The cast of the original series The cast of the original series
The stars of Star Trek need no introduction: they are recognized by avid fans all over the world as the most famous crew of any vessel to sail the seas - or the skies - the USS Enterprise. Audiences are familiar with the personalities and exploits of the Star Trek characters, but the profiles in this page offer an overview of the career of the actors who brought these characters to life on the screen.
William Shatner was born on March 22, 1931 in Montreal, Canada. Shatner attended McGill University where he made it his business to be as active in campus theatrical productions as possible. He graduated from McGill in 1952 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. By then he had done some voice work on Canadian Radio. Soon he was working with the National Repertory Theater of Ottawa where he earned a wealth of experience. During this time he came to hate fruit salad, which he still hates today. He admittedly wanted to become an actor of the caliber of Sir Lawrence Olivier (ha, ha ... my note). He joined the Stratford, Ontario repertory company. For three years he played in Shakespeare and other classical writers of the stage. At the age of 25 he won the Tyrone Guthrie Stratford Festival Scholarship and used it to move to New York City. In the fifties a lot of TV production originated in New York City, and Shatner took advantage of that, managing to land one role after another without having to pound the pavement for years trying to prove himself with sporadic roles. He played in such movies as "The Brothers Karamazov", and declined television roles in shows such as Dr. Kildare and The Defenders. After playing in The World of Suzie Wong, he moved to Hollywood and worked in many films and TV series. In 1965 he agreed to star in a TV pilot for a show called Star Trek. While the series did sell and ran for three seasons, it brought Shatner popularity and recognition, but at the cost of his marriage. During the seventies he played in movies such as The White Comanche, Impulse, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Andersonville Trial. During the filming of this he met Marcy Lafferty, who later became his second wife. In 1974 he reprised his role as Captain Kirk for 18 episodes of the animated version of Star Trek. In 1979, Star Trek The Motion Picture was released. By now Shatner found himself competing directly with his co-star Leonard Nimoy, and he was unhappy that their contracts gave them financial parity. It was also with some chagrin that Shatner heard that Nimoy would be the director of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. He finally got his chance at directing in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. He followed up with roles in T.J. Hooker, and hosting Rescue 911. He managed to make an even bigger name for himself outside of Star Trek with the TEK novel series, which had been sold to Universal where it was made into a TV series in 1994. William Shatner has continued to run hot and cold on Captain Kirk. While he stated that he was willing to gracefully exit the role with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, a few months later he was discussing story ideas for a possible Star Trek VII with Paramount. Paramount passed on the proposal, and as we know it, made Star Trek: Generations instead.
Leonard Nimoy was born on March 26, 1931 in Boston. He played in his first theatrical production at the age of 8. Following high school, he studied at Boston College briefly, then - despite his parents wishes - he packed up and left for California to pursue an acting career. He married Sandy Zober in 1954, while serving in the US Army in Georgia. After his service, he returned to California and enrolled in the famed Pasadena Playhouse, where he later became an instructor. Later he opened his own drama studio for three years, then taught for a year at Synanon. His first movie appearance was in Queen for a Day, and this was followed by Rhubarb. His first actual starring role was in the 1952 film, Kid Monk Baroni. This leading role was apparently a fluke as numerous bit parts and supporting parts followed thereafter. Nimoy then appeared in Francis Goes to Westpoint and Zombies of the Stratosphere. It would be many years before Nimoy would again be offered a leading role in a motion picture. In the early sixties he continued getting a variety of roles although now and then the bit parts on TV shows were gradually growing into meatier roles on such series as Rawhide, The Virginian, Outer Limits and Profiles In Courage. His television credits for the 60's cover most of the shows on the air at the time. Because of his rugged features, he was usually cast as the heavy in his guest appearances. Nimoy first met Roddenberry when he appeared in an episode of The Lieutenant. Although Nimoy was working a great deal, little of it was in shows which would be long remembered, but Star Trek would insure that Nimoy would be elevated above the ranks of his fellow everyday working actors. After the cancellation of Star Trek, he played for two years Paris in Mission:Impossible. Between that and the resurgence of the movies, he played in stage productions such as Fiddler On The Roof, Oliver, The King and I, and for two years he toured with his own one-man-show Vincent, which was eventually taped and broadcast on A&E. He also recorded 5 albums, wrote several books of poetry, and a somewhat controversial autobiography. He also had roles in other motion pictures, such as Catlow, and in the remake of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers. Besides appearing in all six of the Star Trek motion pictures, and directing two of them, he played major roles in movies such as A Woman Called Golda (next to Ingrid Bergman) and in the TV movie Never Forget. Besides directing two Star Trek movies, he also directed Three Man and a Baby, The Good Mother, Funny About Love and Holy Matrimony. In 1986 he separated from his wife, and later got divorced. In the same year, he also received the "Director of the Year" award. Recently he has started a comic book series Leonard Nimoy's Primortals, he has appeared in the television productions Bonanza: Under Attack and the new Outer Limits: I Robot. He is also co-executive producer of the planned UPN television series Deadly Games.
DeForest Kelley was born on January 20, 1920 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 16 when he graduated from high school, at the age of 17 he made a visit to California, and decided that he was going to live there. In the 30's he joined the Long Beach Theater Group. He enlisted when World War Two called, but then was spotted by a Paramount scout while taking part in a Navy training film, and as a result, he was signed to a contract by Paramount, where he stayed for two and a half years. He went to New York in 1948, and gained more experience on stage and in television. When he returned to California, some of his friends from New York helped him to establish himself in the film capital. His motion picture credits include Fear in the Night, Canon City, Gunfight at Comanche Creek, Illegal, Marriage on the Rocks, and a lot more. His various TV appearances in the 50's and 60's include roles on Schlitz Theater, Playhouse 90, Gunsmoke, You Are There, Navy Log, Science Fiction Theater, Zane Grey Theater, Rawhide and Bonanza. Although he worked a lot, he was on the verge of being typecast.
Roddenberry wanted to use Kelley in the first Star Trek pilot, but was rejected by Paramount. But Roddenberry persisted, and Paramount finally reversed their decision, but not until the second Star Trek pilot had been filmed. Kelley joined the cast once the show was picked up as a series. When Star Trek was canceled, Kelley's career momentum slowed considerably. In the 70's he appeared infrequently on television, such as in an episode of the short-lived series The Cowboys as well as in the low budget horror film Night of the Lepus. He was back playing his familiar role of Dr. McCoy in the animated version of Star Trek. Primarily Kelley worked the convention route in that decade. His only screen work since the 70's has been in the Star Trek movies, with one notable exception. In the premier episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Kelley appeared under heavy make-up as a 137 year old Dr. McCoy. DeForest Kelley is a fine actor who has rarely been given the opportunity to prove what he can do. Because of how easy he makes his role of Dr. McCoy appear, he isn't given his due nor is he considered for the more ambitious roles he'd like to play.
James Doohan was born on March 3, 1920 in Vancouver, Canada. During World War II, he was flying an artillery observation plane for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Prior to this, he had been wounded in battle on D-day. Following his military discharge, he returned to school. Doohan eventually became one of the busiest voice artists on radio. He originally came to the US on a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. He continued to teach there for three years. In 1953 he returned to Toronto, where he lived for the next 8 years. During this time he appeared in more than four hundred live and taped television shows, numerous motion pictures and plays, as well as over three thousand radio shows. In the sixties he became a very busy working actor, particularly on television where he appeared on such shows as Bonanza, Hazel, The Virginian, Blue Light, Daniel Boone, The F.B.I, The Gallant Men, and many others. In 1966 he was invited to join the permanent cast of Star Trek. When Star Trek was revived in 1974 as the animated series, Doohan provided his voice not only for Scotty, but also for several other characters. After Star Trek he secured a recurring role on Jason of Star Command while doing additional voice work on various animated series. Doohan has appeared in all six of the Star Trek feature films and joined the elite group of original Trek actors who appeared on The Next Generation. During the seventies Doohan has become a regular fixture at Star Trek conventions, appearing at them all over the world. In the late eighties he suffered a heart attack but has fully recovered and gone on to maintain a full schedule of activities.
Born in the Boyle heights district of Los Angeles, he lived there peacefully with his family until World War Two, when he and his family were forcibly relocated to a detention camp in Arkansas. From there they were moved again to another US internment camp at Tule Lake in Northern California. Originally he was fascinated with architectural design and he began his college education at the University of California at Berkeley. Later he transferred to the Los Angeles Campus of the university. He majored in Theater Arts with a minor in Latin American Studies. Takei made his professional debut in a Playhouse 90 production during the time he was attending UCLA. Concurrent with his university studies, he furthered his training as an actor at the Desilu Workshop. In 1963, he made another leap forward on the scale of experience. He left for Europe, and he attended at the Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-on-Avon. Upon returning from Europe to Hollywood, he found that he had to work hard to find acting work, but finally he began to achieve some success. During that time, he racked up credits on such TV shows as Perry Mason, Hawaiian Eye, The Islanders, Alcoa Premiere, Checkmate, Mr. Novak, The Wackiest Ship In The Army, I-Spy, The John Forsythe Show, Bob Hope Chrysler Theater, Bracken's World, Felony Squad, Ironside, It Takes A Thief, Mr. Roberts, My Three Sons, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, The Twilight Zone and many more. Takei was cast on Star Trek beginning with the second pilot as the botanist, but as the series went into production, he became the helmsman. During the first season of Star Trek, he managed to work in an appearance on Mission:Impossible. During the second year, he requested additional time off when he had the chance to appear in the feature film The Green Berets.
Takei's motion picture credits include A Majority Of One, Red Line 7000, Hell To Eternity, An American Dream, Walk Don't run, Never So Few, Josie's Castle, The Loudmouth, The Young Divorcees PT 109 and Which Way To The Front. After Star Trek, he appeared on episodes of such TV series as Kung Fu, The Six Million Dollar Man, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Chico And The Man, Hawaii Five-O and Miami Vice.
His feature film debut was in the movie Ice Palace. His interests outside of acting include involving himself in political causes. He was a California representative at the 1972 Democratic National Convention, and in the fall of 1973 he ran successfully for Mayor Bradley's vacated council seat in Los Angeles. He has recently appeared in two motion pictures in major roles. One is Return From The River Kwai and the other is Prisoners Of The Sun.
Nichelle Nichols is secretive about her age, but she was born on December 28 in Robbins, Illinois, near Chicago. At the age of 16 she wrote a ballet for a musical suite by Duke Ellington. During her time in New York, she appeared at the famed Blue Angel and the Playboy Club. Nichols has demonstrated her ability as a performer by twice being nominated for the Sara Siddon Award as best actress of the year. She is an accomplished dancer and a beautiful singer. As a vocalist with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands, she toured the United States, Canada and Europe. On the West Coast, she appeared in "Roar of the Grease Paint, Smell of the Crowd," "For My People" and won high praise for her performance in the James Baldwin play "Blues for Mr. Charlie."
She was a relatively new face to television at the time of Star Trek in the sixties, having previously appeared only in The Lieutenant and had the lead in an episode of CBS Repertory Theater. She was Roddenberry's choice for the role of Uhura. At the end of the first season, she was seriously considering leaving the show, and stayed only because of Martin Luther King's insistence that she was a role model for blacks in America. Following the cancellation of Star Trek, Nichols' acting career has been spotty. She appeared in a few roles here and there, such as in the films Mister Budwing, Three For The Wedding, Truck Turner, Made In Paris, Porgy And Bess and Doctor, You've Got To Be Kidding. She got more work as a singer after Star Trek than she did in TV and films. She also did the voice of Uhura on the animated series, and also reprised her role in the six movies. She has written her memoirs, titled Beyond Uhura, which was published in 1994.
Walter Koenig was born on September 14, 1936 in Chicago. He became interested in theater when he was attending high school. Along with his theatrical talents, he shared an equal interest in psychiatry. As a result his first two years at Grinell College in Iowa were in pre-med courses. During his summer vacations, he performed in summer stock in Vermont. At his father's death he moved to California and finished college at UCLA. He relocated to New York and enrolled at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He spent two years doing off-Broadway work, but finally decided to return to Los Angeles. Once in LA, he found that he was able to land a variety of roles in quite a variety of television shows. His first TV role was on the show Day In Court. His range as an actor was so great, that he was soon playing such characters as A Swedish businessman, an American grape picker, an Arabian rock-and-roll singer and a French resistance fighter. His television credits include appearances on Mr. Novak, The Great Adventure, Gidget, Jerrico, The Lieutenant, Ben Casey, Combat, Ironside, Mannix, Medical Center, The Men From Shiloh, The Untouchables and I-Spy. His most prominent television role in the sixties, outside of Star Trek, was in a one-hour episode of Alfred Hitchkock Presents titled "Memo From Purgatory'" In 1967 he joined the cast of Star Trek as Ensign Chekov. In 1969, after the cancellation of Star Trek, Koenig moved on, although his career momentum had slowed. He did appear in occasional TV shows and films but concentrated more on teaching acting. He appeared on an episode of Columbo and Goodbye Raggedy Ann. He also appeared in the unsold pilot The Questor Tapes. On stage Koenig played three roles in the highly acclaimed theater group production of "The Deputy." Koenig has extended his talents into the area of writing as well. His television writing credits include an episode of Land Of The Lost, and also the episode "The Infinite Vulcan" for the animated Star Trek. Koenig has also written scripts for such TV series as Class Of '65, The Powers Of Matthew Starr and Family. In the book field he wrote a behind-the-scenes log about his experiences making Star Trek The Motion Picture called Chekov's Enterprise. And in 1988 he had a science fiction novel published titled Buck Alice And The Actor Robot. His latest writing work is a comic book series, Raver. In films he also appeared in the movie Deadly Honeymoon and the six Star Trek movies. Other than Star Trek, his most recent film appearance was in the movie Moontrap. In recent years Koenig has toured with Mark Lenard in the Bernard Sabbath play "The Boys Of Autumn."
William Shatner
Leonard Nimoy
DeForest Kelley
James Doohan
George Takei
Nichelle Nichols
Walter Koenig