Frank Ashmore

Character actor Frank Ashmore got his big break in the benchmark 1980s parody films "Airplane!" and its aptly titled sequel, "Airplane II: The Sequel." Though he appeared in only small roles in both films, he soon garnered recognition as Martin, a peaceful extraterrestrial in NBC's made-for-TV science fiction epic "V." The popular film spawned a miniseries that went under the subtitle "The Final Battle," on which Ashmore reprised his role. When "V" was serialized in 1984, Ashmore's character was killed off almost immediately, but he appeared as an entirely new personage, Philip, in seven episodes. Sci-fi aficionados may also recognize Ashmore from the original "Battlestar Galactica," on which he appeared in the 1979 episode "Murder on the Rising Star" as the villainous Flight Sergeant Ortega. Unwilling to be tied down to any particular genre, however, Ashmore has appeared on a diverse array of over two dozen television shows since 1972. Over his career, he filled guest roles on the medical soap "General Hospital," the throwback sitcom "Happy Days," and the snappy political drama "The West Wing." In 2010, Ashmore lent his talent to new corners of the entertainment industry. He acted in several episodes of the web series "The Guild" and voiced mobster Leone Galante in the Electronic Arts video game "Mafia II."