Mel Winkler, Devil in a Blue Dress actor and Star Trek: Voyager’s Jack Hayes, has passed away, age 78

Mel Winkler as Jack Hayes in Star Trek: Voyager “The 37’s”

Noted character and voice actor Mel Winkler has passed away. A piece from The Hollywood Reporter said that his family announced his death on Thursday, June 11th, saying that he “died peacefully in his sleep of unknown causes”. He was 78.

Star Trek fans will remember Winkler as Jack Hayes, a 20th century Earth farmer who featured in the Star Trek: Voyager season two episode “The 37’s”. In that episode, the Voyager crew come across Hayes’ red Ford pickup floating in space, leading them to a planet populated by the descendants of humans who were abducted from Earth by the Briori. That’s also the episode where Captain Janeway met one of her personal heroes, Amelia Earhart.

Outside of Star Trek, Winkler was a prolific character actor best known for his roles as Melvin in Doc Hollywood (1991) and Joppy in Devil in a Blue Dress (1995). He was also a voice actor known for voicing Aku Aku in the Crash Bandicoot video game series and Lucius Fox from The WB’s The New Batman Adventures.

The Hollywood Reporter says that a spokesperson for Winkler’s family, Courtney Benson, called him “a consummate professional [who was] always willing to share his knowledge and wisdom on any given subject. His infectious smile and love for family will forever be missed. He was a giant among many.”

Winkler is survived by his children, Maury and Mark, and four granddaughters. Please join me in sending condolences to his family.