Jeffrey Combs Biography
Jeffrey Alan Combs (born September 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Herbert West in the Re-Animator film series (1985–2003) and portraying a number of characters in the Star Trek universe, most notably Brunt and the various Weyouns on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1994–1999) and Thy'lek Shran on Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005).
Combs has been a prominent figure within the horror genre through most of his career, acting in eight films directed by Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon, such as From Beyond (1986), The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) and Castle Freak (1995). His other horror film appearances include Necronomicon (1993), Peter Jackson's The Frighteners (1996), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), House on Haunted Hill (1999) and Would You Rather (2012). As a voice actor, he is best known as the voice of Question on Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006) and Ratchet on Transformers: Prime (2010–2013).
Early life
Combs was born in Oxnard, California, the fifth of nine children born to Jean Owens (formerly Sullins; 1921–1986) and Eugene "Gene" Combs (1922–1999), and raised in Lompoc. Both of his parents were from the Ozarks region of Arkansas. A graduate of Lompoc High School, as a senior, Combs played the lead role of Captain Fisby in a stage production of The Teahouse of the August Moon. Combs then attended Santa Maria's Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and later developed his acting skills in the Professional Actor's Training Program at the University of Washington.
In 1980, after several years performing in playhouses on the West Coast, Combs moved to Los Angeles. He landed his first role in the film Honky Tonk Freeway (1981), playing an unnamed drive-in teller. His first horror film role came two years later in Frightmare (1983).
Career
Combs's best-known horror role is Herbert West, the main character in the film Re-Animator (1985), and its two sequels. He portrayed author H. P. Lovecraft (creator of the Herbert West character) in the film Necronomicon: Book of the Dead (1993) and has starred in eight H.P. Lovecraft adaptations. Other film credits include The Attic Expeditions (2001), FeardotCom (2002), House on Haunted Hill (1999), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) and The Frighteners (1996).
Combs has had roles in many science fiction television series. He starred as the telepath Harriman Gray in first-season episode "Eyes" (1994) of Babylon 5. In 2001, he played the sinister Dr. Ek in The Attic Expeditions. In August 2005, he appeared for the first time on the science fiction series The 4400 as Dr. Kevin Burkhoff which had become a recurring role by 2006. In early 2007, he played a highly fictionalized Edgar Allan Poe in "The Black Cat" episode of Masters of Horror. In the 2012 miniseries Dorothy and the Witches of Oz (sometimes called The Witches of Oz), he had a small role as a highly fictionalized L. Frank Baum.
Combs has also worked as a voiceover artist. His voiceover roles include the Scarecrow in The New Batman Adventures, the Question in Justice League Unlimited, Ratchet in Transformers: Prime, the Leader in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Rat King in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Brainiac in Injustice 2. He also narrated the 25th anniversary of Re-Animator at the 2010 FanTasia.
In July 2009, Combs returned to his stage roots and reprised his role as Edgar Allan Poe in a one-man theatrical show, Nevermore...an Evening with Edgar Allan Poe, at The Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood, California. Although it supposed to run for only a month, it enjoyed much success and sold-out crowds, and was extended four times, until closing in Los Angeles on December 19, 2009. The show had its East Coast debut on January 23 and 24, 2010 at Westminster Hall in Baltimore, MD, Poe's final resting place. A tour of the Saturn Award-nominated Nevermore was subsequently planned.
Combs starred with Andrew Divoff in the 2012 Screen Media Films release Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation, a prequel to the 2006 film Night of the Living Dead 3D directed by Jeff Broadstreet. In 2012, he also played the *ic Dr. Lambrick in another horror-thriller, Would You Rather.
Star Trek
On television, Combs enjoyed popular success playing a number of alien characters on the various modern Star Trek incarnations, beginning with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1994, and continuing to Star Trek: Voyager in 2000, Star Trek: Enterprise in 2001 and Star Trek: Lower Decks in 2021. He has played nine onscreen roles in the Star Trek universe. His largest science-fiction role to date was his regular guest role on Deep Space Nine as the Vorta clone Weyoun. Combs has said that Weyoun was his favorite Star Trek role, and that he had considerable input in developing the character.
On the same series, Combs had a recurring role as the Ferengi character Brunt. During the DS9 episode "The Dogs of War", he appeared as both Weyoun and Brunt, becoming one of the few Star Trek actors to play two characters in the same episode (others including Patrick Stewart and Brian Markinson). Combs wanted the characters to appear in the same scene, but the logistics and expense worked against it.
On Enterprise, Combs had a recurring role as Shran, an Andorian military officer. Enterprise producer Manny Coto once said in an interview that he had hoped to make Combs a regular on Enterprise had the series been renewed for a fifth season.
In addition to his recurring Star Trek roles, Combs had non-recurring roles as human police officer Kevin Mulkahey, alien Tiron on Deep Space Nine, alien Penk on Voyager, and Ferengi pirate Krem on Enterprise. Along with many other actors, writers and creators of the show, Combs also had a cameo appearance as a holographic patron in Vic's Lounge in the final episode of Deep Space Nine. He also voices the character of Romulan Commander Suldok for the Star Trek: Elite Force II video game. In 2021, he had a guest voice role as AGIMUS, an evil computer, in episode 7, season 2 of Star Trek: Lower Decks, which he reprised in seasons 3 and 4.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
References
Bibliography
- Voisin, Scott, Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN:978-1-59393-342-5.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jeffrey Combs.- Jeffrey Combs at IMDb
- Jeffrey Combs at AllMovie
