Funeral services were pending Monday for Walter Koenig, best known for portraying Ensign Pavel Chekov on the original “Star Trek” series and subsequent films.
Koenig died Sunday at his home in North Hollywood at age 90, a representative for the actor told TMZ. The site reported that he died of old age.
Born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1936, and raised in New York City, Koenig did his first on-stage work while attending The Fieldston School in the Bronx.
Koenig initially aspired to a career in psychiatry, first attending Grinnell College in Iowa as a premed major, then transferring to UCLA, where he received a bachelor’s degree, majoring in psychology.
A professor encouraged Koenig to invest in his acting talent and he enrolled in New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse, where his classmates included Dabney Coleman, Brenda Vaccaro, Christopher Lloyd, Jessica Walter, Elizabeth Ashley and James Caan.
Koenig’s career began in 1960 with several roles on the television series “A Day in Court.”
Koenig’s other early roles also included portraying a teenage thug on the April 1, 1963, premiere of the still-running ABC daytime drama “General Hospital” and a teenage gang leader in a 1964 episode of the CBS suspense anthology, “The Alfred Hitchock Hour.”
He joined the cast of “Star Trek” during the second season of the original series.
Show creator Gene Roddenberry said in various interviews that Koenig was chosen for the role due to his resemblance to “The Monkees” star Davy Jones, in an effort to give the show more appeal for younger viewers. Koenig’s character was known for his Russian accent, notably pronouncing the letter “v” like a “w,” such as “wessels” instead of “vessels.”
Koenig appeared in three dozen of the show’s original series episodes, and went on to appear in the motion picture sequels featuring the original cast.
Following “Star Trek’s” cancellation by NBC in 1969, Koenig appeared on episodes of “Medical Center,” “Ironside” and “Columbo” in the 1970s. He had a recurring role in “Babylon 5” as the villainous Psi Cop Alfred Bester.
Koenig also wrote episodes of “Land of the Lost,” “What Really Happened to the Class of ’65?” “Family” and “The Powers of Matthew Star.”
His death leaves William Shatner and George Takei as the only surviving core cast members of the original “Star Trek” series.