Now & Then: Joel Grey

Joel Grey—who turned 83 on Saturday—was already an acting legend when he made his Star Trek debut with a guest appearance on Voyager as Caylem in the episode "Resistance," a second-season hour that aired in 1995. His greatest claim to fame, no doubt, is Cabaret. He originated the role of the Master of Ceremonies for the Broadway musical, winning a Tony Award in 1968 for his performance. Grey won an Oscar as well when he reprised the role in the 1972 film version of Cabaret. His many other stage, television and film credits include George M., Maverick, Stop the World—I Want to Get Off, Ironside, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, Dallas, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Fantasticks, Chicago, Oz, Wicked, Grey's Anatomy, Anything Goes!, Warehouse 13 and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The actor is also the father of actress Jennifer Grey, best known for Dirty Dancing.

So, how and why did Grey end up on Voyager? The common denominator was Kate Mulgrew. The two were friends and had worked together on Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. The producers had invited Grey onto the show several times, but he finally agreed when Mulgrew suggested Grey for the role of Caylem, a deeply guilt-ridden Alsaurian who, upon meeting Janeway, mistakes her for his late daughter.  "If a guy doesn’t know what he’s doing, what he’s done, then that’s an interesting thing to play," Grey told StarTrek.com about his "Resistance" experience during an interview in 2012. "The makeup was hideous. Caylem was not a pretty sight. It took a couple of hours (to have the makeup applied), but that was fine. They were great makeup people. It was just such a bizarre ring I had in my nose. But this was Star Trek. It was fun, fun and crazy... Kate is a lovely person. She’s also just such a good actor. We didn’t have a hell of a lot to do (together) on Remo Williams, so we made up for it on Voyager. I was glad we got the opportunity." Earlier this year, Grey—who was married for 24 years and raised two children with his wife—revealed that he was gay. On the work front, he'll soon release his latest book of photography and also a memoir.

"I'm a very happy guy," Grey told People Magazine in January. "I'm still cookin.'"