The actor who played Ensign Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series and six films has died aged 90, his representatives said, leaving William Shatner and George Takei as the surviving main cast members.
Walter Koenig, the American actor who played the young Russian navigator Ensign Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek television series, has died at the age of 90, according to a statement from his representatives reported by Euronews and in a video report from The Associated Press. The representatives said he died of old age at home in North Hollywood, surrounded by his daughter and niece.
Koenig joined the cast of Star Trek in its second season in 1967 and stayed until the series ended in 1969, later reprising the role in the six films made with the original cast between 1979 and 1991. Born in Chicago on 14 September 1936, he trained at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse and worked in television in the early 1960s. He also wrote scripts for shows including Family and The Incredible Hulk, taught part time, and appeared in Babylon 5. His representatives said he most recently won the Platinum Award for Best Actor at the 2026 Independent Shorts Awards for the short film Mr. Fleischmann.
Koenig's death leaves William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk, and George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu, as the only surviving members of the original series' main cast. Takei wrote on X that Koenig was more than Chekov, calling him a writer, a teacher and a loyal friend; Koenig had been best man at Takei's 2008 wedding. He is survived by his daughter, the actress and screenwriter Danielle Koenig. The AP video linked to this article is a news report on his death and does not itself establish the details above, which come from the representatives' statement as reported by Euronews.
