Walter Koenig, the actor behind Star Trek’s Pavel Chekov, has passed away at the age of 90. Koenig joined the sci-fi series in its second season and became a central part of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise for decades after.
Marvin Walter Koenig was born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 14, 1936. A son of Lithuanian immigrants, his father was a translator for RCA Victor and later an entrepreneur. In high school and college, Koenig appeared on the stage, starring in Peer Gynt and The Devil’s Disciple. However, he started his studies at Grinnell College, where he studied pre-med. He then transferred after his sophomore year to UCLA to pursue a degree in psychology.
An acting class and a letter of commendation from a teacher in 1958 changed Koenig’s path in life. He soon found himself in the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. There he studied alongside James Caan, Christopher Lloyd, and Dabney Coleman. He would return to L.A. in 1961 to appear in The Young Savages. This ended up not working out, though. Instead, he made his onscreen debut on Day in Court. He also appeared in the pilot and first two episodes of General Hospital in 1963.
During this time, Koenig worked on performing various dialects. He could portray French, Armenian, Swedish, and German characters. He could also portray delinquents, as was seen in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1964. His most notable role, however, was that of the Russian crewmember Pavel Chekov on board Captain Kirk’s (William Shatner) U.S.S. Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series.
In an interview with the TV Academy Foundation, Koenig shared about his journey to the stars as a member of the Star Trek cast. He shared how he didn’t watch the series before joining the cast. “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 said.
Koenig had worked with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry on The Lieutenant in 1964. He also portrayed a Russian in Mr. Novak on NBC the year before. Eventually, he auditioned to appear on Star Trek before appearing on the show’s second season. After auditioning, he had his role confirmed in a very unique way.
He spent hours after his audition waiting in an out office, wondering what the outcome would be. Eventually, a man asked him to follow to the wardrobe room. “He drops on his knees in front of me,” Koenig said, “and takes my crotch in his hand, and I’m saying, ‘What are you doing?!” I didn’t see the tape-measuring ruler in his other hand, and he was measuring from my crotch to my cuff to decide how long my pants should be. He says, ‘You do have to have a costume, don’t you?’
“And that’s the auspicious way I learned I was on Star Trek and it was going to change my life.” This would lead to Koenig finishing out the final two seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series. He wasn’t invited to lend his voice for Star Trek: The Animated Series, but did write an episode for it. His role returned when the crew of the Enterprise made the leap from small screen to the big screen. He appeared in all seven of the first Star Trek movies as Pavel Chekov. He returned to the role in the fan series Renegades. In this outing, he portrayed a 143-year-old Admiral Chekov.
Outside of Star Trek, Koenig also wrote, produced, and starred in other projects. This included appearing as Bester in Babylon 5 and writing episodes for The Powers of Matthew Star, Family, Land of the Lost, and The Incredible Hulk. He also wrote two books about his life: Warped Factors‚ A Neurotic’s Guide to the Universe and Beaming Up and Getting Off.
Koenig was married to actress Judy Levitt in July 1965. They appeared together in three Star Trek movies and on Babylon 5. They remained together until she died in 2022. He was preceded in death by their son Andrew, who died by suicide in 2010. Koenig is survived by his daughter, actress and screenwriter Danielle Koenig.
