Janet MacLachlan Janet MacLachlan was the actress who played Lieutenant Charlene Masters in the episode . She filmed her scenes for the episode on Wednesday , Friday and Monday at Desilu Stage 9 . Early life . MacLachlan was born in New York City and graduated with a bachelor ' s degree in psychology from Hunter College in 1955 . She studied acting at the Harlem YMCA , the Herbert Berghoff Acting Studio , and the Little Theatre of Harlem . She began her acting career with small stage roles which led to her joining the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis , Minnesota . Soon thereafter , she moved to Los Angeles and further trained at The Actors Studio , Joanie Gerber Voiceovers , and Theatre East . In 1964 , she became a contract player for Universal Studios . Career . Television . 1960s . She made her television acting debut on " The Alfred Hitchock Hour " in 1965 . She appeared in two episodes that year , the second of which featured Jane Wyatt . In 1966 , MacLachlan appeared in two episodes of " The F . B . I . " , on which Stephen Brooks was a regular . Her second episode was directed by Joseph Sargent and also featured Fritz Weaver . MacLachlan made a third appearance on " The F . B . I . " in 1968 ; Stephen Brooks had left the series by this time , but the episode guest - starred Monte Markham and Michael Strong . Perhaps MacLachlan ' s most notable television role in the 1960s was that of " Laya " in the 1967 " I Spy " episode of the same name . In the episode , MacLachlan played the love interest of ' s character , Alexander Scott . ( Keith Andes also appeared in the episode . ) Later , in 1969 , MacLachlan appeared on " The Mod Squad " as the secretive girlfriend of Linc Hayes , played by Clarence Williams III . ( Both Williams and Tige Andrews were regulars on this series . ) Other shows on which MacLachlan appeared throughout the late 1960s include " The Fugitive " ( with Ted Knight and William Sargent ) , " Run for Your Life " ( directed by Leo Penn and co - starring Tige Andrews and James B . Sikking ) , " The Girl from U . N . C . L . E . " ( with Anthony Caruso ) , and " Ironside " ( with James Gregory , Ken Lynch , and Jason Wingreen ) . 1970s . MacLachlan was most prominent on television in the 1970s . In 1970 , she was reunited with Bill Cosby on " The Bill Cosby Show " , on which she also worked with Michael Ansara . She followed this with appearances on " The Name of the Game " ( with George Murdock ) and " Longstreet " ( with Robert DoQui , Brock Peters , and Logan Ramsey ) . MacLachlan worked with both Murdock and DoQui again in a 1974 episode of " The Streets of San Francisco " , in which she and Robert Hooks played husband and wife . ( Harvey Jason and Ron Glass were in the episode , as well . ) MacLachlan ' s TV credits during the 1970s also included appearances on " The Rockford Files " , " Mary Tyler Moore " ( with the aforementioned Ted Knight ) , " Griff " ( starring Vic Tayback ) , " Medical Center " ( with Barbara Baldavin , James Daly , and Thalmus Rasulala ) , " S . W . A . T . " ( with Dallas Mitchell , Warren Munson , and Eric Server ) , " The Six Million Dollar Man " ( directed by Cliff Bole ) , " The Blue Knight " ( directed by Ralph Senensky ) , " Barney Miller " ( with Ron Glass , Jon Lormer , and Kenneth Tigar ) , " Wonder Woman " ( with Tim O ' Connor and Vic Perrin ) , and " All in the Family " ( with Jason Wingreen ) . In addition to her guest appearances , MacLachlan acted in several made - for - TV movies in the 1970s . In 1972 she played a crucial role in " Sounder " as the schoolteacher who takes a wandering boy under her wing . In 1976 ' s " Louis Armstrong - Chicago Style " , she portrayed the second wife of the title jazz legend , who was played by Ben Vereen . That same year , she was seen in Robert Butler - directed " Dark Victory " , along with the aforementioned Eric Server and Vic Tayback . She also starred in 1978 ' s " Roll of Thunder , Hear My Cry " , which was written by Arthur Heinemann . 1980s . In 1980 , MacLachlan made three appearances as housekeeper Polly Swanson on the sitcom " Archie Bunker ' s Place " , on which Bill Quinn and Jason Wingreen were regulars . The following year , MacLachlan participated in the PBS special " Voices of Our People : In Celebration of Black Poetry " , for which she won a Los Angeles - area Emmy Award . From 1982 through 1987 , MacLachlan played the recurring role of Lynne Sutter on the police drama " Cagney & Lacey " ( working with Stanley Kamel , Michael Pataki , Dan Shor , Gregory Sierra , Harvey Vernon , and director Alexander Singer ) . She also had a recurring role on the soap opera " Santa Barbara " in 1985 , when Judith Anderson was also a regular cast member on that show . Others she worked with on this series include Nicolas Coster , Judith McConnell , and Louise Sorel . In 1985 , MacLachlan made the first of two guest appearance on the mystery drama " Murder , She Wrote " , working alongside Adrienne Barbeau and Susan Oliver . ( Her second appearance was in 1994 . ) MacLachlan also made one - time appearances on such shows as " Quincy , M . E . " ( with Robert Ito and Garry Walberg ) , " Fantasy Island " ( starring Ricardo Montalban , in an episode with LeVar Burton ) , " Hill Street Blues " ( with Barbara Bosson , John Chandler , Charles Cooper , Miguel Ferrer , Louis Giambalvo , Phillip Pine , James B . Sikking , and David Spielberg ) , " Trapper John , M . D . " ( with Madge Sinclair and Ray Walston ) , " L . A . Law " ( with Karen Austin , Corbin Bernsen , Barbara Bosson , and Bruce French ) , " Our House " ( with Chad Allen and Christopher McDonald ) , " Moonlighting " ( with Gwen Van Dam ) , " Beauty and the Beast " ( with Theodore Bikel , Ellen Geer , and star Ron Perlman ) , and " Murphy Brown " ( with Steven Culp ) . MacLachlan appeared in several TV movies in the early 1980s , including " The Sophisticated Gents " ( with Bibi Besch , Bernie Casey , Albert Hall , Robert Hooks , Thalmus Rasulala , Davis Roberts , Paul Winfield , and Alfre Woodard ) , Jacqueline Susann ' s " Valley of the Dolls " ( starring Catherine Hicks and featuring Byron Morrow and Jean Simmons ) , " The Kid from Nowhere " ( with Rene Auberjonois ) , and " For Us the Living : The Medgar Evers Story " ( again working with Thalmus Rasulala and Paul Winfield ) . Later in the decade , her TV movie credits included " Toughlove " ( with Helene Udy ) , " Baby Girl Scout " ( with Julie Cobb , Ronny Cox , Raphael Sbarge , and Armin Shimerman ) , and " Killer Instinct " ( with Roy Brocksmith and William Marshall ) . 1990s and 2000s . In 1994 , MacLachlan made a return appearance on " Murder , She Wrote " , in an episode with regular Robert Beltran and Marta DuBois . She later had a recurring role as Mrs . Latrell on " Murder One " , during which time she worked with Geoffrey Blake , Barbara Bosson , John Fleck , April Grace , Gregory Itzin , Jack Kehler , Stephen Lee , Don McManus , Clayton Rohner , Don Stark , and Rick Worthy . Other TV shows on which she appeared in the 1990s include " Father Dowling Mysteries " ( directed by Robert Scheerer and co - starring Roy Brocksmith and David Selburg ) , " In the Heat of the Night " ( with George D . Wallace and Jason Wingreen ) , " ER " ( with Jennifer Gatti and Lily Mariye ) , " NYPD Blue " ( with Gordon Clapp , Sharon Lawrence , and Diane Salinger ) , and " Home Improvement " ( with Jim Beaver ) . Some of MacLachlan ' s 1990s TV movie credits include " A Family for Joe " ( with Barbara Babcock and Nikki Cox ) , " Something to Live for : The Alison Gertz Story " ( with Victor Brandt and George Coe ) , and " The Tuskegee Airmen " ( with Tim Kelleher , Daniel Hugh Kelly , Ed Lauter , Christopher McDonald , and Ned Vaughn ) . She also appeared in the 1992 mini - series " Tracks of Glory " , along with Phil Morris . Following the turn of the century , MacLachlan appeared as a judge in two episodes of the drama " Family Law " , which starred Christopher McDonald , Salli Elise Richardson , and Julie Warner . In 2002 , MacLachlan made her final television appearance in an episode of " Alias " , the spy drama created by J . J . Abrams . The episode in question , " Cipher " , was written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci ( who were also co - executive producers on the series ) and also featured Victor Garber and Terry O ' Quinn . Films . MacLachlan made her feature film acting debut in the 1968 Paramount Pictures drama " Up Tight ! " , which also featured Robert DoQui and Alan Oppenheimer . The following year , MacLachlan co - starred with fellow TOS guest actress Susan Oliver in the science fiction drama " Change of Mind " . Three films released in 1970 featured MacLachlan : " . . . tick . . . tick . . . tick . . . " with Bernie Casey ; " Halls of Anger " with Roy Jenson , Kim Manners , John McLiam , and Davis Roberts ; and " Darker Than Amber " with Theodore Bikel . She also had a supporting role in the 1972 Joseph Sargent - directed drama " The Man " , which was made as a TV movie but ultimately released in theaters . This film also featured Robert DoQui , Vince Howard , Barry Russo , Garry Walberg , and MacLachlan ' s fellow TOS guest star , William Windom . MacLachlan had a key supporting role as a teacher in the Academy Award - nominated 1972 film " Sounder " , which starred Paul Winfield . The following year , she again worked alongside guest actor Bernie Casey in the biographical drama " Maurie " . Her next feature was the 1984 Clint Eastwood thriller " Tightrope " , which also starred Geneviève Bujold . She later appeared in the action thriller " Murphy ' s Law " and the fantasy film " The Boy Who Could Fly " , both released in 1986 and each featuring another " Trek " guest star ( Lawrence Tierney and Louise Fletcher , respectively ) . In addition , MacLachlan and Ellen Geer both had a small roles in the 1987 comedy " Big Shots " , which co - starred Robert Joy and Paul Winfiield ( his fourth project with MacLachlan after " Sounder " and two TV movies ) . MacLachlan was also seen in the romantic comedy " For Keeps ? " the following year , as were Larry Drake and Kenneth Mars . In the 1990s , MacLachlan appeared in such films as " Heart and Souls " ( with Kurtwood Smith and Alfre Woodard ) , " There Goes My Baby " ( with Seymour Cassel and Andrew Robinson ) , " Criminal Passion " ( with Henry Darrow ) , and " Pinocchio ' s Revenge " ( with Ron Canada , Larry Cedar , and Aaron Lustig ) . Her last major feature film was 1999 ' s " The Thirteenth Floor " , a science fiction thriller which also features Bob Clendenin , Brad William Henke , Darryl Henriques , Leon Rippy , and Jeremy Roberts . Later life . MacLachlan retired from acting in 2002 . She served many years as chair of the grant committee for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , a post she held as late as 2005 . She died on 11 October 2010 at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Los Angeles , California after suffering a " cardiovascular incident " . She was 77 years old . MacLachlan was remembered at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards on 18 September 2011 .