Clarence Williams III, star of The Mod Squad and guest on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, has passed away at 81
Clarence Williams III as the Jem’Hadar Omet’iklan in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine “To the Death”
JUNE 7, 2021 - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest star Clarence Williams III, who played Jem’Hadar Omet'iklan in the fourth season episode, “To The Death,” passed away on June 4th following a battle with colon cancer, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. Williams, who was 81, was well-known for his role as undercover cop Linc Hayes in the Emmy-nominated series The Mod Squad, which ran on ABC from 1968-1973.
Oh no— I just saw: #RIPClarenceWilliamsIII. For all the landmark import of playing Linc on #TheModSquad … don’t forget a generation later “saw” him under makeup as a remarkable #JemHadar First on #StarTrek #DS9 “To The Death”. pic.twitter.com/uL3xAV0mtu
— Larry Nemecek (@larrynemecek) June 7, 2021
Williams’ turn as Omet’iklan was memorable for his interactions with Avery Brooks’ Captain Sisko as they forged a temporary alliance to fight a band of renegade Jem’Hadar soldiers. After vowing to kill the Defiant’s Captain once the alliance is no longer necessary, Omet’iklan relents when Sisko risks his own life to save the Jem’Hadar leader. Also notable was his character’s murder of Weyoun, which led to the canon understanding that the Founders simply cloned a new Weyoun when the previous one died.
Clarence Williams III served as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division before turning to acting. He built a strong reputation on stage as a Tony-nominated Broadway performer in the 1960s before moving his career to Hollywood and landing his role as Hayes in The Mod Squad. His big-screen debut came in 1984 playing an abusive father to Prince’s character “The Kid” in Purple Rain.
LeVar Burton, who directed “To The Death,” spoke about the decision to cast Williams as Omet’iklan in the book Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, telling how Williams was his first choice and adding, “He's an old friend of mine, but we'd never worked together before. This was just an opportunity to say, 'Hey CW, you want to come and do this thing?'"
Williams is survived by his daughter Jamey Phillips and sister Sondra Pugh. Please join us here at Daily Star Trek News in sending condolences to his family.
Jack Brown is a contributing writer for Daily Star Trek News on the Roddenberry Podcast Network. Jack teaches at a small film school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and also helps to manage his wife's career as a novelist and speaker. In his spare time he writes fiction, cooks, and watches classic movies.
