Actor William O’Connell, known for his roles in Star Trek, The Twilight Zone and Batman (1966), has died, aged 94.
The actor died at his home in Sherman Oaks, California on January 15, and his death was announced to Deadline by a friend. A cause of death has not yet been given.
O’Connell’s acting credits were mainly from the 1960s and 1970s, and he is known for his regular collaborations with Clint Eastwood.
The two first appeared in the 1969 musical, Paint Your Wagon, before working together on a number of movies directed by Eastwood, including Western films, High Plains Drifter and The Outlaw Josey Wales.
O’Connell was born in 1929 in Los Angeles, California. He became well known for his memorable television role in season two of Star Trek. He starred in the episode Journey To Babel as Thelev, an Orion agent disguised as an Andorian ambassador.
The character of Thelev’s mission was to destroy the USS Enterprise, which was at the time responsible for moving delegates to the Babel Conference. Although Thelev ultimately failed, he did manage to stab Captain Kirk (William Shatner). His character eventually poisoned himself before his ship self-destructed.
O’Connell had an impressive acting career in both film and television, starring in titles such as Every Which Way But Loose, an episode of Charlie’s Angels and Kolchak: The Night Stalker. His last role was in the 1991 horror movie, The Haunted, in which he played Father Kearney.
