Harry Townes
Harry Townes (18 September1914–23 May2001; age 86) was an American character actor who playedReger in theStar Trek: The Original Seriesfirst season episode "The Return of the Archons". An ordained Episcopal priest, his career spanned almost four decades. He filmed his scenes on Thursday8 December1966 on location at the40 Acres back lot, on Friday9 December1966 atDesilu Stage 9 and Monday12 December1966 atStage 10.
Born in Huntsville, Alabama in 1914, he began his career on the New York stage and also performed in several films during the late 1930s. During World War II, Townes enlisted in the Army, returning to film and theater in 1946 after the war's end.
His credits eventually amassed a body of work that consisted of 29 movie appearances and over two hundred television parts. On the big screen, he appeared inThe Brothers Karamazov (1958, withWilliam Shatner andDavid Opatoshu). He had a guest starring role in the television seriesThe Incredible Hulk as Dell Frye, a man who was able to transform into a Hulk-like creature (portrayed byDick Durock) thirty years before David Banner. In 1970, he was part of the cast of the TV-movieThe Andersonville Trial, which co-starred William Shatner,John Anderson,Whit Bissell,Kenneth Tobey, andIan Wolfe.
Outside of acting, Townes began studying religion in the late 1960s and in 1973 was ordained a deacon at the St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Los Angeles. A year later, on March 16, 1974, he was ordained as an Episcopal minister and began serving at the St. Mary of the Angels Church in Hollywood. During this time, Townes continued his acting career with several guest roles (playing separate doctors) onQuincy, M.E.
In the 1980s, while still serving as a minister, Townes appeared in several well-known television series such asMagnum, P.I. (withGeorge O'Hanlon, Jr.),Scarecrow and Mrs. King (starringKate Jackson, withMarc Alaimo),Simon & Simon (withNicolas Coster,Eric Server, andWilliam Wintersole) andKnots Landing. His final television appearance was in a 1988 episode of the seriesValerie, co-starringAllan Graf.
Townes afterwards retired from acting in 1989 and returned to his hometown of Huntsville, where he lived the remainder of his life and continued serving as an Episcopal minister until his death in 2001.