Michael Forest, 1929 – 2026

Big ol’ gorgeous actor Michael Forest, 97, died on Oct. 14. Most people know him as Apollo on Star Trek, but—not being a Trekkie—I fondly remember him on two Here Come the Brides episodes, as a trouble-making Irishman. He got his start in 1950s TV, and acted for Roger Corman in the films Atlas, Ski Troop Attack, The Dirt Gang, and the catchily-titled The Saga of the Viking Woman and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent. He was also seen in Highway Patrol, The Deadly Mantis, Zorro, One Step Beyond, Bat Masterson, Bachelor Father, The Dick Van Dyke Show (as Laura’s ex-boyfriend), The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, Gilligan’s Island, Get Smart, Who’s the Boss?, Silk Stalkings, as well as doing voice-overs for countless video games and cartoons. His second wife was actress Diana Hale, who died in 2022. Forest was adorably modest about his career, saying, “I look back and it certainly hasn't been what you might call a distinguished career, but on the other hand, it hasn't been bad. Some of the things that I've done, I take a great deal of pride in. But, like all actors, you do work in material and situations that are not what you want and you try to make it the best you can. I don't think there's anything terribly memorable in what I did. I think I did a workmanlike job in most of the roles that I played, and I'm proud of that.”