Lawrence Tierney Lawrence Tierney was an actor who appeared in two of the " Star Trek " spin - offs . He first played Cyrus Redblock in the episode . Nearly a decade later , he played the Regent of Palamar in the episode . Tierney was the uncle of Michael Tierney . Career . With his gruff , no - nonsense demeanor , Tierney is best known for playing " tough guy " roles throughout the 1940s , primarily mobsters and hardened criminals . He first acquired recognition for his portrayal of vicious gangster John Dillinger in the 1945 film " Dillinger " , in which he co - starred with fellow TNG / DS9 guest star and fellow " tough guy " actor Marc Lawrence . He is also remembered for his performance as brutal killer Sam Wilde in 1947 ' s " Born to Kill " , directed by Robert Wise . Both of these films also featured TOS guest star Elisha Cook , Jr . in a supporting role . Tierney again worked with his " Dillinger " co - star Marc Lawrence in the 1967 Western " Custer of the West " , which co - starred Jeffrey Hunter . Although Tierney had starring roles between 1945 and 1950 , the 1950s saw him reduced to playing supporting characters , the result of several well - publicized off - screen brushes with the law . These altercations severely damaged Tierney ' s career , and as the years went on , his movie parts grew smaller . He did , however , have an occasional major role , as was the case with the 1987 film " Tough Guys Don ' t Dance " , co - starring Clarence Williams III . He also had a recurring role on the television series " Hill Street Blues " from 1985 through 1987 , on which he played Sergeant Jenkins and worked with series regular James B . Sikking . In addition , he played Elaine Benes ' father in an early episode of " Seinfeld " , the popular NBC series which starred Jason Alexander . In 1992 , Tierney once again gained recognition from moviegoers for his portrayal of group leader Joe Cabot in Quentin Tarantino ' s cult film " Reservoir Dogs " . He subsequently had small roles in such films as the 1994 comedy " Junior " ( which also featured Frank Langella and Alexander Enberg ) and the 1998 sci - fi / action blockbuster * " Armageddon " ( which was co - written by J . J . Abrams and which also featured Anthony Guidera , Marshall R . Teague , Matt Malloy , Andy Milder , and Jim Fitzpatrick ) . In addition , he made guest appearances on such television series as " Silk Stalkings " ( with Henry Darrow and Freda Foh Shen ) , " L . A . Law " ( with Corbin Bernsen , Larry Drake , Samantha Eggar , Harvey Jason , and Tom Wright ) , and " ER " ( with Lily Mariye and George Murdock ) . He also voiced Don Brodka , the Try - N - Save security guard in the " Marge Be Not Proud " episode of " The Simpsons " . Personal life . Tierney was born in Brooklyn , New York , on 15 March 1919 . He was a track and field star at Brooklyn ' s Boys High School and earned an athletic scholarship to Manhattan College , but quit after two years to work as a laborer on the New York Aqueduct . He subsequently moved from job to job across the country until an acting coach convinced him to take on acting . Tierney joined the Black Friars Theatre group and later the American - Irish Theatre , where he was spotted by an RKO talent scout and given a film contract in 1943 . As much as he was known for playing a " tough guy " on the big screen , Tierney was known more so for actually being one in real life . Throughout his life , Tierney often got into public altercations with others , including the law . Between 1944 and 1951 , he was arrested a dozen times for brawling and drunkenness . These incidents often received ample media coverage , hindering his acting career . He returned to New York in the 1960s , where he did several odd jobs and found occasional film work . An admitted alcoholic , he quit drinking after suffering a stroke in 1982 . He returned to Hollywood in 1983 and continued working in film as well as television . Tierney would even instigate confrontations between fellow actors and other crew members . During the filming of , he menacingly insulted 15 - year - old Wil Wheaton with his remarks . While working on " Seinfeld " , he scared the cast members by hiding a butcher knife from the set under his jacket and wielding it jokingly at series star . He was never invited back to the show . On the set of " Reservoir Dogs " , the cast and crew found Tierney ' s antics both amusing and disturbing , and Tierney nearly got into fights with co - star and writer - director . Tierney ' s agent , Don Gerler , stated that he was bailing Tierney out of jail as late as 1994 , when Tierney was 75 . Tierney succumbed to pneumonia in February 2002 in Los Angeles , California . He was 82 years old . Other " Trek " connections . Additional films in which Tierney appeared with other " Star Trek " performers include :