(written from a Production point of view)
Edward Laurence Albert (20 February 1951 – 22 September 2006; age 55) was the actor who played Zayra in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine first season episode "A Man Alone". He was the son of beloved Green Acres star Eddie Albert.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Albert made his Hollywood debut at the age of 11 with a supporting role in the 1965 film The Fool Killer, co-starring Salome Jens and Arnold Moss. Seven years later, in only his second film, Albert was the lead actor opposite Goldie Hawn in the romantic comedy Butterflies Are Free. His role as a blind man who falls for his kooky neighbor while escaping his over-protective mother earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture Actor in a Musical or Comedy. Although he did not win that award, his performance did garner him a Golden Globe as Most Promising Male Newcomer.
Albert went on to have supporting roles in such films as Midway (1976, with Phillip Richard Allen and Robert Ito), The Domino Principle (1977, with Majel Barrett), The Greek Tycoom (1978), James Goldstone's When Time Ran Out… (1980), and Guarding Tess (1994, co-starring David Graf). He also starred in the 1981 science fiction film Galaxy of Terror, co-starring with Ray Walston, Sid Haig, and Jack Blessing, and in 1988's The Rescue, with James Cromwell.
Besides DS9, Albert also made guest appearances on Kung Fu, The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, L.A. Law, and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, among other television shows. He was also a regular on the CBS series Beauty and the Beast, co-starring Ron Perlman, Armin Shimerman and Stephen McHattie. In the late 1990s, Albert played Bennett Devlin on the soap opera Port Charles working with Jennifer Hammon. Additionally, Albert lent his voice to a number of shows. He voiced the Silver Surfer in an episode of the animated Fantastic Four series. He also voiced Daredevil in the 1990s animated series of Spider-Man. and in 1998, he was among the several Star Trek veterans to lend voice to the series Invasion America. Others to do so include Leonard Nimoy, Harve Bennett, Tony Jay, Ronny Cox, and James B. Sikking.
Following the turn of the century, Albert was seen in the role of Mr. Collins on the series Power Rangers Time Force. In 2003, Albert co-starred in Ed Begley, Jr.'s theater production Cesar and Rubin.
Albert died of lung cancer in Malibu at the age of 55, less than sixteen months after the death of his father. He was survived by his wife of 28 years, actress Katherine Woodville (who played Natira in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky") and their daughter, singer and songwriter Thais.