Memorable classic Star Trek guest star William Campbell has died at the age of 87, reports the New York Times. He appeared in two original Star Trek episodes and also one DS:9:
Mr. Campbell was often described as resembling Liberace. (The basis for comparison appears to have been physical rather than sartorial.) He used the resemblance to good effect in a memorable guest role on “Star Trek,” in early 1967. Titled “The Squire of Gothos” and broadcast in the show’s first season, the episode featured Mr. Campbell as a dandified alien obsessed with human history of the 18th century.
In “The Trouble With Tribbles” he played Koloth, the Klingon captain at whose expense Scotty got the last laugh in a highly comic episode. Campbell reprised the role for Deep Space Nine in 1994.
Campbell was lucky enough to work with other Sixties icons – he had roles in Wild, Wild West, Bonanza, and even got to sing with Elvis Presley in the film Love Me Tender.
[Thanks to David Klaus for the link.]
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The friendly, engaging Campbell appeared, usually in smallish roles, in movies with Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne and Bette Davis, among many others. He was a regular on the TV series CANNONBALL (about truckers) with Paul Birch. His brother was screenwriter R. Wright Campbell, who wrote several scripts for Roger Corman, including THE YOUNG RACERS, THE SECRET INVASION and yea even unto TEENAGE CAVE MAN–but also MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH. And THE MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES.
During the rather bizarre “Is Paul dead?” period of Beatlemania. wasn’t Campbell rumoured to have been the actor impersonating the deceased McCartney?
The Squire of Gothos is often seen as an early version of the spin-off series’ recurring character Q — indeed, some fans of the shows have floated the thought that he was a ‘young’ member of the Q Continuum.
The rumor did say that Paul’s impersonator was named William Campbell, but it was presumably some other William Campbell … one who looked enough like McCartney to impersonate him.