Eugene Roche Eugene Roche was the American character actor who played Jor Brel in the episode . He has accumulated nearly 200 film , television , and stage credits over the span of four decades and is well - known for his work on such sitcoms as " Soap " , " Webster " , and " Perfect Strangers " . He is also remembered for portraying the " Ajax Man " in the Ajax dish detergent commercials of the 1970s . Personal life . Roche was born in Boston , Massachusetts . He is the father of nine children ( two of whom are also actors ) from his first marriage , which lasted from 1958 through 1981 . He died of a heart attack in Los Angeles , California , at the age of 75 . Career . Film . Roche made his film debut with an uncredited role in the acclaimed , Academy Award - winning romantic drama " Splendor in the Grass " . This film also featured Gary Lockwood ( Gary Mitchell in " Star Trek " s second pilot , ) in a supporting role , while guest actor Lou Antonio had a bit part . Roche ' s next film was the 1967 comedy " The Happening " , which starred TOS guest actor Robert Walker . This was followed by a small role in the 1971 comic mystery " They Might Be Giants " , which also featured actor F . Murray Abraham . Roche ' s first major film role was that of Edgar Derby in the 1972 film " Slaughterhouse - Five " , based on the novel of the same name by Kurt Vonnegut . Fellow " Star Trek " veteran Kevin Conway had a role in this film , as well . Roche appeared in several more films throughout the 1970s , including the 1975 crime thriller thriller " Mr . Ricco " ( acting with Thalmus Rasulala ) , Robert Benton ' s 1977 comic neo - noir mystery " The Late Show " ( in which Roche and Joanna Cassidy play husband and wife ) , and the 1978 comedies " Foul Play " ( with Marc Lawrence ) and " Corvette Summer " ( with Stanley Kamel , Dick Miller , Nathan Jung , and Paddi Edwards ) . In 1984 , Roche made a return to feature films with a supporting role in the comedy " Oh , God ! You Devil " . This film also featured performances by " Star Trek : Voyager " regular Robert Picardo , " Star Trek " veteran James Cromwell , and TOS guest actor Jason Wingreen . Ten years later , Roche had a supporting role in the romantic drama " When a Man Loves a Woman " , along with Gail Strickland and Susanna Thompson . Roche ' s last major film work was the 1996 action thriller " Executive Decision " , which was directed by Stuart Baird ( who later helmed ) . Other performers who appeared in this film included Brad Blaisdell , Len Cariou , Ken Jenkins , Andreas Katsulas , Tim Kelleher , Warren Munson , Richard Riehle , and Dey Young ) . Television . 1961 – 1980 . Roche ' s earliest television credits included multiple appearances on the crime drama " Naked City " , including one episode in 1963 that was directed by Ralph Senensky and which co - starred Lou Antonio . Roche subsequently made appearances on such programs as " Route 66 " ( which starred Glenn Corbett ) , " The Trials of O ' Brien " ( with Frank Langella ) , and " Premiere " ( with Sally Kellerman and George D . Wallace ) . In 1973 , Roche was a regular on the ABC sitcom " The Corner Bar " for the show ' s six episode - long second season . TNG guest actor Vincent Schiavelli was a cast member on the show during its first season , which aired the previous year . That same year , he played the title role in a pilot for a proposed detective drama called " Egan " , but it did not sell ; his co - stars in the pilot included John Anderson , Michael Bell , and the aforementioned Glenn Corbett , and it was directed by Jud Taylor . Taylor subsequently directed Roche , as well as Lawrence Pressman , in the 1974 TV movie " Winter Kill " . Perhaps Roche ' s most memorable television role during the 1970s , however , was that of practical jokester ( and " Gold Star father " ) Pinky Peterson in three episodes of the hit CBS sitcom " All in the Family " . Roche guest - starred on nearly two dozen other television shows throughout the 1970s , including " Ironside " ( with David Spielberg ) , " McCloud " ( in an episode with Teri Garr , Michael Pataki , and Gregory Sierra ) , " Ellery Queen " ( with Bill Quinn ) , " Kojak " ( two episodes , including one with Jason Wingreen ) , " Harry O " ( with Richard Hale and Jon Lormer ) , " Medical Center " ( with Percy Rodriguez and William Windom ) , " The Streets of San Francisco " ( with Joseph Hindy ) , " Serpico " ( with Fionnula Flanagan and Allan Miller ) , " Barnaby Jones " ( starring Lee Meriwether , in an episode with Paul Sorensen ) , " Starsky and Hutch " ( starring David Soul ) , " Police Woman " ( with Corey Allen , Charles Dierkop , Richard Lynch , and Diana Muldaur ) , and " Kingston : Confidential " ( with Marc Alaimo ) . In addition , Roche had roles in many made - for - TV movies , the first of which was the 1972 horror - thriller " Crawlspace " , directed by John Newland . In 1975 , Roche acted alongside David Clennon and Robert Lansing in the CBS pilot movie " Crime Club " and worked with his " Voyager " co - star Bruce Davison ( as well as Percy Rodriguez ) in " The Last Survivors " . Roche ' s subsequent TV movie credits included NBC ' s " The Ghost of Flight 401 " ( with Gary Lockwood , Allan Miller , Byron Morrow , Alan Oppenheimer , and Mark L . Taylor ) , " The New Maverick " ( with Graham Jarvis ) , " The Winds of Kitty Hawk " ( with Robin Gammell and John Hoyt ) , " You Can ' t Take It with You " ( with Kenneth Mars and Alan Oppenheimer ) , and " Love for Rent " ( with Catherine Hicks and Bert Remsen ) . One of Roche ' s best - known roles was that of Attorney E . Ronald Mallu , Esq . , on the soap opera spoof " Soap " from 1978 through 1981 . Among the other " Star Trek " alumni he worked with on this series were Hamilton Camp , Michael Durrell , the aforementioned Allan Miller , Granville Van Dusen , and Ian Wolfe . In 1980 , Roche and fellow " Voyager " guest star Barry Gordon were regulars on the sitcom " Good Time Henry " , which aired for seven episodes on NBC . 1981 – 2004 . Throughout the 1980s , Roche had recurring roles on multiple television shows . Between 1983 and 1988 , he appeared as Luther Gillis on " Magnum , P . I . " , including one episode directed by Russ Mayberry and co - starring Clyde Kusatsu . Roche also made three appearances as Jack Sullivan on the NBC sitcom " Night Court " , on which actor John Larroquette was a regular cast member . In addition , Roche played demanding mailroom manager Harry Burns on " Perfect Strangers " during the show ' s third season ( 1987 - 1988 ) . Sam Gorpley , the supervisor of the mailroom overseen by Roche ' s character , was played by TNG guest actor Sam Anderson . Roche ' s other TV credits during the 1980s included an appearance in the penultimate episode of the fourth season of " Taxi " , which featured Christopher Lloyd as " Reverend Jim " Ignatowski . Roche was also seen on such shows as " Hardcastle and McCormick " ( starring Brian Keith and Daniel Hugh Kelly , in an episode with Nancy Parsons ) , " Crazy Like a Fox " ( with Branscombe Richmond ) , " Hotel " ( two episodes , including one with Ian Abercrombie , Stephen Macht , and Michelle Phillips ) , and " Stingray " ( with Charles Lucia ) . In addition , he made several appearances on " Murder , She Wrote " , each time playing a different character . Among those he has worked with on this series are Ray Buktenica , Tim O ' Connor , Matt Roe , and Dean Stockwell . He made one last appearance on " Murder , She Wrote " in 1991 , in an episode with Rosemary Forsyth , Scott McGinnis , and William Windom . Between 1984 and 1986 , Roche was a regular on the hit ABC sitcom " Webster " . In this series , he portrayed Bill Parker , who co - owned ( with his wife ) the Victorian house in which the title character and his adoptive parents lived starting with the second season . Others who made frequent appearances on this series during Roche ' s stay included Chad Allen as Webster ' s friend , Rob , and Ben Vereen as Webster ' s uncle . In 1990 , Roche was a regular on the short - lived CBS series " Lenny " . This was followed by a regular role on the equally short - lived ABC series " Julie " in 1992 . Roche also voiced mob boss Arnold Stromwell on " Batman : The Animated Series " , while guest star Paul Dooley voiced his brother , Father Michael Stromwell . ( " Batman " also featured the voices of Robert Costanzo and Loren Lester . ) In 1995 and 1996 , Roche had a recurring role on the sitcom " Dave ' s World " , including an episode with Ray Walston . Roche ' s TV movie credits during the 1990s include role in the 1991 TV movie " The Last Halloween " , which also featured Stan Ivar and the voices of Frank Welker and Paul Williams . He was later one of several " Star Trek " alumni to have a role in the 1993 TV movie " A Case for Murder " ; his co - stars included Robert DoQui , Samantha Eggar , Rosemary Forsyth , Bruce French , Thomas Kopache , and Mark Phelan . Roche also had a supporting role in the 1994 science fiction movie " Roswell " , along with Bob Gunton , and in the 1995 biopic " Liz : The Elizabeth Taylor Story " , alongside Michael Cavanaugh , Michael McGrady , and Ray Wise . Between 1996 and 2003 , Roche guest - starred on such shows as " Honey , I Shrunk the Kids : The TV Show " ( starring Thomas Dekker and Barbara Alyn Woods ) , " Family Law " ( starring Christopher McDonald , Salli Elise Richardson , and Julie Warner ) , " The Guardian " ( starring Raphael Sbarge ) , and " The Division " ( with Martha Hackett ) . He was also a voice actor on the short - lived series " The Chimp Channel " , as was Dwight Schultz . Roche ' s final acting role was a guest appearance on " 7th Heaven " , which starred " Star Trek " film alumni Stephen Collins and Catherine Hicks .