Walter Koenig, Chekov in original Star Trek series, dies at 90

LOS ANGELES: Walter Koenig, who played starship navigator Pavel Chekov in the classic 1960s science fiction series Star Trek and seven later films, has died at the age of 90.

"My heart is heavy. Walter Koenig, our Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away early today," George Takei wrote on Facebook on Monday. Takei starred alongside Koenig in the show and was a long-time friend. According to Reuters, citing the Associated Press, Koenig died at his home in Los Angeles. The AP cited his talent agent.

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry chose Koenig when he decided to add a Russian character to the crew of the fictional Starship Enterprise. Koenig had played only a few earlier roles on television. The arrival of a Russian officer who worked in harmony with a racially and culturally diverse crew came during the Cold War.

Koenig once told a BBC interviewer: "We were stating tacitly that peoples of all races and creeds, nationalities could not only co-exist but care for each other deeply, and in doing so we were heralding a future that was very optimistic."

Koenig was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. He used an inauthentic Russian accent, which was sometimes played for laughs.

The original series ran for three seasons, from 1966 to 1969. Koenig appeared in 36 episodes. He then featured in seven films between 1979 and 1994.

He recalled his casting in a 2008 interview with the Joplin Globe. "I was informed while I was still there at my audition that I had the role," he said. "It seemed like an engagement that might work out over several episodes, but I had no idea that it would totally shape my career and my life."

The show stayed popular in syndicated reruns and inspired several later television series and a succession of films. It drew a devoted worldwide fan base.

Koenig's fame from Star Trek was both a blessing and a curse, as it was for his co-stars William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Spock), DeForest Kelley (Dr McCoy), Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), James Doohan (Scotty) and Takei, who played Lieutenant Sulu. They were often typecast because of their close link with the series.

"Most of the '70s, I didn't work at all, and I blamed it on typecasting," Koenig told the St Petersburg Times in 1998.

He later won a regular role in the 1990s science fiction series Babylon 5. He was also an author, script writer and occasional director.

Koenig was born on 14 September 1936 and raised in New York City. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles, before starting his professional acting career.

His son, the actor Andrew Koenig, took his own life in 2010. Koenig married his wife Judy in 1965. They also had a daughter, the actress Danielle Koenig.