Wheeler is best known by Trekkies for playing this iconic TOS alien.
Prolific character actor John Wheeler passed away at his Claremont, California home earlier this month. The 95-year-old thespian’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Johanna, today (Tuesday, Feb. 24), according to The Hollywood reporter. Wheeler portrayed one of the best-known aliens to appear in Star Trek: The Original Series, the antagonistic Tellarite Ambassador Gav.
In a career spanning almost 50 years, Wheeler appeared in the TOS season 2 episode “Journey to Babel.” However, what some Star Trek fans might not realize is this was only the third credit of Wheeler’s early career at the time. He’d only starred in a pair of made-for-television movies beforehand: Wonderful Town (1958) and Golden Child (1960). Thus, Star Trek was his breakout role, but his appearance was hidden under his glorious Gav getup.
Unfortunately, Wheeler never had the opportunity to reprise his Star Trek role in the future because Gav was murdered, his neck was broken using the aggressive Vulcan technique Tal-shaya. Nevertheless, Wheeler went on to put together one of the most well-respected Hollywood resumes of all time.
Outside of the Star Trek fandom, Wheeler is often most associated with his recurring role of Mr. Rhuebottom on The Dukes of Hazzard TV show. He also appeared multiple times on The Odd Couple, The Brady Bunch, and Green Acres series.
In addition to being a lifelong Trekkie, I’m also a HUGE Superman fan. So, it was fun for me seeing Wheeler out of his elaborate Ambassador Gav costume in season 2 of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. He played a shop owner in the “Madame Ex” episode, but the next year, Wheeler won a bit part as a reporter in Ron Howard’s must-see, big-screen classic Apollo 13 (1995).
Per THR: “In addition to his daughter, survivors include his sons, Christopher and Timothy, and his grandson, Brandon. He was married to Helen Wheeler from 1959 until her death in 2013.”
Our Redshirts Always Die and FanSided teams are saddened to hear of Mr. Wheeler’s passing, and we would all like to pass on our condolences to those closest to him, including his family and friends. For more Star Trek content, and to remember John Wheeler, please visit the Redshirts Always Die X and Facebook pages.
Rest in peace, Mr. Wheeler.