Roger C. Carmel

Roger Charles Carmel (September 27, 1932 – November 11, 1986) was an American actor. Of his hundreds of roles, he is best remembered for playing the flamboyant and hapless criminal Harry Mudd in two episodes of NBC's Star Trek: The Original Series: "Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd", and one episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series: ”Mudd's Passion". He was the only actor, other than those who played Enterprise crew members, to play the same character in multiple episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series.

Career

Carmel starred as milksop Roger Buell in the 1967 NBC sitcom The Mothers-in-Law, but was replaced by Richard Deacon after season 1. Officially, Carmel had a salary dispute with producer Desi Arnaz, Sr., although, according to rumors, he was fired because his drug use interfered with production.

Other guest roles Roger Charles Carmel portrayed include the accountant Doug Wesley on CBS's The Dick Van Dyke Show and Colonel Gumm on ABC's Batman. He also appeared in roles on The Patty Duke Show, I Spy, Blue Light, The Everglades, Hogan's Heroes, Car 54, Where Are You?, Banacek, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Munsters, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Hawaii Five-O, All in the Family, and The San Pedro Beach Bums. He was a regular contestant on Pantomime Quiz, also known as Stump the Stars. He also appeared in Jerry Lewis's comeback 1981 film, Hardly Working.

Later in his career, Carmel was a frequent voice actor. Carmel voiced Smokey Bear in fire safety advertisements and Decepticon deputy leader Cyclonus, amongst others, in the second and third seasons of the popular Transformers animated series. In the television commercials for the Naugles chain of Mexican fast-food restaurants, he played the character of Señor Naugles. He died in Hollywood, of hypertensive cardiomyopathy in 1986. He was interred in New Mount Carmel Cemetery in Glendale, Queens, New York.

Some fan-written sources report that Carmel was slated to reprise his role as Harry Mudd in the Star Trek: The Next Generation first season finale episode, "The Neutral Zone", but died before filming could commence  However, even if this is true, discussions for Carmel to reprise the role must have been at an extremely early stage—Carmel died more than a year before that particular episode was even written. After his death, Jack Angel took over his role as Cyclonus in The Transformers.

Television

• The Munsters - episode - Lily Munster, Girl Model - Laszlo Brastoff (1965)
• The Phyllis Diller Show - episode - Phyllis, the General Stealer - Cannon (1966)
• Star Trek - episodes - Mudd's Women & I, Mudd - Harry Mudd (1966-1967)
• It Takes a Thief - episode - The Bill Is in Committee - Paz (1968)
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color - episode - My Dog, the Thief: Parts 1 & 2 - McClure (1969)
• McMillan & Wife - episode - Death of a Monster... Birth of a Legend - Houston Gorman (1973)