Victor Lundin (December 8, 1929 – July 2, 2013) was an Americancharacter actor who is best remembered as appearing in the 1964science fiction filmRobinson Crusoe on Mars as the characterFriday and for having later portrayed the firstKlingon seen on screen in theStar Trek television franchise. He also appeared in films directed byRobert Wise andGeorge Stevens, as well as in other television series such asBatman andThe Time Tunnel.

Lundin was born inChicago, Illinois, on Dec 8, 1929.^[1] His father was from aGerman American background, and his mother was English. He wanted to work in films from a young age, after enjoying watching them at the cinema where his father worked. While attendingLane Technical College Prep High School,^[2] Lundin trained as anopera singer and was on the baseball team.^[2][3] During this time, he would take on small roles in broadcast radio productions being produced in Chicago, such asMystery Theater andCaptain Midnight.^[2] He began to play semi-pro baseball as apitcher for theSkokie Indians, but an injury to his throwing arm in his second game ended his career.^[2]

Lundin began to study music atRoosevelt University, but after a year won a part in theLyric Opera of Chicago's performance ofDon Giovanni, which created an opportunity for him to study abroad in Italy. But he turned this down, instead opting to move to California to pursue his acting dream.^[2] He went on to attendLoyola Marymount University in Los Angeles,^[3] where he graduated with aB.A. in Communications Arts and Literature.^[1] He began to find work in Hollywood, not as an actor but as a singer. He appeared on the variety showHootenanny as a folk musician and made 24 appearances onThe Red Rowe Show in this same capacity. He recorded a handful of songs, later explaining, "We had a couple turntable hits, but the distribution was poor. They didn't get enough going in sales to do an album".^[2]

While pursuing his acting career, Lundin also worked as a salesman and a food distributor. He became known for his portrayal of tough men on screen, as well asNative Americans. By Lundin's own estimation, he made more than a 100 different film and television appearances from the late 1950s to the late 1960s.^[2] These included such roles asMachine Gun Kelly in the 1960s filmMa Barker's Killer Brood. During the early 1960s, he worked with twoAcademy Award winning directors,Robert Wise andGeorge Stevens. With Wise, he appeared in the director's 1962 filmTwo for the Seesaw, and in Stevens'The Greatest Story Ever Told in 1965. Lundin also appeared in a number of other films around this same period, includingPromises! Promises! (1963) andBeau Geste (1966). In 1964, he also starred in one of the lead roles inRobinson Crusoe on Mars asFriday.^[3] During this period, he also worked as a singing coach, working withLucille Ball for a period, but he said "I couldn't teach her anything. She was such a heavy smoker; she was like abasso profundo".^[2]

Lundin appeared in several 1960's science fiction and superhero television series, such asBatman as one of thePenguin's henchmen, and as Chief Standing Pat in separate episodes. In 1967, he appeared in theStar Trek: The Original Series episode "Errand of Mercy",^[3] the first time that theKlingons made an appearance in theStar Trek franchise. Lundin portrayed the Klingon Lieutenant, and became the first Klingon to be seen on screen by virtue of walking into frame moments beforeJohn Colicos'Kor.^[4] Lundin had previously auditioned for the role ofSpock, which wound up going toLeonard Nimoy instead.^[2] He also appeared in other series such asThe Time Tunnel and later in his career inBabylon 5.^[4] He was a regular atscience fiction conventions, and continued to sing professionally, including making an appearance on a cruise in the early 2000s.^[2]

Lundin married Christa Friedlander in 1961 and had three children; two sons and a daughter.^[1] The marriage ended in 1972 and he retained custody of their children. He raised his three children alone and later met Amelia Pryharski with whom he spent the last 20 years of his life. He was involved with charities, including theChild Welfare League of America.^[2] Following a lengthy illness, Lundin died on July 2, 2013 in Thousand Oaks, California.^[1][3]

• Victor Lundin atIMDb
• Victor Lundin atMemory Alpha

• 1930 births
• 2013 deaths
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• Male actors from Chicago
• American male singer-songwriters
• Loyola Marymount University alumni
• Roosevelt University alumni

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