Walter Koenig, ‘Star Trek’ Actor Who Played Pavel Chekov, Dies at 90

Veteran actor Walter Koenig, best known for portraying Pavel Andreievich Chekov in the original Star Trek television series and seven Star Trek feature films, has passed away at the age of 90. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Koenig’s representative announced that the actor died of natural causes at his home on Sunday. Tamil Actor Karthik Sabesh Dies at 37: Music Director Deva’s Nephew Passes Away After Illness.

Born and raised in Manhattan to Lithuanian immigrant parents, Koenig joined Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek  at the beginning of its second season. He appeared in 36 of the 50 episodes broadcast during the 1967–68 and 1968–69 seasons, portraying Russian navigator Pavel Andreievich Chekov.

Koenig went on to reprise the role in the first seven “Star Trek” feature films released by Paramount between 1979 and 1991. His contributions to the franchise earned him widespread recognition among science fiction fans.

In a 2013 interview for the TV Academy Foundation, Koenig revealed that he didn’t watch Star Trek before he came aboard. “I’d flip through the channels and I’d see Styrofoam rocks — they were so obviously Styrofoam — and I said, ‘This has got to be phony.’ I didn’t give it a chance,” he recalled.

Before joining Star Trek, Koenig had appeared in several television productions. In 1963, he portrayed a student who had defected to the United States in an episode of the NBC drama Mr Novak, marking the first time he played a Russian character in his career.

In 1964, he guest-starred in an episode of The Lieutenant, another series created by Roddenberry. He portrayed a young sergeant aspiring to become an officer, whose ambitions were complicated by the fact that his mother was a communist.

Koenig’s contributions to the Star Trek film franchise earned him greater recognition, including nominations from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for his performances in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986).

On the personal front, Koenig married actress Judy Levitt in July 1965. Levitt appeared alongside him in three Star Trek films and also featured in “Babylon 5”. The couple remained together until her death in December 2022 at the age of 83. Eric Bauza, Emmy-Winning Voice Actor Behind Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Dies at 46.

Their son, Andrew Koenig, was known for playing Richard “Boner” Stabone on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains. He died by suicide in 2010 at the age of 41.