Since Star Trek: Picard debuted in 2020, a number of old Star Trek favorites have triumphantly returned to the sci-fi franchise after several years of hiatus. The past two seasons of Picard alone saw the return of Patrick Stewart, Jeri Ryan, Brent Spiner, John de Lancie, and many other actors from Star Trek: The Next Generation. While it’s possible to see more old Star Trek alums reappear in the franchise as the media property continues to expand its universe on Paramount+, not all won’t be able to do a comeback, as some of them are no longer with us. Below is a list of popular Star Trek thespians that have already passed away.
23 Star Trek actors that have died
Leonard Nimoy
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series
Character name: Spock
Date deceased: February 27th, 2015 (aged 83)
Nimoy first played the fan-favorite role of Spock ― the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer and science officer aboard the USS Enterprise ― in the pilot episode of The Original Series shot in late 1964. He then portrayed the character in The Animated Series and the first six Star Trek movies. After an almost two-decade Star Trek hiatus, the actor returned to the franchise in the 2009 movie Star Trek as Spock Prime, a role he reprised in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness. Having played Spock on and off for over 49 years, from 1964 to 2013, Nimoy is the longest-serving Star Trek actor of all time.
In February 2015, the prolific actor died of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a condition he attributed to a smoking addiction he had given up about 30 years earlier. A few days before his death, Nimoy tweeted: “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP”
DeForest Kelley
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series
Character name: Leonard “Bones” McCoy
Date deceased: June 11th, 1999 (aged 79)
Deforest Kelley’s McCoy served as the chief medical officer aboard the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise-A in The Original Series, The Animated Series, and the first six Star Trek movies. Unfortunately, Kelley was one of the many Star Trek artists who was typecast after his stint in the franchise. Though he made some appearances on TV shows and in films outside the franchise, he didn’t have any memorable role other than McCoy.
Later in life, the Star Trek alum developed an interest in poetry and eventually published the books The Big Bird’s Dream in 1977 and The Dream Goes On in 1984.
In June 1999, Kelley died of stomach cancer at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. He was 79.
James Doohan
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series
Character name: Montgomery “Scotty” Scott
Date deceased: July 20th, 2005 (aged 85)
Doohan’s Scott was the chief engineer aboard the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise-A in The Original Series and The Animated Series. Known for his superior technical and engineering skill, the character has inspired many fans to pursue careers in engineering and other technical fields. Aside from being part of the Star Trek cast, Doohan ― who also appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies ― also contributed to the development of the Klingon and Vulcan languages of the franchise.
After his Star Trek journey, Doohan had limited success in finding other acting roles. Two of his few post-Star Trek roles are Commander Canarvin in the short-lived live-action kids’ show Jason of Star Command and Damon Warwick on CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful.
In July 2005, Doohan died at his home in Redmond, Washington, due to complications of pulmonary fibrosis, which was believed to be from exposure to noxious substances during World War II.
Ricardo Montalbán
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series
Character name: Khan Noonien Singh
Date deceased: January 14th, 2009 (aged 88)
Montalbán first appeared as Khan in The Original Series in 1967. He reprised the role 15 years later in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. A notorious enemy of James T. Kirk, Khan was an extremely intelligent and dangerous superhuman who is the most prominent of the genetically-engineered Human Augments of the late 20th century Eugenics Wars period on Earth.
Prior to joining the Star Trek cast, Montalbán was known for his portrayal of Armando in two of the installments of the original Planet of the Apes film series. After his initial Star Trek appearance, the Mexican actor played the role of Satangkai in the ABC How the West Was Won, which earned him an Emmy Award in 1978. Montalbán also portrayed Mr. Roarke on ABC’s Fantasy Island for seven seasons from 1977 to 1984.
In January 2009, Montalbán died of complications from advancing age at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88.
Majel Barrett Roddenberry
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise
Character names: Christine Chapel, Lwaxana Troi, M’Ress, the voice of various computers
Date deceased: December 18th, 2008 (aged 76)
Among all Star Trek actors, Barrett was the only one who had an acting role in all the first six Star Trek series. Aside from providing the voice of various computers in the six series, she also played Christine Chapel in The Original Series, M’Ress in The Animated Series, and Lwaxana Troix in Star Trek: The Next Generation and DS9, among many others.
Barrett was the second wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Her association with Roddenberry earned her the title The First Lady of Star Trek. Barrett died in December 2008 as a result of leukemia. She was 76.
René Auberjonois
Star Trek series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Character name: Odo
Date deceased: December 8th, 2019 (aged 79)
Auberjonois played the Changeling named Odo in the entire seven-season run of Deep Space Nine. The shape-shifting character was the security chief of the show’s titular space station. Aside from being one of the main cast members of the show, Odo also directed eight episodes of the series.
Five years after the end of his Star Trek series, Auberjonois landed the role of Paul Lewiston in the ABC legal drama Boston Legal. He was part of the show’s main cast in the first three seasons and recurred in the last two seasons. Auberjonois’ other television credits post-Star Trek include Syfy’s Warehouse 13, NBC’s sitcom 1600 Penn, and CBS’ political drama Madam Secretary.
The Star Trek alum died in December 2019 following a battle with metastatic lung cancer. He was 79.
Aron Eisenberg
Star Trek series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Character name: Nog
Date deceased: September 21st, 2019 (aged 50)
A supporting cast member in all seven seasons of Deep Space Nine, Eisenberg played the role of Nog, the first Ferengi to enter Starfleet and served aboard the titular space station after a recommendation from Captain Benjamin Sisko.
Almost two decades after his Star Trek stint, Eisenberg landed the recurring role of Raejin Tektonopolis in the sci-fi series Blade of Honor.
In September 2019, Eisenberg died of heart failure at the age of 50.
Christopher Plummer
Star Trek movie: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Character name: General Chang
Date deceased: February 5th, 2021 (aged 91)
Plummer appeared as General Chang in the 1991 movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and in the video game Star Trek: Klingon Academy. A Klingon military officer and chief of staff to Gorkon, Chang was involved in the Khitomer conspiracy to sabotage peace talks between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets.
A trained Shakespearean actor, Plummer started his over 70 years of acting career in theater, winning Tony Awards for his work in stage productions of Cyrano and Barrymore almost a quarter-century apart. Plummer was known for his portrayal of Captain Von Trapp in the 1965 musical drama film The Sound of Music, his Emmy-winning role as Roscoe Heyward in the NBC miniseries The Moneychangers, and as the voice of the villain in the Pixar animated movie Up.
The Star Trek alum died at his home in Weston in February 2021, two and a half weeks after a fall that resulted in a blow to the head.
Richard Herd
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Renegades
Character name: L’Kor, Admiral Owen Paris
Date deceased: May 26th, 2020 (aged 87)
Herd made his debut appearance in the Star Trek universe in the 1993 two-part episode of The Next Generation called Birthright, in which he played the role of the Klingon L’Kor. Years later, he returned to the franchise as Admiral Owen Paris ― a role he portrayed in four episodes of Voyager from 1999 to 2001 and in the 2015 pilot of Star Trek: Renegades.
Outside of Star Trek, Herd was known for his role as Mr. Wilhelm in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. Herd’s Mr. Wilhelm was the inept New York Yankees exec who supervised George Costanza (Jason Alexander) after he landed a job as an assistant to the traveling secretary.
Herd died in May 2020 at his Los Angeles home after battling cancer.
Joanne Linville
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series
Character name: Romulan commander
Date deceased: June 20th, 2021 (aged 93)
Linville appeared as a Romulan commander in The Enterprise Incident episode of the original Trek series. Her character was the first female Romulan shown on-screen, commanding the fleet that intercepts the Enterprise after it violates the Neutral Zone.
She later returned to the Star Trek franchise in the audio drama Starship Excelsior, where she reprised her original role. Her daughter, Amy, portrayed the same character in the two-part finale of Star Trek Continues.
Linville died in June 2021.
William Lucking
Star Trek series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Enterprise
Character name: Furel, Harrad-Sar
Date deceased: October 18th, 2021 (aged 80)
Lucking appeared as Furel, a member of the Shakaar resistance cell, in two episodes of Deep Space Nine: The Darkness and the Light and Ties of Blood and Water. He later returned to the franchise to play Orion privateer Harrad-Sar in the season 4 episode of Enterprise, titled Bound.
Outside of the Star Trek universe, Lucking was best known for his roles as Piney Winston on FX’s Sons of Anarchy and Col. Lynch on NBC’s The A-Team. On the movie front, Lucking was part of the cast of the 1972 movie The Magnificent Seven Ride and the 2003 film The Rundown.
The Star Trek alum passed away at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, in October 2021.
Eddie Paskey
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series
Character name: Lieutenant Leslie
Date deceased: August 17th, 2021 (aged 81)
Paskey played the recurring role of Leslie from 1966 to 1968 in The Original Series. Leslie was a male Human who served aboard the USS Enterprise between 2265 and 2268 under the command of Captain Kirk, during his five-year mission beginning during the mid-2260s.
Prior to starring in The Original Series, Paskey appeared in the TV shows Ben Casey, Gomer Pyle: USMC, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Mission: Impossible.
Paskey passed away in August 2021, just three days before his 82nd birthday.
Lisa Banes
Star Trek series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Character name: Doctor Renhol
Date deceased: June 14th, 2021 (aged 65)
Banes appeared as Doctor Renhol in the Deep Space Nine season 3 episode Equilibrium. A Trill and a member of the Symbiosis Commission in the 24th century, Renhol was involved in Jadzia Dax’s evaluation on the Commission’s campus when the latter was a Trill initiate for three years.
Banes was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1984 for Isn’t It Romantic? and won a 1981 Theatre World Award for her performance as Alison Porter Off-Broadway in Look Back in Anger. On the movie front, Banes appeared in the 1988 dramedy Cocktail, the 2007 drama Freedom Writers, the 2014 psychological thriller Gone Girl, and the 2016 horror film A Cure for Wellness.
Banes died at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital in June 2021, 10 days after she was struck by a motorized scooter in a hit-and-run collision on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She was admitted to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury.
Norman Lloyd
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Character name: Professor Galen
Date deceased: May 11th, 2021 (aged 106)
Norman Lloyd was the actor who portrayed Professor Galen in The Next Generation‘s sixth season episode The Chase. Professor Galen was the most renowned Federation archaeologist of the 24th century. Among his best works were his studies of the Kurlan civilization. Galen was Jean-Luc Picard’s archaeology instructor at Starfleet Academy.
Lloyd began his career in the entertainment industry performing in theater before Alfred Hitchcock cast him as Frank Fry in the 1942 film, Saboteur. In the 1980s, Lloyd gained a new generation of fans for playing Dr. Daniel Auschlander, one of the starring roles in the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere.
Lloyd died in his sleep at his home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles in May 2021.
David Birney
Star Trek series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Character name: Letant
Date deceased: April 29th, 2022 (aged 83)
Trekkies know Birney for his role as Letant in Deep Space Nine. A Romulan senator in the 24th century Romulan Empire, Letant supported the attack on the shipyards of the Dominion as part of the proposed invasion of Cardassian space in the show’s Tears of the Prophets episode.
Birney died in April 2022 at his home in Santa Monica, California. His life partner Michele Roberge said the cause of his death was Alzheimer’s disease. Birney was best known for his roles on CBS’ Bridget Loves Bernie and NBC’s St. Elsewhere.
Laurel Goodwin
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series
Character name: Yeoman J.M. Colt
Date deceased: February 15th, 2022 (aged 79)
Goodwin was part of The Cage, the original pilot for The Original Series, in which she played the role of Yeoman J.M. Colt, opposite Jeffrey Hunter as Capt. Christopher Pike, Majel Barett as Number One, and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock. Not completely happy with the original episode, production studio Desilu put a second pilot into production, replacing most actors, including Goodwin. Filmed in 1965, The Cage didn’t air in full until 1988.
Goodwin died in February 2022 in Cathedral City, California. After trying her luck as a child model, Laurel signed a contract with Paramount Pictures at 19 and began a career in movies, TV, and live theater. Her first film was the 1962 musical comedy Girl’s, Girl’s, Girl’s, in which she played the love interest of Elvis Presley. Her television career included roles in various comedy series, such as Get Smart (1966), The Beverly Hillbillies (1967), and The Partners (1971).
Kevin Conway
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Character name: Kahless
Date deceased: February 5th, 2020 (aged 77)
Conway guest-starred in The Next Generation as the legendary mytho-historical Klingon figure, Kahless. Known as the greatest Klingon warrior, Kahless was the first Warrior King and Emperor of the Klingon Empire.
Born in New York City, Conway worked as an IBM sales analyst before starting his acting career at the age of 24. He landed his first major screen role in the 1972 film Slaughterhouse-Five, in which he played the character of Roland Weary. He was best known for his recurring role as Seamus O’Reilly, the abusive father of Irish gang inmates Ryan and Cyril O’Reilly, on the HBO prison drama Oz.
Conway passed away in February 2020 in Manhattan. His longtime partner, Geraldine Newman, said the cause of his death was a heart attack.
Marj Dusay
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series
Character name: Kara
Date deceased: January 28th, 2020 (aged 83)
Though Marj Dusay only appeared once in The Original Series, her role was quite memorable. In the 1968 episode titled Spock’s Brain, Dusay played the role of Kara, the leader of the Eymorgs from the planet Sigma Draconis VI who secretly boarded the Enterprise and surgically removed Spock’s brain.
Dusay became a household name for her roles in different daytime soap operas. She replaced Carolyn Jones as Myrna Clegg on CBS’ Capitol in 1983 and then portrayed Pamela Capwell Conrad on NBC’s Santa Barbara, Vivian Alamain on NBC’s Days of Our Lives, Vanessa Bennett on ABC’s All My Children, and most recently as Alexandra Spaulding on CBS’ The Guiding Light.
Dusay died in January 2020. Her death was revealed by her stepdaughter Elizabeth Perine in a Facebook post. “I’m so very sad to have to tell you that my stepmother Marj passed away peacefully yesterday morning in her sleep,” Perine wrote on the social media site at the time. “She was quite a woman and had quite a grand life. She was deeply loved and will be deeply missed.”
John Paragon
Star Trek series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Character name: Thadial Bokar
Date deceased: April 3rd, 2021 (aged 66)
Paragon portrayed Thadial Bokar, a male Farian operative, in the Deep Space Nine season 7 episode Prodigal Daughter. Thadial was a villainous representative of the Orion Syndicate, working alongside the Tigan family business, the homeplace of Ezri Dax.
Paragon was best known for his work on the TV series Pee-wee’s Playhouse, where he played Jambi the Genie and provided the voice for Pterri the Pterodactyl.
Paragon died in April 2021 at his home in Palm Springs, California. His cause of death was heart disease and chronic alcoholism.
Clarence Williams III
Star Trek series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Character name: Omet’iklan
Date deceased: June 4th, 2021 (aged 81)
Williams played Omet’iklan in the Deep Space Nine season 4 episode To the Death. Omet’iklan was a Jem’Hadar in service of the Dominion during the late 24th century.
Born in New York City, Williams is best known for his role as Linc Hayes on the 1970s TV series The Mod Squad. On the movie front, Williams III appeared in the rock musical drama Purple Rain, neo-noir crime flick 52 Pick-Up, horror-comedy Tales from the Hood, and stoner comedy film Half Baked.
Williams passed away in Los Angeles in June 2021 from colon cancer.
Nichelle Nichols
_(cropped).jpg "Star Trek actors that have died 22")
Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series
Character name: Nyota Uhura
Date deceased: July 30th, 2022 (aged 89)
Nichols’ Uhura served as a communications officer aboard the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise-A in The Original Series, The Animated Series, and the first six Star Trek films. Nichols’ portrayal of Uhura was groundbreaking as it was one of the first times that an African-American actress portrayed a non-stereotypical role on television. Previously, most African-American female characters on U.S. TV were depicted as maids or housekeepers, and Nichols’ Uhura helped break that barrier.
In 1977, Nichols started to take part in a special project to recruit minority and female personnel for NASA. Among those she directly recruited through the program were Dr. Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, and U.S. Air Force Colonel Guion Bluford, the first African-American astronaut. In 1979, Nichols was named as NASA’s Woman of the Year for her efforts.
Nichols died of heart failure on July 30th, 2022 in Silver City, New Mexico. She was 89. In early 2018, four years before her death, Nichols was diagnosed with dementia and subsequently announced her retirement from convention appearances. Three years prior to her dementia diagnosis, in 2015, Nichols suffered a mild stroke at her Los Angeles home and was admitted to a Los Angeles-area hospital.
John Aniston
Star Trek series: Star Trek: Voyager
Character name: Quarren ambassador
Date deceased: November 11th, 2022 (aged 89)
John Aniston made two guest appearances as the Quarren ambassador in season 7 of Star Trek: Voyager. He made his first appearance in episode 16 (Workforce) of the season and reprised his role in episode 17 (Workforce, Part II).
Aniston was best known for playing Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives — a role he played from 1985 until he passed away in November 2022 at the age of 89. As of writing, a cause of death has not been released.
In addition to appearing in over 3000 episodes of Days of Our Lives, Aniston also had roles in two other long-running soap operas. He played Eddie Aleata in Love of Life in 1975 and portrayed the character Martin Tourneur in Search for Tomorrow from 1980-1984.
Born as Yannis Anastassakis in July 1933, Aniston is the father of Friends star Jennifer Aniston.
Anton Yelchin
Star Trek films: Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond
Character name: Pavel Chekov
Date deceased: June 19th, 2016 (aged 27)
Yelchin played the role of Pavel Chekov in the three Star Trek movies set in the Kelvin timeline. He took over the role from Walter Koenig, who played the character in Star Trek: The Original Series and in seven Star Trek feature films.
Yelchin was also the voice of Clumsy Smurf in The Smurfs franchise and the actor behind the role of Byrd Huffstodt in the Showtime drama series Huff. His other acting credits include the 2011 romantic drama Like Crazy, the 2011 remake of Fright Night, the 2013 supernatural thriller Odd Thomas, the 2014 horror comedy Burying the Ex, the 2015 neo-noir The Driftless Area, and the 2015 horror thriller Green Room (2015). He also notably played the lead role of James “Jim” Lake Jr on the Netflix series Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia from 2016 to 2018 (posthumous release).
The actor died in June 2016 at the young age of 27. When Yelchin didn’t show up at a rehearsal, his friends went to his house in Studio City, Los Angeles, where they found him deceased by his car. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Yelchin stepped out of his Jeep Grand Cherokee to check his locked gate when the vehicle rolled back down his driveway ― which was on a steep incline ― and pinned him against a brick pillar. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office identified the cause of death as “blunt traumatic asphyxia” and stated that there were “no obvious suspicious circumstances involved.”
Other late actors that appeared in Star Trek
Less popular Star Trek alums that have passed away include:
- Grace Lee Whitney (2015, aged 85)
- Jefferey Hunter (1969, aged 42)
- Robert Walker Jr (2019, aged 79)
- David Brian (1993, aged 78)
- Robert Johnson (1993, aged 73)
- Richard Webb (1993, aged 77)
- Davis Roberts (1993, aged 76)
- Michael Dunn (1973, aged 38)
- John Harmon (1985, aged 80)
- Richard Hale (1981, aged 88)
- John Hoyt (1991, aged 85)
- Joan Marshall (1992, aged 61)
- James Daly (1978, aged 59)
- Jill Ireland (1990, aged 54)
- Charles Maxwell (1993, aged 79)
- Arnold Moss (1989, aged 79)
- Arthur Bernard (2001, aged 81)
- William Campbell (2011, aged 87)
- Merritt Butrick (1989, aged 29)
- Ian Wolfe (1992, aged 95)
- John Warburton (1981, aged 78)
- Mickey Morton (1993, aged 66)
- Liam Sullivan (1998, aged 74)
- Susan Oliver (1990, aged 58)
- John Megna (1995, aged 42)
- Charles Macaulay (1999, aged 71)
- Sam Gilman (1985, aged 70)
- Michael Ansara (2013, aged 91)
- William Bramley (1985, aged 57)
- Alfred Ryder (1995, aged 79)
- Mary Linda Rapeleye (2021, aged 76)
- William Meader (1979, aged 74)
- Michael Zaslow (1998, aged 56)
- Yvonne Craig (2015, aged 78)
- Dick Crockett (1979, aged 63)
- Joseph Mell (1977, aged 62)
- Grant Woods (1968, aged 36)
- Mark Leonard (1996, aged 72)
- Jane Wyatt (2006, aged 96)
- Willard Sage (1974, aged 51)
- Adam Roarke (1996, aged 58)
- Dick Dial (1992, aged 60)
- William Windom (2012, aged 88)
- Elisha Cook (1995, aged 91)
- Whit Bissell (1996, aged 86)
- Vic Perrin (1989, aged 73)
- Kermit Murdock (1981, aged 72)
- Reggie Nalder (1991, aged 84)
- Felix Locher (1969, aged 86)
- Ed Bakey (1988, aged 62)
- Rudy Solari (1991, aged 56)
- Theo Marcuse (1967, aged 47)
