The Late Star Trek Actor Who Played Dee's Hero In It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
There have been a lot of great guest actors on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" over its 16 seasons, including Jason Sudeikis, Sean William Scott, Rhea Pearlman, and more, but one fairly early guest star was a special treat for fans of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." The late, great René Auberjonois starred in the season 6 episode "The Gang Gets a New Member," which sees the gang split up when Schmitty (Sudeikis) joins the gang after Dee (Kaitlin Olson) leaves to chase her dreams and Charlie (Charlie Day) feels forced out by Schmitty's antics.
"The Gang Gets a New Member" is a pretty audacious episode for the series, not only splitting up the gang but introducing numerous guest stars and putting them in zany situations. Thankfully, Auberjonois was more than capable of handling the silliness of "Sunny," and he delivered a hilarious performance that's pretty far removed from the stodgy character "Deep Space Nine" fans know and love. He looks pretty different too, so some fans may not have even recognized Constable Odo without his makeup!
Dee's teacher and DS9's chief of security
In "The Gang Gets a New Member," Dee finds a check she wrote for her mentor, high school drama teacher Dr. Larry Meyers (Auberjonois), in a time capsule because she believed she would be a famous actor when she opened it and would be able to actually give it to him. In lieu of that, she seeks him out to try and glean some wisdom about her future as an actor. However, he has totally given up and lets his students do whatever they want. He tells Dee that while she has gotten far too old to make it as an actor (not true! Many stars don't get their starts until their 30s and 40s!), she still could be involved in the acting world by teaching. She ends up taking a job as an assistant teacher and helps inspire Larry to care again, though he ends up breaking his hip when he slips and falls on an over-waxed stage.
As Dr. Larry Meyers, Auberjonois doesn't have to wear the prosthetic makeup that made him into Odo, the shapeshifting security chief on "Deep Space Nine," which might have made him unrecognizable to some fans. The characters also couldn't be more different, as Odo would never allow students to play on their phones if there was a lesson to be learned, and he certainly wouldn't dress up like Dr. Frankenstein for a silly musical.
The legacy of Dr. Larry
Dr. Meyers is only in one episode of "It's Always Sunny," but he's a hilarious addition to the wild cast of characters that surround the gang. He tells Dee that he used to be an alcoholic (alcoholism is a pretty major theme in the series) but now he seems content just to darn his socks. The most fun moment comes when he actually breaks his hip, however, as he gets to use the vulgar vernacular of the series, telling Dee "No I'm not acting, you b****!" Hearing the voice of Odo shouting those words is especially funny because it feels so out of character (despite being a different character entirely).
Auberjonois brought gravitas and greatness to every role he inhabited, from Dr. Larry Meyers to Odo to Father Mulcahy in the original "M*A*S*H" film. On "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" he manages to be the best guest star in an episode that also has Ted Lasso himself (Sudeikis) and the prettiest of the "Kids in the Hall," Dave Foley. You'll always be missed, Mr. Auberjonois, but I'm glad we got to see you tackle some great roles.