Michael Dunn Michael Dunn was the Academy Award - nominated , Tony Award - nominated American actor who portrayed Alexander in the episode . He filmed his scenes between Monday and Tuesday at Desilu Stage 10 . He was a dwarf , the result of spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia , but he refused to let this disorder hinder his goals and managed to avoid the typecasting commonly associated with actors of short stature . At one point Dunn was considered by Gene Roddenberry for the part of Spock in . He was also originally considered for the role of Balok in , but that part eventually went to Clint Howard . ( " " , " " ) Early life and stage career . Dunn was born Gary Neil Miller in Shattuck , Oklahoma , and moved with his family to Dearborn , Michigan when he was four . It was at this age that Dunn learned he was a dwarf . He was intellectually and musically gifted ; he had high IQ and showed early skill as a singer and a pianist . He enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in September 1951 , when he was 16 , and transferred to the University of Miami ' s College of Arts and Sciences in 1953 . He left the university in 1956 , returned to Michigan , and attended summer classes at the University of Detroit in 1957 . He began to pursue a stage career in New York in 1958 . He made his Broadway debut in " How to Make a Man " in 1961 . In 1963 , he was cast as Cousin Lyman in the Broadway production of " The Ballad of the Sad Cafe " . His fellow cast members in this production included fellow TOS guest actor Lou Antonio . For his performance in " The Ballad of the Sad Cafe " , Dunn received a Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actor in a Play . Television work . Dunn is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Dr . Miguelito Loveless , the arch - nemesis of Secret Service agents James West and Artemus Gordon on the 1960s CBS television series " The Wild Wild West " . He appeared in ten episodes of the show between 1965 and 1968 . Among the " Star Trek " performers he worked with on this series were Anthony Caruso , Robert Ellenstein , Paul Fix , Marianna Hill , Byron Morrow , Susan Oliver , Leslie Parrish , and Jason Wingreen . One of his episodes was directed by Robert Sparr , and another guest - starred John A . Alonzo , who later became a cinematographer on films such as . In addition to his appearance on " Star Trek " and " The Wild Wild West " , Dunn also guest - starred on such television series as " Get Smart " , " Burke ' s Law " ( in an episode with France Nuyen ) , " Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea " , " Bonanza " , and " Night Gallery " . He also worked with his " Plato ' s Stepchildren " co - star Liam Sullivan , as well as Ron Soble , in a 1967 episode of the short - lived western series " The Monroes " . Film work . Dunn made his major feature film debut as Glocken in Stanley Kramer ' s 1965 drama " Ship of Fools " . For his performance in this film , Dunn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor in a Supporting Role . Barbara Luna also had a role in this film . Following his Oscar nomination , Dunn was cast in the supporting role of Richard Mudd in Francis Ford Coppola ' s " You ' re a Big Boy Now " . He then played Midget Castiglione in the 1968 crime drama " Madigan " . He was one of many " Star Trek " alumni to appear in this film ; his castmates included Lloyd Haynes , Albert Henderson , Steve Ihnat , John McLiam , and Warren Stevens . Dunn had supporting roles in several other films during the late 1960s , including the Paramount Pictures 1968 release " No Way to Treat a Lady " and the German - made " Struggle for Rome " films starring Orson Welles . He made several film appearances during the 1970s , the majority of which were released after his death . These included a number of horror films , such as " The Werewolf of Washington " ( which starred Dean Stockwell ) , " Frankenstein ' s Castle of Freaks " , and " The Mutations " , all of which were released in 1974 . Medical condition and death . Dunn suffered from poor mobility and stamina due to his spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia , and his physical condition deteriorated throughout his life . His disorder caused a number of physical abnormalities , including deformed hip joints and uneven leg length , which caused him to limp and waddle . A number of spinal deformities led to a distorted ribcage that restricted Dunn ' s lung growth and function , which often caused him to wheeze when breathing . On 29 August 1973 , Dunn died in his sleep at the Cadogan Hotel in London , England . At the time , he was on location shooting what became his last film , the historical drama " The Abdication " . " The New York Times " reported Dunn ' s cause of death to be " undisclosed , " as the cause had not yet been determined . However , the report prompted much speculation that Dunn had committed suicide . An autopsy performed the day after his death showed that Dunn died of , which came as the result of insufficient respiration . Dunn was buried on 10 September 1973 at Lauderdale Memorial Park Cemetery in Fort Lauderdale , Florida , near the retirement home to which his parents planned to move . It was his parents ' intention to be buried near their son in Florida ; however , they ultimately died in Oklahoma and were buried at the Sunset Memorial Park in Norman , Oklahoma . In 2007 , Michael Dunn ' s remains were exhumed by a first cousin and reburied near the graves of Dunn ' s mother and father in Sunset Memorial Park .