Los Angeles, Dec 9 (IANS) "Star Trek" and "Benson" actor Rene Auberjonois has passed away. He was 79.

The "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" regular lost his battle with cancer on Sunday, December 8, at his home here.

Born in New York, Auberjonois first made his mark on Broadway in the late 1960s before becoming a film star in the 1970s and a TV regular in the 1980s and 1990s.

His credits also include "Boston Legal", "M*A*S*H", "Madam Secretary", "Avatar: The Last Airbender", and "Judging Amy", as well as the movies "The Patriot", "The Player", "King Kong" and "The Little Mermaid (1989)", in which he voiced the character Louis.

--IANS dc/pgh/