanker
|Voice, episode: "Candle Jack"<ref name="btva" />
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1996
| ''[[Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman]]''
| Grant Gendell
| Episode : "Bob and Carol and Lois and Clark"
|-
|''[[The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest]]''
|Faust
|Voice, episode: "The Alchemist"<ref name="btva" />
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1997
| ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]''
| Mr. Tinsley
| Episode: "Hello/Goodbye"
|-
| ''[[The Naked Truth (TV series)|The Naked Truth]]''
| Judge
| Episode: "The Truth"
|-
| 1997–98
| ''[[Life with Louie]]''
| The Mayor / Priest / Rabbi / Doctor
| Voice, 4 episodes
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Police Academy: The Series]]''
| Dr. Otis P. Quackenbush
| Episode: "Les Is More"
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Godzilla: The Series]]''
| Dr. Alexander Preloran
| Voice, episode: "Leviathan"
|-
| rowspan="2" |2001
|''[[Becker (TV series)|Becker]]''
|Melvin Golar
|3 episodes
|-
|''[[Just Shoot Me!]]''
|Horst
|Episode: "Fanny Finch"
|-
| 2002–04
| ''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]''
| Otto Mannkusser
| 25 episodes
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Oliver Beene]]''
| Carl the Super
| Episode: "Fallout"
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Hannah Montana]]''
| Gunter the Innkeeper
| Episode: "School Bully"
|-
| 2007–08
| ''[[The Land Before Time (TV series)|The Land Before Time]]''
| Grandpa Longneck
| Voice, 9 episodes<ref name="btva" />
|}

=== Video games ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
|-
|1997
|''[[Fallout (video game)|Fallout]]''
|Vault 13 Overseer<ref name="btva" />
|-
|2002
|''[[Kingdom Hearts (video game)|Kingdom Hearts]]''
| rowspan="2" |King Triton
|-
|2006
|''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]''
|}

==Discography==
*''Henry the First'' (1974) - [[Henry Kissinger]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|550318}}
* {{TCMDb name}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mars, Kenneth}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American comedians]]
[[Category:Male actors from Chicago]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American male video game actors]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:Dunhill Records artists]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California]]
[[Category:People from Granada Hills, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Northwestern University alumni]]
[[Category:Comedians from Chicago]]