Walter Koenig, Chekov of the original 'Star Trek,' dies at 90

Walter Koenig, who portrayed the Russian navigator Pavel Chekov in the first "Star Trek" TV series and in later films, has died at 90, his agent, Zachery McGinnis, said.

McGinnis said the actor died in his North Hollywood home in Los Angeles, with his daughter and niece present. Reports conflicted on the date. The Anchorage Daily News and LAist, publishing an Associated Press story, gave Monday as the day. WKOW, running a CNN story, and Boston 25 News said it was Sunday. Boston 25 News cited a statement from his representatives attributing the death to old age.

CNN reported that Koenig was brought onto the show for its second season in 1967, amid Cold War friction between Washington and Moscow. Citing Variety, Boston 25 News said he was in 36 of the 50 episodes from the program's last two seasons. NBC broadcast the series from 1966 to 1969, per the AP.

Creator Gene Roddenberry sought a youthful character to attract viewers, CNN reported, and Koenig had previously been cast as a Russian defector on "Mr. Novak." Koenig once explained that he learned his accent from his Lithuanian father, who spoke Russian as a first language, CNN said.

According to the AP, Koenig reprised Chekov in seven films starting in 1979. CNN pointed to a scene in the second movie where a creature crawls into Chekov's ear; Koenig later quipped that his epitaph would read: "Here lies Walter Koenig. He screamed good."

Koenig was born Sept. 14, 1936, in Chicago. The AP said he finished a degree at UCLA and then trained as an actor in New York, at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Boston 25 News, drawing on The Hollywood Reporter, said he began his studies at Iowa's Grinnell College before moving to UCLA, where he majored in psychology.

Koenig also wrote for television, including "The Incredible Hulk," taught part time at UCLA and authored the 1980 book "Chekov's Enterprise," per the AP. In the 1990s he took on the role of telepath Alfred Bester on "Babylon 5," a part CNN said he considered more rewarding than Chekov. CNN added that he lent his voice to Chekov again in a 2023 "Star Trek: Picard" episode.

His son, actor Andrew Koenig, died in Vancouver in 2010 at 41, CNN reported.

Former castmate George Takei honored him in a post on X, according to the AP: "Walter was more than Chekov. He was a writer, a teacher, a thoughtful man, and a loyal friend." Koenig had served as best man when Takei married in 2008, the AP noted.

Compiled by True News from reporting by Anchorage Daily News, WKOW, LAist and Boston 25 News. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/487