(written from a Production point of view)
Sheldon Collins (born 30 January 1955; age 69) is a former child actor who played the "tough kid" in the Star Trek: The Original Series second season episode "A Piece of the Action". He filmed his scenes on Tuesday 7 November 1967 on location at Paramount Pictures' "Boston Street" backlot.
Collins was born Sheldon Samuel Golomb in Brooklyn, New York City and made his acting debut on Broadway before moving to Los Angeles with his family at the age of 8 to pursue a career in Hollywood.
He had a recurring role as Arnold Bailey on the television series The Andy Griffith Show and appeared in the 1966 film The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, co-starring fellow Trek alumni Brian Keith, Theodore Bikel, Andrea Dromm, Guy Raymond, and Michael J. Pollard.
He also appeared in an episode of The Time Tunnel, where he played the young version of James Darren's character. The series also starred Whit Bissell, and Lee Meriwether. His other television credits include episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show (with Ed Peck), The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., My Three Sons (with Steven McEveety), I Dream of Jeannie, and The Mod Squad (starring Tige Andrews and Clarence Williams III, and featuring Vince Howard).
Collins quit acting in 1972, and went on to earn a degree in biology at California State University and in dentistry at the University of Iowa. Currently, he lives in Colorado Springs, where he has been working as a dentist since 1986. [1]