Star Trek: Discovery Actor Reveals He’s Been Diagnosed With ALS

Kenneth Mitchell, who played Klingon warrior Kol in Star Trek: Discovery, has revealed his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Often called motor neurone disease, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, this condition affects neurons in the brain that control voluntary movement of muscles, and causes significant degeneration over time. Mitchell first received his diagnosis in 2018, but has now gone public to explain how ALS has affected him so far.

Speaking to People, Mitchell described how muscle twitches led him to seek medical advice and a diagnosis in 2018:

The 45-year-old actor, who has two children with wife, Susan, struggled to hide his symptoms, and had to turn down the lead role in a television series. Mitchell has been using a wheelchair since October of 2019, coming after increased physical difficulty with the demands of shooting television shows. Although he’ll no longer be part of the Star Trek: Discovery cast, Mitchell drew support from other actors on the series, saying:

Mitchell, who also wants to be open about dealing with ALS, played Kol on Discovery, the leader of the Klingon military. The actor also had an extra role as Tenavik in the series and has a long history of television gigs, including cult show Jericho. In addition, Mitchell briefly appeared in last year’s Captain Marvel as the father of Carol Danvers, and has a recurring role on The CW’s Nancy Drew.

We wish Mitchell and his family all the best for the future and hope that the actor can continue to make onscreen appearances while dealing with the condition. Indeed, Mitchell is now working on television movie The Old Man, wherein the producers wrote a part for him as an FBI agent using a chair. Star Trek: Discovery, meanwhile, is set to return to CBS All Access for a third season later this year. The series will reportedly continue for several more seasons, as well, including a possible crossover with Star Trek: Picard.

Source: People

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