Walter Koenig | |
|---|---|
 Koenig atGalaxyCon Raleigh in 2024 | |
| Born | Walter Marvin Koenig (1936-09-14)September 14, 1936 (age 89) |
| Education | Grinnell College University of California, Los Angeles (BA) Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Known for | |
| Television | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingAndrew |
| Relatives | Jimmy Pardo (son-in-law) |
Walter Marvin Koenig (/ˈkeɪnɪɡ/; born September 14, 1936) is an American actor and screenwriter. He began acting professionally in the mid-1960s and quickly rose to prominence for his supporting role as EnsignPavel Chekov inStar Trek: The Original Series (1967–1969). He went on to reprise this role in all six original-castStar Trek films, and later voiced President Anton Chekov inStar Trek: Picard (2023). He has also acted in several other series and films includingGoodbye, Raggedy Ann (1971),The Questor Tapes (1974), andBabylon 5 (1993). In addition to his acting career, Koenig has made a career in writing as well and is known for working onLand of the Lost (1974),Family (1976),What Really Happened to the Class of '65? (1977) andThe Powers of Matthew Star (1982).
Koenig was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of businessman Isadore Koenig and his wife Sarah (née Strauss).[citation needed][1] They moved to theInwood neighborhood of Manhattan when Walter was a child, where he went to school.[2][3] Koenig's parents wereRussian Jewish immigrants from theSoviet Union; his family had been living inLithuania when they emigrated, and they shortened their surname from "Königsberg" to "Koenig".[4]
Koenig's father was acommunist who was investigated by the FBI during theMcCarthy era.[5] Koenig attendedGrinnell College inGrinnell, Iowa, with apre-med major. He transferred toUCLA and received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. After a professor encouraged Koenig to become an actor, he attendedNeighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City with fellow studentsDabney Coleman,Christopher Lloyd, andJames Caan.[4]
InGene Roddenberry's first television production, the 1963–64 NBC seriesThe Lieutenant, Koenig played a significant role as noncom Sgt. John Delwyn, who is recommended forOfficer Candidates School by the series protagonist, Lt William T. (Tiberius) Rice, played byGary Lockwood; (in episode 27, "Mother Enemy", aired on April 4, 1964). The plot twist, at the height of the US–SovietCold War, is that Sgt Delwyn's visiting mother is a prominent, and politically active, American Communist Party member. This sets up various interesting plot tensions involving Delwyn, Rice, and Rice's CO, Capt. Rambridge, played byRobert Vaughn.[citation needed]In 1964, Koenig portrayed a New York City juvenile gang leader in an adaptation ofMemos from Purgatory forThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
I was one of only two people who auditioned for the part, which is quite extraordinary. Considering that this has so materially affected the last 35 years of my life ... a couple of hours after I auditioned I heard that I had gotten the role.[6]
Koenig began playing Ensign Pavel Chekov, navigator on theUSSEnterprise, in the originalStar Trek television series in the second season, and continued in the role in all of the films featuring the original cast, includingStar Trek Generations.
Koenig was unfamiliar with science fiction before being cast onStar Trek.[7] One of only two actors to audition, he was cast as Chekov almost immediately primarily because of his resemblance to British actor and singerDavy Jones ofthe Monkees. Show creator Gene Roddenberry hoped that Koenig would increase the show's appeal to young people. The studio's publicity department, however, falsely ascribed the inclusion of Chekov to an article inPravda that complained about the lack of Russians inStar Trek.[6][failed verification]
As the 30-year-old's hair was already receding, costume designers fashioned a Davy Jones-style "moptop" hairpiece for him. In later episodes, his own hair grew out enough to accomplish the look with a comb-over.[8]
Roddenberry asked him to "ham up" his Russian accent to add a note of comic relief to the series. Chekov's accent has been criticized as inauthentic, in particular Koenig's substituting the "w" sound in place of a "v" sound (e.g., "wodka" for "vodka" or most famously "wessel" for "vessel"); Koenig has said the accent was inspired by his father, who had the same difficulty with the "v" sound.[5]
Most of Koenig'sfan mail came from children, and his popularity with fans contributed to him soon receiving a contract as a regularStar Trek cast member; this surprised Koenig, who had initially been told that Chekov would only be a recurring role.[6][9] When the early episodes for season two ofStar Trek were filmed,George Takei was absent while completing the movieThe Green Berets, so Chekov was joined at theEnterprise helm by different characters. When Takei returned, the two actors had to share a dressing room and a single script per episode. This reportedly angered Takei to the point where he considered leaving the show, although Koenig observed in a 2016 interview that, while sharing a dressing room with Takei andJames Doohan, the three finally recognised their status as supporting players and after that "didn't think twice about it".[10] Koenig and Takei have since become good friends, to the point that Koenig served as best man at Takei's wedding in 2008.[11]
The character of Chekov did not appear in the animatedStar Trek series. The show's producers had declined to hire Koenig for budgetary reasons and the actor wasn't even aware that he would not be included in the cast until a fan informed him at aStar Trek convention. Although Roddenberry would hire Koenig as a writer and purchased his script for an episode of the show titled "The Infinite Vulcan", Koenig later confessed that he was upset at being left out of the cast of the animated series.[12] "The Infinite Vulcan" makes him the first cast member to write aStar Trek story for television.
Koenig receivedSaturn Award nominations forBest Supporting Actor in a Film for bothStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan andStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Koenig reprised the role of Chekov for the fan webseriesStar Trek: New Voyages, "To Serve All My Days", and the independent Sky Conway/Tim Russ film,Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, both in 2006, andStar Trek: Renegades in 2015. According to the teaser forRenegades episodes 2 and 3, this would be the last time Koenig played the role of Chekov.
In the last episode of the third season ofStar Trek: Picard, aired in 2023, Koenig voiced an audio transmission from Federation President Anton Chekov, implied to be Pavel's son; the name referencesAnton Yelchin, who played Chekov in theJ. J. Abrams-directedStar Trek films.[13]
Koenig mentioned that his favoriteStar Trek episode is "Spectre of the Gun".[14]
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Typecast as Chekov, Koenig found a great disparity between the adulation fromTrekkies atStar Trek conventions and his obscurity in Hollywood,[7] stating that "people are interested in Chekov, not me".[15] Before theTrek movies started, Koenig found some work as a writer. He submitted freelance scripts to a number of shows, and was the main writer on the showWhat Really Happened to the Class of '65?.[16]
After Chekov, Koenig had a recurring role asPsi CopAlfred Bester on the television seriesBabylon 5. He was a "Special Guest Star" in twelve episodes and, at the end of the third season, the production company applied for anEmmy nomination on his behalf. He was slated to play Bester on the spin-off seriesCrusade, but the series was cancelled before his episode was filmed. The character name of "Alfred Bester" was an homage tothe science-fiction writer of the same name.[17]
Koenig played "Oro" in two episodes of the Canadian science fiction television seriesThe Starlost, which aired in 1973 on Canada'sCTV television network. He filmed a fewFMV sequences for a re-released copy of the gameStar Trek Starfleet Academy for PCs.[citation needed] The game was later cancelled, but considerable footage from it was recycled for the filmGame Over, with Koenig's dialogue dubbed over in order to retrofit his performance into the role of a computerhard drive.[citation needed]
Koenig's film, stage, and TV roles span fifty years. He has played roles ranging from a teenage gang leader (Alfred Hitchcock Presents) to Scandinavian fiancé Gunnar in theGidget episode entitled "Gidget's Foreign Policy", to a Las Vegas entertainer (I Spy). He returned to space with a starring role inMoontrap and played a futuristic dictator in the video gameMaximum Surge.[18]
During the early 1990s, he starred in a touring production of the playThe Boys in Autumn, playing a middle agedTom Sawyer, who reunites with childhood friendHuckleberry Finn. FellowTrek actorMark Lenard played Finn.[19]
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In addition to acting, he has written several films (I Wish I May,You're Never Alone When You're a Schizophrenic), one-act plays, and a handful of episodes for TV shows:Star Trek: The Animated Series,Land of the Lost,Family andThe Powers of Matthew Star.
He has written several books, includingWarped Factors: A Neurotic's Guide to the Universe (an autobiography),Chekov's Enterprise (a journal kept during the filming ofStar Trek: The Motion Picture) andBuck Alice and the Actor-Robot (a science fiction novel), which was re-released in 2006. He created his own comic book series calledRaver, which was published byMalibu Comics in the early 1990s, and appeared as a "special guest star" in an issue of the comic bookEternity Smith, which features him prominently on its cover.[20]
In 2013, he released the graphic novelWalter Koenig's Things To Come with artist J.C. Baez, published by Bluewater Comics, which compiled the four issues of the miniseries of the same name.[21]
Koenig has taught classes in acting and directing atUCLA, the Sherwood Oaks Experimental Film College, the Actor's Alley Repertory Company in Los Angeles, and theCalifornia School of Professional Psychology atAlliant International University. In 2002, he directed stage versions of two of the originalTwilight Zone episodes for Letter Entertainment.[22]
In 1987, Koenig directed his originalone-act playThe Secret Life of Lily Langtree at theTheatre of NOTE in Los Angeles. In 1989, Koenig starred in the science fiction filmMoontrap as mission commander Colonel Jason Grant.[citation needed]
In 1997, Koenig starred inDrawing Down the Moon, an independent film about aWiccan woman who attempts to open a homeless shelter in a small Pennsylvania town. Koenig played Joe Merchant, a local crime lord obsessed withchaos theory who sends his thugs to intimidate her into shutting down the shelter.[citation needed]
In 2004, Koenig co-starred inMad Cowgirl, an independent movie about a meat-packing health inspector dying from a brain disorder, in which he played televangelist Pastor Dylan. The movie played the SF Indiefest and the Silverlake Film Festival, followed by a limited release in major cities.Mad Cowgirl was released on DVD on December 5, 2006.[citation needed]
In 2007, he reunited with fellowBabylon 5 starBruce Boxleitner for the movieBone Eater.[citation needed]
Koenig received the 2,479th star of theHollywood Walk of Fame on September 10, 2012.[23]
In 2013, Koenig ventured into thesteampunk genre, starring in the short filmCowboys & Engines alongsideMalcolm McDowell andRichard Hatch. He played an evil newspaper tycoon inBlue Dream from directorGregory Hatanaka. In 2017, Koenig appeared in the 1980s throwbackNeil Stryker and the Tyrant of Time from directorRob Taylor, battling puppet goblins as science officer Ray Nabroski.[citation needed]
In 2018, he again appeared opposite Richard Hatch in the science-fiction dramaDiminuendo, which was Hatch's last performance before his death.[24]
In 2007, Koenig was asked by the human rights groupU.S. Campaign for Burma to help in their grassroots campaign about the humanitarian crisis in Burma. As detailed on his official website, he visited refugee camps along the Burma–Thailand border from July 16 to 25, 2007.
Koenig married actress Judy Levitt in 1965; she died in 2022.[25] In 1968, they had a son, actorAndrew, who died in 2010.[26][27] They have a daughter, Danielle, a comedienne and writer, who is married to comedianJimmy Pardo.[citation needed]
In September 2008, Koenig served as best man at the wedding of hisStar Trek co-starGeorge Takei to Brad Altman.[28]
Koenig was awarded theInkpot Award in 1982.[29]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Norman Vincent Peale Story | ||
| 1974 | Nightmare Honeymoon | Deputy Sheriff | |
| 1979 | Star Trek: The Motion Picture | Pavel Chekov | |
| 1982 | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | ||
| 1984 | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock | ||
| 1986 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | ||
| 1989 | Moontrap | Col. Jason Grant | |
| 1989 | Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | Pavel Chekov | |
| 1991 | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | ||
| 1994 | Star Trek Generations | ||
| 1996 | Sworn to Justice | Dr. Breitenheim | |
| 1997 | Drawing Down the Moon | Joe Merchant | |
| 2006 | Mad Cowgirl | Pastor Dylan | |
| 2007 | InAlienable | Dr. Shilling | |
| 2009 | Scream of the Bikini | ||
| 2013 | Blue Dream | Lassie | |
| 2015 | Star Trek: Renegades | Admiral Chekov | |
| 2016 | Star Trek: Captain Pike | Admiral Harlan Sobol | |
| 2016 | Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel | Himself | |
| 2017 | Neil Stryker and the Tyrant of Time | Ray Nabroski (future) | |
| 2017 | Nobility | Frank Mooney | |
| 2018 | Diminuendo | Milton Green | |
| 2018 | Who is Martin Danzig? | Martin Danzig | from Dial it Back Films |
| 2019 | Woman in Motion | Himself | Documentary |
| 2020 | Unbelievable!!!!! | Fireman Frank |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | General Hospital | Charlie Turner | Pilot episode Credit Only |
| 1963–65 | Mr. Novak | Alexsei Dubov, Jim Carsey, Paul Ryder | 3 episodes |
| 1963 | The Great Adventure | Cy Bedrozian | Episode: "Six Wagons to the Sea" |
| 1964 | The Lieutenant | Sgt. John Delwyn | Episode: "Mother Enemy" |
| 1964 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Tiger | Episode: "Memo from Purgatory" |
| 1965 | Ben Casey | Tom Davis | Episode: "A Rambling Discourse on Egyptian Water Clocks" |
| 1965 | Gidget | Gunnar | Episode: "Gidget's Foreign Policy" |
| 1966 | I Spy | Bobby Seville | Episode: "Sparrowhawk" |
| 1966 | Jericho | Paul | Episode: "Both Ends Against the Riddle" |
| 1967–69 | Star Trek: The Original Series | Pavel Chekov | Seasons 2-3 regular 36 episodes |
| 1968 | Mannix | Recovery addict in meeting | Episode: "Delayed Action" |
| 1970 | Medical Center | Harry Seller | Episode: "Between Dark and Daylight" |
| 1970 | The Virginian | Paul Elrich | Episode: "Crooked Corner" |
| 1971 | Ironside | Leo | Episode: "The Summer Soldier" |
| 1971 | Goodbye, Raggedy Ann | Jerry | TV movie |
| 1973 | The Starlost | Oro | |
| 1974 | The Questor Tapes | Administrative Assistant | TV movie |
| 1976 | Columbo | Sgt. Johnson | Episode: "Fade in to Murder" |
| 1982 | Bring 'Em Back Alive | Toder | Episode: "The Reel World of Frank Buck" |
| 1990 | The Real Ghostbusters | Vladimir Pavel Maximov | Voice Episode: "Russian About" |
| 1994–98 | Babylon 5 | Alfred Bester | 12 episodes |
| 1996 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Pavel Chekov | Episode: "Trials and Tribble-ations" Archive footage fromStar Trek: TOS episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" |
| 2001 | Son of the Beach | General Dimitri Sukitov | Episode: "From Russia, with Johnson" |
| 2002 | Futurama | Himself | Voice Episode: "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" |
| 2006 | Star Trek: New Voyages | Lt. Pavel Chekov | Episode: "To Serve All My Days" |
| 2008 | Bone Eater | Coogan | TV movie |
| 2017–18 | Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters | Mr. Savic, Old Man | Voice 11 episodes[30] |
| 2023 | Star Trek: Picard | President Anton Chekov | Voice Episode: "The Last Generation" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Star Trek: 25th Anniversary | Ens. Pavel Chekov | Voice, CD-ROM version[30] |
| 1995 | Star Trek: Judgment Rites | Voice, CD-ROM version[30] | |
| 1996 | Maximum Surge | Drexel | Cancelled |
| 1997 | Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | Commander Pavel Chekov | Voice |
| 1997 | Star Trek Generations | Voice | |
| 2003 | Star Trek: Shattered Universe | Voice | |
| 2010 | Star Trek Online | Pavel Chekov | Voice[30] |
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