Carel Struycken Carel Struycken is the actor known to " Star Trek " fans for playing Lwaxana Troi ' s assistant and valet , Mr . Homn , in five episodes of . He also played The Spectre in the episode . A giant of a man at seven feet ( 2 . 13 meters ) tall , due to a medical condition known as acromegaly ( giantism ) , Struycken is probably most well - known for his role as Lurch in the " Addams Family " movies ( " The Addams Family " in 1991 and " Addams Family Values " in 1993 ) , in which he co - starred with actor Christopher Lloyd . Early life and career . He was born in The Hague , Netherlands , and grew up on the Caribbean island of Curaçao , where he composed a number of Caribbean waltzes . After returning to the Netherlands at age 16 , he graduated from the directing program at the film school in Amsterdam , after which he spent a year at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles , California . He was " discovered " on the corner of Hollywood and Vine by a lady who , upon seeing Struycken , abandoned her car in the middle of the street and called out to him that he was needed for a movie . The film the woman was speaking of was the 1978 musical " Sgt . Pepper ' s Lonely Hearts Club Band " , in which Struycken was cast in the role of " The Brute . " The film also featured actor and singer Keith Carradine , who , like Struycken , would later become affiliated with the " Star Trek " franchise . In addition , set decorator Marvin March was the set decorator for this film . Struycken followed his film debut with roles in projects such as the 1980 comedy film " Die Laughing " with Larry Hankin and Scott DeVenney . In addition , before he ever appeared on " Star Trek " , Struycken became one of the few " Trek " alum to appear in a " Star Wars " production when he played the antagonist " King Terak " in the 1985 made - for - TV movie . Struycken followed this with a supporting role in the hit 1987 film " The Witches of Eastwick " and a co - starring role in an episode of " Hunter " with Rosemary Forsyth . The " Next Generation " Years : 1987 - 1992 . Struycken made his debut as Mr . Homn on " Star Trek : The Next Generation " in the first season episode , which aired the week of . He also had his only line on the show in this episode , when he thanks Captain Picard for " the drinks . " Struycken reprised the role of Homn for four more episodes : , , , and . As the personal assistant to Ambassador Lwaxana Troi , Struycken always shared the screen with the late Majel Barrett - Roddenberry in each of his appearances . He filmed his scenes for the fourth season episode on Monday on Paramount Stage 8 and 9 . For his final appearance as Homn in " Cost of Living " , he filmed his scenes between Tuesday and Thursday , on Monday , and on second unit on Friday on Paramount Stage 8 and 9 . In 1988 , between his first and second appearance on " TNG " , Struycken appeared in an episode of the NBC medical drama " St . Elsewhere " . This series featured many " Star Trek " veterans in regular roles at the time , namely Ed Begley , Jr . , Ronny Cox , Bruce Greenwood , Norman Lloyd , France Nuyen , and Jennifer Savidge . Struycken ' s episode also featured fellow TNG guest star Robert Costanzo . Struycken had a recurring role as " The Giant " throughout the second season of David Lynch ' s cult television series " Twin Peaks " in 1990 and 1991 , appearing with Mädchen Amick , Richard Beymer , and Ray Wise . Also in 1990 , Struycken appeared along with Joel Swetow in the HBO movie " Framed " . He then had a supporting role in the horror film " Servants of Twilight " , which starred the aforementioned Bruce Greenwood and Mimi Craven . " The Addams Family " . Outside of " Star Trek " , Struycken is perhaps best known for his role as the tall , macabre butler " Lurch " in Paramount Pictures ' hit 1991 film " The Addams Family " , based on the characters that appeared in the cult 1960s television series of the same name . Struycken reprised the role of Lurch for the 1993 sequel , " Addams Family Values " . In both films , he co - starred with " Star Trek III " actor Christopher Lloyd , who played the role of Uncle Fester . While Struycken is famous for playing Lurch in the film version of " The Addams Family " , TOS guest actor Ted Cassidy ( Ruk in ) is famous for originating the role on the classic 1960s TV show . Struycken was the only actor from the first two " Addams Family " films ( with the exception of Christopher Hart ' s hand playing the role of Thing ) to reprise his role in the 1998 direct - to - video sequel " Addams Family Reunion " . Struycken ' s co - stars in this film included the aforementioned Ed Begley , Jr . as well as Ray Walston , Leigh Taylor - Young , and Clint Howard . Other projects . Struycken appeared as The Giant ( AKA : The Fireman ) in the series " Twin Peaks " by David Lynch in 1990 - 1991 , as well as " Twin Peaks : The Return " in 2017 . He co - starred with " Voyager " star Tim Russ and actor F . Murray Abraham in the 1993 television version of " Journey to the Center of the Earth " . The following year , he made an appearance as a trader in the second season of the science fiction series " Babylon 5 " , co - starring Andreas Katsulas , Bill Mumy , and Keith Szarabajka ; the episode was written by Peter David . Struycken played " Gaunt " in the " Oblivion " movies ( " Oblivion " in 1994 and " Oblivion II : Backlash " in 1996 ) . Also starring in these movies were actor George Takei , guest actress Meg Foster , " Original Series " guest actress Julie Newmar ( Eleen ) , " Voyager " guest actress Musetta Vander , and " Deep Space Nine " guest actor Jimmie F . Skaggs . In addition , Struycken was one of the many " Star Trek " performers to appear in the 1995 TV movie " Out There " . The movie ' s stars were William O . Campbell and Wendy Schaal , which Leslie Bevis , Bill Cobbs , and Paul Dooley lent support and Robert Picardo made an uncredited cameo . Struycken appeared in the 1995 film " Under the Hula Moon " with his " Oblivion " co - star and fellow " Trek " alum Musetta Vander . He also appeared as an alien in the 1997 science fiction blockbuster " Men in Black " . He was then part of the ensemble cast of 1998 ' s " I Woke Up Early the Day I Died " , as were Ron Perlman , Lee Arenberg , and Mark Rolston . In 1999 , he appeared in the action film " Enemy Action " along with Larry Hankin and Henry Darrow . Since then , Struycken has worked with actor - director ( and fellow TNG guest star ) Jeff Rector on two movies : 2002 ' s " First Kiss " and 2007 ' s " Revamped " . Struycken also appeared in the 2001 direct - to - video film " The Vampire Hunters Club " with Daniel Roebuck and has guest - starred on the hit television series " Charmed " ( with Tony Amendola and Aaron Lustig ) and " My Name Is Earl " ( directed by Marc Buckland ) . In addition , he has filmed a number of projects in his native Netherlands , including a recurring role on the TV series " De Erfenis " .