Actor Walter Koenig (Babylon 5, Combat!), who was known for his role as Russian Crewman Pavel Chekov in NBC’s Star Trek (1966-1969), died at 90. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his rep announced his death of natural causes this Sunday in North Hollywood.
Many are mourning the loss of Koenig and showing their gratitude to his work over the years. His health was questioned when he suffered a heart attack and quadruple bypass in 1993 while filming Babylon 5. Series creator J. Micheal Straczynski wrote Koenig back in the series once he was better.
Koenig was born on September 14, 1936, and raised in Manhattan as a son to Lithuanian immigrants. His father was a translator for RCA Victor and then an entrepreneur but was a communist, which was why FBI agents searched his home once. He acted in productions of Peer Gynt and The Devil’s Disciple at Fieldston High School in New York. Though he went to Grinnell College in Iowa for pre-med and went to UCLA his sophomore year to receive a psychology degree, he took an acting class that got him in the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York in 1958. He studied with other famous known actors including James Caan, Christopher Lloyd, and Dabney Coleman.
Koenig went to L.A. for roles in films like Burt Lancaster film The Young Savages (1961). He has appeared in shows like Day in Court (1958-1965), General Hospital (1963- ), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1955-1962), and Columbo (1968-2003). He played various dialects, including French, American, Swedish, and German.
His first Russian acting role in his career was on an episode of the NBC drama called Mr. Novak (1963). He guest starred as a sergeant in The Lieutenant (1964). He auditioned for Star Trek and found out he got the part from getting measurements for his costume. Koenig joined Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek as Chekov in its second season and appeared in 36 of the 50 episodes that aired in 1967 to 1968 and 1968 to 1969. He then portrayed the character in the first seven of the movies released from 1979 through 1991.
In an interview back in 2013 for the TV Academy Foundation, Koenig never watched Star Trek before. But he became an important part in the Star Trek movies as he was nominated by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror for the word he did on The Wrath of Khan (1982) and The Voyage Home (1986).
George Taikei (Star Trek, Futurama) and Koenig stayed close friends for the past six decades after meeting on set in Star Trek. Taikei posted on Instagram about their relationship and how they’ve grown to know so much about each other.
After Star Trek cancelled, Koenig wrote episodes for The Powers of Matthew Star (1982), Family (1976-1980), and Land of the Lost (1974-1976). He also wrote, produced, and starred for InAlienable (2010), a sci-fi film that starred Richard Hatch.
Koenig got married to late actress Judy Levitt (Star Trek: Generations, Criminal Minds) in July 1965 and had worked onscreen for a few movies together. Judy died in December 2022 at age 83. They had two kids, late actor Andrew Koenig (Growing Pains, InAlienable) and actress and screenwriter Daniele Koening (Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Invader ZIM).