Walter Koenig Dies: ‘Star Trek’ Actor Was 90

Walter Koenig, the actor best known for playing Chekov in the original Star Trek series, has died. He was 90 years old.

Koenig died of natural causes on Sunday, October 25, in Los Angeles. Born in Chicago, Illinois, the actor made a name for himself playing the Russian character Pavel Chekov on the original Star Trek series, which ran from 1966 to 1969. He went on to reprise the role in seven feature films from the franchise.

Koenig’s first onscreen appearances include shows like Combat! and Mr. Novak, and he even appeared in films like One Man’s Way and Strange Lovers. Ultimately, it was his role in The Lieutenant that led to his Star Trek gig, as he met series creator Gene Roddenberry, who would reach out to offer him the role of Chekov.

According to Koenig, he got the role due to his resemblance to Davy Jones from The Monkees, as he was meant to appeal to female viewers for the likeness. “He inspired the studio,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “They were looking for somebody that was somewhat like him and that appealed to the same category as him, and it had the desired response. I got an enormous amount of fan mail from kids 8-12, generally on lined paper in pencil.”

Meanwhile, Chekov’s Russian background was meant as a nod to the country’s space travel achievements, despite other theories.

Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

During his tenure in the hit series, Koenig worked alongside performers such as Leonard Nimoy‘s Spock and William Shatner‘s Captain Kirk. Among the films he reprised his role in from the franchise were Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and Star Trek: Generations.

Between his Star Trek gigs, Koenig worked on independent features like Moontrap and made various appearances on Babylon 5. Other credits included Diagnosis Murder and Futurama. Koenig was married to Judy Levitt until her death in 2022, and they shared a late son, Andrew, and daughter Danielle.

Koenig also served as the best man at the wedding of his Star Trek costar George Takei, when the performer wed Brad Altman in 2008.

He is survived by his daughter, Danielle Koenig. His wife, Judy Levitt, passed in 2022, and his son, Andrew Koenig, passed in 2010.