Connell was a member of SAG-AFTRA's National Board of Directors for thirteen years and also served as editor of Reel, the magazine published by the union. He was also the founder of Shakespearean acting troupe Come Hither Players. He married his wife Mila in 1952,[3] with whom he had two children. Connell died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles
on September 10, 2015.[1]