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Seymour Cassel (22 January 19357 April 2019; age 84) was a veteran actor who played Hester Dealt in the Star Trek: The Next Generation second season episode "The Child".

Cassel was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role in Faces (1968, directed by his friend John Cassavetes). He appeared in several other films by Cassavetes, most notably 1971's Minnie and Moskowitz, in which he had a lead role. Another was 1976's The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, featuring Morgan Woodward and Robert Phillips. He also worked a number of times with director Don Siegel, including a 1959 episode of The Twilight Zone, The Killers (1964, written by Gene L. Coon), a 1967 episode of The Invaders, and Coogan's Bluff (1968).

In 1965, Cassel appeared with Star Trek: The Original Series actor James Doohan in an episode of the Western series Laredo. In 1976, he made an appearance in the film The Last Tycoon, as did Tige Andrews and Jeff Corey. Two years later, he had a role in Convoy, with Madge Sinclair. In 1979, he starred in the film Sunburn, with Joan Collins and William Daniels.

He had a role in Beverly Hills Madam (1986, starring Terry Farrell). Also in that year, he starred in the feature movie Eye of the Tiger with Bert Remsen. His feature films during the '80s included the drama Track 29, co-starring Christopher Lloyd. In 1990, he had one of his more memorable roles as Sam Catchum in Dick Tracy, with Colm Meaney, John Schuck, Paul Sorvino, Robert Costanzo, Hamilton Camp, Ed McCready, Bert Remsen, Michael J. Pollard, Ian Wolfe, and Chuck Hicks.

After that, he had roles in such films as Mobsters (1991, starring F. Murray Abraham and Christian Slater), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), It Could Happen To You (1994), Trees Lounge (1996, with Carol Kane), The Crew (2000), Stuck On You (2003), Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Chasing 3000 (2006, with Lori Petty and Jay Karnes) and Pete Smalls Is Dead (2010, with Carol Kane). In 1997, he appeared in The Last Don along with Kirstie Alley, John Colicos, Cliff DeYoung, Joseph Ruskin, and Mike Starr. He also appeared with Robert Costanzo, Charles Esten, Bob Gunton, Robert Joy, Christopher McDonald, Bruce McGill, Michael Nouri, Dell Yount, and Star Trek: Enterprise's Connor Trinneer in 61*. The following year, he co-starred with Louise Fletcher and Frank Gorshin in Manna from Heaven.

Cassel starred in the short-lived NBC TV series Heist in 2006 and appeared in an episode of ER with Leland Orser. He appeared in the 2008 film Beau Jest with Willie Garson.

Cassel was responsible for giving his young friend Saul Hudson the nickname Slash as Hudson moved a lot as a child. Cassel said Hudson would "slash addresses". As Slash, Hudson went on to become the lead guitarist of rock groups such as Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, and his eponymous Slash's Snakepit.

Cassel passed away on Sunday, April 7, 2019, at the age of 84, in Los Angeles of complications from Alzheimer's disease. [1]

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