David Clennon (born May 10, 1943) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Miles Drentell in the ABC series thirtysomething and Once and Again, as well as his role as Palmer in the John Carpenter film The Thing. He has been frequently cast in films directed by Hal Ashby, Costa-Gavras and Jordan Walker-Pearlman.

Life and career

Born in Waukegan, Illinois, the son of Virginia, a homemaker, and Cecil Clennon, an accountant,^[1] Clennon attended the University of Notre Dame from 1962 to 1965. He studied at the Yale School of Drama for three years and became a member of their professional acting company. In 1996 he married Perry Adleman, a writer, camera assistant and photographer. They have two children.

In 1980, Clennon provided the voice for Admiral Motti in NPR's Star Wars The Original Radio Drama. He was a regular on the TV shows Barney Miller, Almost Perfect, The Agency, and Saved. Clennon also played Carl Sessick (a.k.a. Carl the Watcher) on Ghost Whisperer and appeared on Star Trek: Voyager as Dr. Crell Moset. In 1993 he won an Emmy award for his guest appearance on the series Dream On.^[2]

Clennon often performs at New Haven, Connecticut's Long Wharf Theatre.

Political activism

Clennon staunchly opposed the Vietnam War, often participating in protests, and remains politically active. In 2013, he repeatedly spoke out against the film Zero Dark Thirty and refused to vote for it for an Academy Award, stating that it promoted using torture as acceptable.^[3]

I firmly believe that the film Zero Dark Thirty promotes the acceptance of the crime of torture as a legitimate weapon in America's so-called war on terror. In that belief, following my conscience, I will not vote for Zero Dark Thirty in any category. I cannot vote for a film that makes heroes of Americans who commit the crime of torture.^[4]

In 2018, he opposed the four Emmy nominations for Ken Burns's documentary program The Vietnam War, feeling that it contained "half-truths, distortions and omissions" about the war.^[5]

Filmography