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William O'Connell (12 May 192915 January 2024; age 94) was the actor who played Thelev in the Star Trek: The Original Series second season episode "Journey to Babel". He filmed his scenes on Friday 22 September 1967 and Monday 25 September 1967 at Desilu Stage 9.

O'Connell made his screen acting debut with an uncredited appearance in the 1961 film 20,000 Eyes, co-starring fellow Original Series guest actor Rex Holman. The following year, he appeared in the Thriller episode "A Wig for Miss Devore" and The Twilight Zone episode "Cavender Is Coming", both featuring John Fiedler, another Original Series guest actor. O'Connell would go on to co-star with Fiedler in a 1975 episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. He went on to appear in a 1963 episode of The Lieutenant, a series written by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and starring Gary Lockwood. Also in 1963, both O'Connell and Original Series star James Doohan made uncredited appearances the 1963 comedy The Wheeler Dealers.

In 1964, he acted with Roy Jenson in an episode of The Outer Limits and with Morgan Woodward in an episode of Rawhide, and in 1966, he appeared with Meg Wyllie in the "Holloway's Daughter" episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater. He then co-starred with Brian Keith in Way...Way Out (1966). O'Connell would again appear with Keith in 1971's Scandalous John, which also featured Richard Hale and Bill Zuckert. In 1968, O'Connell appeared in Ice Station Zebra, as did Original Series guest actors Lloyd Haynes and Jonathan Lippe.

In 1969, he appeared with Perry Lopez and Robert Pine in the Wild Wild West episode "The Night of the Pistol", with Jean Simmons in the drama The Happy Ending, and with Robert Easton, Harve Presnell, and Ray Walston in Paint Your Wagon. He would go on to appear in High Plains Drifter (1973, co-starring Marianna Hill) and The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976, with Erik Holland). He also appeared with Eastwood in Every Which Way But Loose (1978, also featuring Roy Jenson) and Any Which Way You Can (1980, also with Roy Jenson as well as George Murdock and Logan Ramsey).

1971 saw O'Connell co-star with Peter Brocco, Christopher Shea and Garry Walberg in the Odd Couple episode "A Taste of Money". And in 1974, he appeared opposite his Original Series co-star William Shatner in Big Bad Mama, also featuring Dick Miller and Noble Willingham.

O'Connell's last known on-screen acting appearance was in the 1991 made-for-TV movie The Haunted (with George D. Wallace).

O'Connell passed away on January 15, 2024 at his home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, at the age of 94. [1]

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