William Campbell (actor)
He played a death row inmate, based loosely on the true story of Caryl Chessman, who staunchly proclaimed his innocence and obtained numerous reprieves over many years until finally being executed.Campbell's surprisingly powerful performance received generally good notices from critics, but it did very little for his career;[citation needed] his next several roles were again providing support to lead actors, including Man Without a Star (1955), Love Me Tender (1956) in which he became the first person to lip sync portions of a song onscreen (actually recorded on August 24, 1956, by the Ken Darby Trio)[citation needed] with Elvis Presley, and the 1958 film version of Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead.[citation needed] Campbell starred as a moody loner who at one point becomes the chief suspect in a series of gruesome axe killings; Patrick Magee and Luana Anders led the supporting cast.In Blood Bath Campbell's character was an artist who killed women and hid their bodies inside his sculptures; he is also a vampire who can freely walk during the daylight in search of victims.In the early 1990s, Video Watchdog magazine devoted lengthy articles in three separate issues painstakingly detailing the convoluted production history of this strange but fascinating movie.Campbell had guest-starring roles in the Star Trek franchise, appearing first as the mischievous super-being Trelane in an episode of the original series called "The Squire of Gothos".