Clarence Williams III Clarence Williams III is the Tony Award - nominated actor who played Omet ' iklan in the episode . He is perhaps best known for his role as " Linc Hayes " on the 1970s television series " The Mod Squad " , co - starring Tige Andrews , and produced by Harve Bennett . Born in New York City , Williams is the grandson of legendary musician and blues singer . Williams became interested in drama as a teenager and began pursuing an acting career following a two - year stint in the United States Air Force . He started performing in stage productions , ultimately working his way to the Broadway stage in 1960 with a role in a short - lived play called " The Long Dream " . He also broke into feature films , making his debut in the medium with an uncredited appearance in the 1959 war drama " Pork Chop Hill " , which also featured Biff Elliot , Barry Atwater , Ken Lynch , Paul Comi , and Bert Remsen . From November 1964 through February 1965 , Williams starred in the Broadway production of " Slow Dance on the Killing Ground " . His performance in this play earned him a 1965 Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actor in a Play . He also won the 1965 Theatre World Award for his performance . Three years later , he won the role of the afro - wearing " Linc Hayes " on " The Mod Squad " . He remained with the show for all five seasons , ending in 1973 . He reprised the role in 1979 for the TV movie " Return of the Mod Squad " . Later that year , Williams returned to the Broadway stage to co - star with Dwight Schultz in " Night and Day " , which ran for 95 performances , ending in 1980 . It was during the 1980s that Williams began to appear in more films and television shows . He guest - starred in two episodes of " T . J . Hooker " , which starred fellow " Star Trek " veterans William Shatner , James Darren , and Richard Herd . Williams also made guest appearances on the TV shows " Hill Street Blues " ( 1984 , with Barbara Bosson and James B . Sikking ) , " The Cosby Show " ( 1985 , with Sabrina Le Beauf ) , and " Miami Vice " ( 1985 , directed by Michael O ' Herlihy ) . His film credits during the 1980s included " 52 Pick - Up " ( 1986 , with John Glover and Alex Henteloff ) , " Tough Guys Don ' t Dance " ( 1987 , with Lawrence Tierney ) , and " I ' m Gonna Git You Sucka " ( 1988 , with Bernie Casey ) . He also played the father of Prince ' s character , " The Kid " , in the 1984 musical film " Purple Rain " . Throughout the 1990s , Williams was seen on such shows as " Twin Peaks " ( 1990 , co - starring with Mädchen Amick , Richard Beymer , and Tony Jay ) , " Tales from the Crypt " ( 1992 , with Salome Jens ) , and " Walker , Texas Ranger " ( 1997 , with Noble Willingham ) . His appearance on the series " Millennium " ( starring Megan Gallagher and Terry O ' Quinn ) earned him an Image Award nomination in 1998 , as did his role in the film " Hoodlum " ( 1997 , with Mike Starr and Vanessa Williams ) . His other film projects during the 1990s included " My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys " ( 1991 , with Megan Parlen ) , " Deep Cover " ( 1992 , with Gregory Sierra ) , " Tales from the Hood " ( 1995 , with Corbin Bernsen ) , " Forgs for Snakes " ( 1998 , with Ron Perlman and Mike Starr ) , the popular 1998 comedy " Half - Baked " , and an acclaimed performance in the 1999 drama " The General ' s Daughter " , in which he co - starred with James Cromwell . Some of Williams ' more recent TV appearances include episodes of " Law & Order " and " Judging Amy " . Between 2005 and 2007 , Williams starred as Philby in Hallmark ' s " Mystery Woman " series of made - for - TV movies . As for his recent film work , both Williams and fellow " DS9 " actress Rosalind Chao made uncredited appearances in the 2002 science fiction film " Imposter " , which also featured Brian Brophy . In 2004 , Williams starred with David Clennon , Alec Newman , Zoe Saldana , and Gabrielle Union in the 2004 drama film " Constellation " . In this film , Saldana and Union played relatives of Williams ' character . Williams ' most recent film role was that of Harlem gangster Bumpy Johnson in the acclaimed 2007 crime drama " American Gangster " with Kathleen Garrett .