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Cliff Potts (born 5 January 1942; age 82) is the actor who played the role of Vice Admiral Kennelly in the Star Trek: The Next Generation fifth season episode "Ensign Ro". He filmed his scenes on Thursday 1 August 1991 and Friday 2 August 1991 on Paramount Stage 8 and Paramount Stage 16. Potts is perhaps best known for his role as John Keenan in the 1972 science fiction film Silent Running, directed by Douglas Trumbull.

Potts was a recurring performer on the series The Name of the Game during its first season (1968-69) and had a role in the acclaimed 1976 mini-series Once an Eagle, along with fellow Star Trek alumni John Anderson, Darleen Carr, James Cromwell, David Huddleston, George Murdock, Andrew Robinson, William Windom, and Anthony Zerbe. He was also a regular on two short-lived series: 1977's Big Hawaii and 1983's For Love and Honor. All four of these shows originally aired on NBC.

Potts worked with Star Trek: The Original Series star William Shatner on two occasions. The first was Little Women (1978, starring John de Lancie, Logan Ramsey, and William Schallert). The second occasion was a 1982 episode of T. J. Hooker (co-starring Richard Herd).

In addition, Potts had a brief recurring role on CBS' Lou Grant. One of the three Lou Grant episodes in which Potts appeared also featured Parley Baer and Fran Bennett. In 1982, Potts appeared in two episodes of Tales of the Gold Monkey, starring Stephen Collins. In 1988, Potts had a recurring role as Boaz Harper on the CBS drama Dallas, during which time he worked with such Star Trek performers as Gerrit Graham, William Smithers (with whom Potts previously worked with in an episode of The Bold Ones: The New Doctors), and Beth Toussaint.

Potts has also appeared on such television shows as Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law (with Jeff Corey), Ironside (with Barbara Anderson and James Gregory), Hec Ramsey (with Fionnula Flanagan and Robert Foxworth), Falcon Crest (with Robert Foxworth and Nick Ramus), Bret Maverick (with Sid Haig), Simon & Simon (with John Chandler and Lenore Kasdorf), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (with Joseph Ruskin), Starman (with John Anderson), Murder, She Wrote (with William Windom), Stingray (with Walker Edmiston, Samantha Eggar, Robert Harper, and Julianna McCarthy), and MacGyver (with Jeff Kober and Nicholas Worth). In 1987, he starred with K Callan in the CBS Summer Playhouse presentation, "Day to Day."

Between 1984 and 1987, Potts made three appearances on Hotel, each time playing a different character. Among the other Star Trek performers he worked with on this program were Miguel Ferrer, Molly Hagan, Barry Jenner, Carlos LaCamara, and Deborah May. More recent TV appearances include episodes of Baywatch (with Todd Bryant), Matlock (with David Froman and Gregory Itzin), Civil Wars (with Tricia O'Neil, Richard Riehle, and Don Stark), and Vanishing Son (with Steve Rankin).

In addition to the aforementioned Silent Running, Potts' film credits include A Man Called Gannon (1968, directed by James Goldstone and starring John Anderson, co-starring Michael Sarrazin and Susan Oliver), Sometimes a Great Notion (1971, co-starring Michael Sarrazin, Sam Gilman and Roy Jenson) and The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972, Michael Sarrazin and featuring Alan Oppenheimer). In addition, Potts starred in Cry For Me, Billy (1972), and was also in Love's Dark Ride (1978, co-starring Granville Van Dusen) and Sahara (1983, with John Rhys-Davies).

Potts retired from acting in 1999. However, in 2011 he returned for a supporting role in the family western Wild Hearts, written, directed, produced and starring Ricky Schroeder. In 2016, he appeared in the short film The Ravine.

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