# Marc Singer
**Marc Singer** (born 1948) is a Canadian actor best known for two 1980s genre landmarks: the sword-and-sorcery hero Dar in *The Beastmaster* (1982) and the television news cameraman Mike Donovan in the science fiction miniseries and series *V* (1983–1985).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) Classically trained on stage before his screen career began, he worked steadily in film and television for five decades, from a 1974 television debut to the 2024 action film *Agent Recon* opposite [Chuck Norris](https://www.edgepedia.org/chuck-norris).[3](https://thefilmaholic.com/actor/marc-singer) • [4](https://www.avclub.com/marc-singer-interview-random-roles-1851557207)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1948, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/) |
| Family | Son of symphony conductor Jacques Singer and concert pianist Leslie Singer; brother of actress and cellist Lori Singer; cousin of director Bryan Singer[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/singer-marc-1948) |
| Signature roles | Dar in *The Beastmaster* (1982) and its sequels; Mike Donovan in *V* (1983 miniseries, *V: The Final Battle* 1984, *V* series 1984–1985)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/) |
| Stage background | Petruchio in the American Conservatory Theatre's 1976 *The Taming of the Shrew*, televised on PBS; Christian in *Cyrano de Bergerac* opposite Peter Donat and Marsha Mason[6](https://ringsidereport.com/?p=112419) • [7](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-back-to-pop-157527567/episode/ep-70-marc-singer-before-the-327419178/) |
| Voice work | Dr. Kirk Langstrom, also known as Man-Bat, in *Batman: The Animated Series* (1992–1995)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) |
| Later genre work | Dartanus in the syndicated *Beastmaster* series (1999–2002); Lars Tremont in the 2011 *V* reboot; General Matthew Shrieve in *Arrow* season 3 (2014)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) • [8](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/139100/filmo/) |
| Most recent film | *Agent Recon* (2024), as Colonel Green, alongside Chuck Norris[3](https://thefilmaholic.com/actor/marc-singer) |
## Family and early life
Singer was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, into what he has described as a musical dynasty: his father, Jacques Singer, was a symphony conductor, and his mother, Leslie Singer, a concert pianist.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/singer-marc-1948) Of the four Singer children, his older brother Claude is the only non-performer, while his sister [Lori Singer](https://www.edgepedia.org/lori-singer) became an actress and cellist known for *Footloose* (1984) and the television series *Fame*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) His cousin [Bryan Singer](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryan-singer) directed *X-Men* (2001) and *Superman Returns* (2006).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/)
The family moved often during his boyhood. After leaving Canada they lived briefly in New York, then settled in [Corpus Christi, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/corpus-christi-texas), where he spent much of his childhood, and later in Oregon, before he attended college in the Midwest and Washington state.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/) He pursued athletics alongside creative training, earning a black belt in kung fu.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) A childhood visit to a production of Shakespeare's *Richard III* starring [Laurence Olivier](https://www.edgepedia.org/laurence-olivier), taken by his father, left a lasting impression, but he did not act himself until a teacher recruited him in his junior year of high school to fill a suddenly vacant role.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/) He went on to attend [Indiana University](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiana-university).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/)
## Stage training and early screen work
Singer began his career as a stage actor and has made a point of returning to the stage throughout his working life.[4](https://www.avclub.com/marc-singer-interview-random-roles-1851557207) His landmark stage role was Petruchio in the American Conservatory Theatre's 1976 production of *The Taming of the Shrew*, recorded for PBS; he has said that [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks) later credited seeing him in that live performance as the reason Hanks became an actor.[6](https://ringsidereport.com/?p=112419) He also played Christian in *Cyrano de Bergerac* at San Francisco's Geary Theater, opposite [Peter Donat](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-donat), Marsha Mason, and [Paul Shenar](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-shenar).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/)
His first Hollywood job was as Dalton on the short-lived 1974 CBS television version of *Planet of the Apes*, followed by the slow accumulation of guest roles typical for a young television actor, on *Barnaby Jones*, *Hawaii Five-O*, *The Rookies*, and the short-lived *Jigsaw John*.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) One of his earliest projects, at age 26, was the 1974 television film *Things in Their Season*, co-starring the Oscar winner [Patricia Neal](https://www.edgepedia.org/patricia-neal).[9](https://www.shoestring.org/mmi_revs/marc-singer.html) His first big-screen appearance came in 1978 in *Go Tell the Spartans*, a [Vietnam War](https://www.edgepedia.org/vietnam-war) film starring [Burt Lancaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/burt-lancaster), in which Singer played Captain Al Olivetti.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/singer-marc-1948) Leading roles in made-for-television movies followed, including *Something for Joey* (1977) as football player John Cappelletti, Andy Warner in the 1979 miniseries *Roots: The Next Generations*, and David Reynolds, a turn-of-the-century artist, opposite Lindsay Wagner in *The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan* (1979).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) • [9](https://www.shoestring.org/mmi_revs/marc-singer.html)
## The Beastmaster and V
**The Beastmaster.** Singer's first big-screen starring role came in 1982 as Dar in [Don Coscarelli](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-coscarelli)'s fantasy *The Beastmaster*, opposite [Tanya Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/tanya-roberts). The film pitted the bare-chested Dar against ancient forces of evil, with animals and nature as his only allies, and drew inspiration from the era's other fantasy successes such as *Conan the Barbarian* (1982) and *Clash of the Titans* (1981).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) Singer has said that Coscarelli cast him after seeing him win the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his performance in *Shrew*.[6](https://ringsidereport.com/?p=112419) Critical reviews at the time were almost universally bad, but repeated showings on cable television turned the film into a generational touchstone, and Singer reprised Dar in *Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time* (1991) and *Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus* (1996).[7](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-back-to-pop-157527567/episode/ep-70-marc-singer-before-the-327419178/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) • [10](https://pophorror.com/the-beastmaster-retro-review-1982/)
The same year brought a completely different performance: Singer played the real-life blind musician [Tom Sullivan](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-sullivan) in *If You Could See What I Hear* (1982), opposite Shari Belafonte, a film that became a cable television staple through the decade.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) • [4](https://www.avclub.com/marc-singer-interview-random-roles-1851557207)
**V.** Kenneth Johnson, creator of *V*, offered Singer the role of Mike Donovan after seeing his work, and Singer has described the casting as less an audition than a selection based on his Petruchio and Dar.[6](https://ringsidereport.com/?p=112419) The 1983 NBC miniseries, a documented allegory of Nazi occupation adapted from themes associated with Sinclair Lewis, cast Donovan as a television news cameraman who sneaks aboard an alien mothership and films the truth.[7](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-back-to-pop-157527567/episode/ep-70-marc-singer-before-the-327419178/) Singer played Donovan in the 1983 miniseries, *V: The Final Battle* (1984), and the weekly *V* series (1984–1985), appearing in 19 episodes of the series.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/) He has described Donovan as a reluctant hero, an everyman thrust unwillingly into a pivotal role, and recalled the production as freewheeling, with actors encouraged to devise their own stunts.[4](https://www.avclub.com/marc-singer-interview-random-roles-1851557207) • [11](https://ringsidereport.com/?p=136455)
## Later career
Through the 1980s Singer made guest appearances on *Dallas*, *Hotel*, and *Simon & Simon*, and appeared in syndicated genre television such as *The Twilight Zone* and HBO's *The Hitchhiker*.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) In the 1990s he moved into genre and straight-to-video films, including *Body Chemistry* (1990), *Watchers II* (1990), *Dead Space* (1991), and *Beastmaster 2* (1991).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) • [3](https://thefilmaholic.com/actor/marc-singer) He also built a voice-over career: he voiced Dr. Kirk Langstrom, also known as Man-Bat, in the first episode of *Batman: The Animated Series* and in several later appearances, and voiced characters in *The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest*.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/)
When the *Beastmaster* property returned as an Australian syndicated television series (1999–2002), Singer joined the cast as Dartanus, Dar's mentor, playing an elder statesman figure to a new generation of fans who had been children when the original film premiered.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) • [4](https://www.avclub.com/marc-singer-interview-random-roles-1851557207) He took a part as Chet on the daytime drama *The Young and the Restless* in 1999.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/) With science fiction enjoying renewed popularity in the early 2000s, he appeared as Lars Tremont in the second-season finale of the 2011 *V* reboot and said at WonderCon 2011 that he hoped to return for a larger role in a third season.[4](https://www.avclub.com/marc-singer-interview-random-roles-1851557207) • [12](https://www.assignmentx.com/2011/wondercon-2011-v-actor-marc-singer-would-love-to-be-back-for-season-3/)
In 2014 he played a late-career villain turn as General Matthew Shrieve in five episodes of *Arrow* season 3, a general who unleashes a bioweapon on Hong Kong and calls it patriotism.[8](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/139100/filmo/) • [7](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-back-to-pop-157527567/episode/ep-70-marc-singer-before-the-327419178/) His filmography counts 33 films across a career spanning 1975 to 2024, ending (as of the most recent credit) with *Agent Recon* (2024) as Colonel Green, alongside Chuck Norris.[3](https://thefilmaholic.com/actor/marc-singer)
## Personal life
Singer married the Hawaiian-born actress Haunani Minn, whom he met while living in Seattle; they married on June 17, 1974, and had one child, Phoebe Singer. Minn died on November 23, 2014, in Studio City, California.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/) He remains a convention-circuit mainstay, and his off-screen interests include running, sailing, martial arts, boxing, skiing, motorcycling, and playing Western classical piano daily.[13](https://www.fandango.com/people/marc-singer-626407) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/) He stands 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/)
## References
1. [Marc Singer (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001743/)
2. [Marc Singer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marc-singer/)
3. [Marc Singer, The Filmaholic](https://thefilmaholic.com/actor/marc-singer)
4. [Marc Singer on teaming with Chuck Norris for Agent Recon and the enduring legacy of The Beastmaster, The A.V. Club (2024)](https://www.avclub.com/marc-singer-interview-random-roles-1851557207)
5. [Singer, Marc 1948-, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/singer-marc-1948)
6. [Marc Singer: The Beastmaster, V, If You Could See What I Hear, Shakespeare and More, RingSide Report](https://ringsidereport.com/?p=112419)
7. [Ep: 70 Marc Singer: Before the Loincloth, Beyond the Legend, Back to Pop podcast, iHeart](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-back-to-pop-157527567/episode/ep-70-marc-singer-before-the-327419178/)
8. [Filmografie von Marc Singer, FILMSTARTS.de](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/139100/filmo/)
9. [MMI Special Report: Marc Singer, Shoestring](https://www.shoestring.org/mmi_revs/marc-singer.html)
10. [Don Coscarelli's THE BEASTMASTER (1982): Swords, Sorcery, and Nostalgia, PopHorror](https://pophorror.com/the-beastmaster-retro-review-1982/)
11. [1980s TV Shows: A Trip Down Memory Lane with Marc Singer, RingSide Report](https://ringsidereport.com/?p=136455)
12. [WonderCon 2011: V actor Marc Singer would love to be back for Season 3, Assignment X](https://www.assignmentx.com/2011/wondercon-2011-v-actor-marc-singer-would-love-to-be-back-for-season-3/)
13. [Marc Singer, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/marc-singer-626407)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Sc to Sl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license