90-Year-Old Walter Koenig Passes, Leaving Only 2 Original Star Trek Leads Alive

Walter Koenig, the actor who portrayed Pavel Chekov on the original 1960s science fiction series, died Monday. His representative confirmed the news, noting that Koenig was 90 years old at the time of his death.

Koenig passed away at his home in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to talent agent Zachery McGinnis. McGinnis described the actor as having left a lasting mark on generations of fans through his talent and warmth.

The original "Star Trek" series aired on NBC from 1966 to 1969. It consisted of 79 episodes across three seasons. Koenig joined the cast during the second season in 1967, a period when the show was created by Gene Roddenberry to feature a diverse crew in the 23rd century.

Following Koenig's death, only two marquee cast members from that original series remain alive. They are William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk, and George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu. Shatner is 95 years old. Takei is 89.

Other original cast members have died in recent decades. DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. McCoy, died in 1999. James Doohan, who played Scotty, died in 2005. Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock, died in 2015. Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, died in 2022.

Takei spoke publicly about his friendship with Koenig on Instagram. The two men had known each other for nearly six decades, having first met on the set of the original series. Takei served as the best man at Koenig's wedding in 2008, a ceremony that coincided with Koenig's birthday on September 14.

"Walter and I met on the bridge of the Enterprise in the 1960s, and we stayed friends for nearly six decades," Takei wrote. He added that Koenig was a writer, a teacher, and a loyal friend beyond his role as Chekov.

Koenig reprised his role as Chekov in seven feature films released between 1979 and 1994. These included "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country." He also performed voice-over work for video games and appeared in a cameo on the 2023 series "Star Trek: Picard."

Before his "Star Trek" role, Koenig appeared in television shows such as "General Hospital" and "I Spy" in the early 1960s. Later in his career, he held a recurring role on the science fiction series "Babylon 5" in the 1990s.

Koenig continued working into late 2026. He won the best actor award at the Independent Shorts Awards earlier this year for his performance in the film "Mr. Fleischmann."