Star Trek movie supporting actors curse
I have noticed that at least in the first three Star Trek movies, a large number of the actors outside the main cast tended to die young (before 65)
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- Actress
- Producer
Persis Khambatta was born on October 2, 1948 in Bombay, India. When aged 16, as Femina Miss India, she entered Miss Universe 1965, dressed in off-the-rack clothes she bought at the last minute. Khambatta became a model for companies such as Revlon. Her biggest acting break was getting the role of Lieutenant Ilia, the bald Deltan alien in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). This led to roles in Nighthawks (1981), Megaforce (1982) and Warrior of the Lost World (1983). She was considered for the title role in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983), but was passed over in favor of Maud Adams. Khambatta became the first citizen of India to present an Academy Award in 1980. She was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress for her Star Trek role. Khambatta also made guest appearances in many popular American television series. In the early 1980s, she was seriously injured in a car crash in Germany and had to have heart bypass surgery.
A year before her death, she wrote and published a coffee table book titled "Pride of India" which featured former Miss Indias; it was dedicated to Mother Teresa, and part of the royalties went to the Missionaries of Charity. On August 17, 1998, Persis Khambatta was taken to the Marine Hospital in South Mumbai, complaining of chest pains. She died of a heart attack on August 18, 1998 at the age of 49; her funeral was held in Mumbai.Starred in the Motion picture, died at 49.- Bibi Besch, a talented actress, was born in Vienna, Austria, to Gotfrid Köchert, a renowned race car driver, and actress Gusti Huber. She had a busy career, especially as a supporting actress on TV, spanning over twenty years. Her exceptional performance in the TV series, Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992), earned her an Emmy award nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actress. Later in 1993, she was again nominated for her guest appearance in the TV series, Northern Exposure (1990).
Besch was a veteran of numerous television movies between 1976 and 1995. Despite her success on TV, she also appeared in several feature films, including the iconic role of Dr. Carol Marcus in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). She also delivered remarkable performances in movies like Steel Magnolias (1989), Tremors (1990), and Who's That Girl (1987). Besch was equally phenomenal on stage and acted in plays such as Fame, The Chinese Prime Minister, Here Lies Jeremy Troy, and Once For the Asking. She also made guest appearances on popular network shows like ER (1994) and Murder, She Wrote (1984).
Besch's acting talents knew no bounds, and her TV work ranged from the soap opera Somerset (1970) to Backstairs at the White House (1979) to The Hamptons (1983). Sadly, Bibi Besch passed away at the young age of 54 on 7 September 1996, after a long battle with breast cancer. Her remarkable contributions to the entertainment industry continue to inspire many aspiring actors and actresses.Starred in Star Trek II died at, 56 - Actor
- Additional Crew
Merritt Butrick was an American actor from Gainesville, Florida. He is primarily remembered for portraying Dr. David Marcus in the science fiction films "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982) and "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984). His character was depicted as a son of the Starfleet officer James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk (played by William Shatner) and the leading scientist Dr. Carol Marcus (played by Bibi Besch). Butrick also portrayed the one-shot character of Captain T'Jon in a 1988 episode of the science fiction series "Star Trek: The Next Generation". His character was depicted as a ship's commanding officer who had been tasked with transporting medication, but had become addicted to the drug felicium.
Butrick received his high school education at the Tamalpais High School, located in Mill Valley, California. The city is part of the San Francisco Bay Area. Butrick graduated from high school in 1977, and subsequently attended the California Institute of the Arts with the intent of becoming an actor. He dropped out, as his instructors thought that he did not have the necessary skills to become an actor. He subsequently found steady work as an actor throughout the 1980s.
In his television debut, Butrick portrayed a recurring rapist in two episodes of the police procedural "Hill Street Blues". His first major role in television was portraying the supporting character Johnny Slash in the sitcom "Square Pegs" (1982-1983). His character was depicted as a geeky high school student. Johnny demonstrated eccentric behavior, but insisted that he was not on drugs. He hung out with the social misfit Patty Greene (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), and was hinted to be attracted to her. The series was praised for its realism, but it was canceled prematurely. The production company received several complains concerning drug and alcohol abuse by teenage members of the cast, and decided to pull the plug to avoid further controversy.
Butrick's other films included the telekinesis-themed comedy "Zapped! (1982)", the corporate corruption-themed black comedy "Head Office" (1985), the dysfunctional family-themed drama "Shy People" (1987), the vampire-themed horror film "Fright Night Part 2" (1988), and the ghost-themed horror film "Death Spa" (1989). He received praise in 1988 for his portrayal of a ditzy male prostitute in the stage play "Kingfish".
In March 1989, Butrick died at the age of 29. His death was caused by toxoplasmosis, complicated by an AIDS infection. Two panels were dedicated to him as part of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, both referencing his role as David Marcus. A few of his former co-stars have recorded anecdotes about his life and career in DVD featurettes, though Butrick had few confidants.Starred in Star Trek II and III died at 29- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Signifying intelligence, eloquence, versatility and quiet intensity, one of the more important, critically acclaimed black actors to gain a Hollywood foothold in the 1970s was Paul Winfield. He was born in 1939 in Dallas, Texas, where he lived in his early years before moving with his family to Los Angeles' Watts district. He showed early promise as a student at Manual Arts High School, earning distinction with several performance awards. As a senior, he earned his first professional acting job and extended his theatrical education with a two-year scholarship to the University of Portland in Oregon. Subsequent scholarships led to his studies at Stanford and Los Angeles City College, among other colleges. He left U.C.L.A. just six credits short of his Bachelor's degree.
Paul's first big break came in 1964 when actor/director Burgess Meredith gave him a role in Le Roi Jones' controversial one-act play "The Dutchman and the Toilet". Director Meredith cast him again four years in "The Latent Heterosexual" with Zero Mostel. Although he won a contract at Columbia Pictures in 1966 and built up his on-camera career with a succession of television credits, he continued to focus on the legitimate stage. A member of the Stanford Repertory Theatre, he concentrated on both classic and contemporary plays. In 1969, Paul joined the Inner City Cultural Center Theatre in Los Angeles for two years, which offered a drama program for high school students.
In the late 1960s, Paul redirected himself back to performing on television and in films with guest work in more than 40 series on the small screen, including a boyfriend role on the first season of the landmark black sitcom Julia (1968) starring Diahann Carroll. In films, he was given a featured role in the Sidney Poitier film The Lost Man (1969), and earned comparable roles in R.P.M. (1970) and Brother John (1971) before major stardom occurred.
1972 proved to be a banner year for Paul after winning the male lead opposite Cicely Tyson in the touching classic film Sounder (1972). His towering performance as a sharecropper who is imprisoned and tortured for stealing a ham for his impoverished family earned him an Oscar nomination for "Best Actor" -- the third black actor (Sidney Poitier and James Earl Jones preceded him) to receive such an honor at the time.
From there a host of films and quality television roles began arriving on his doorstep. In mini-movies, Paul portrayed various historical/entertainment giants including Thurgood Marshall, Don King and baseball's Roy Campanella, and was Emmy-nominated for his portrayal of Martin Luther King, Jr. in King (1978) with Sounder co-star Cicely Tyson as wife Coretta. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he earned solid distinction in such prestige projects as Backstairs at the White House (1979), Roots: The Next Generations (1979) (another Emmy nomination), The Sophisticated Gents (1981), The Blue and the Gray (1982), Sister, Sister (1982), James Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985), Under Siege (1986) and The Women of Brewster Place (1989).
Although the big screen did not offer the same consistent quality following his breakthrough with Sounder, he nevertheless turned in strong roles in Conrack (1974), Huckleberry Finn (1974), A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich (1977) (again with Ms. Tyson), Damnation Alley (1977), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and White Dog (1982).
Surprisingly, Paul never achieved the promise of a Sidney Poitier-like stardom and his roles diminished in size. Relegated to character roles, he still appeared in such quality television as Breathing Lessons (1994), although he was not the major focus. After two nominations, he finally won the Emmy for a guest performance as a judge on Picket Fences (1992). Paul's showier work at this period of time included the film Catfish in Black Bean Sauce (1999) and a surprise cross-dressing cameo as Aunt Matilda in Relax... It's Just Sex (1998).
On stage, Paul graced such productions as "Richard III" (at New York's Lincoln Center Theatre), "Othello", "The Merry Wives of Windsor", "The Seagull", "A Few Good Men", "Happy Endings" and "Checkmates", which became his sole Broadway credit. Paul also served as Artist in Residence at the University of Hawaii and subsequently at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
In his final years, Winfield narrated the A&E crime series City Confidential (1998), appeared as a teacher in a television adaptation of his earlier success Sounder (2003), and enjoyed a recurring role as Sam for many years on the series Touched by an Angel (1994).
Suffering from obesity and diabetes in later life, Paul Winfield passed away from a heart attack at age 64 in 2004, and was survived by a sister, Patricia. His longtime companion of 30 years, set designer and architect Charles Gillan Jr. predeceased him by two years.Starred in Star Trek II, died at 64- Actor
- Additional Crew
Carl Steven was born on 7 November 1974 in Glendale, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and Crossings (1986). He was married to Dawn Krakoff. He died on 31 July 2011 in Tucson, Arizona, USA.Played younger Spock in Star Trek III, died at 36- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Teresa E. Victor was born on 26 September 1943 in New York, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). She was married to Richard Hemphill. She died on 29 December 2005 in Santa Monica, California, USA.Played the computer voice in II and III and another role in IV, died at 62.- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
James Horner began studying piano at the age of five, and trained at the Royal College of Music in London, England, before moving to California in the 1970s. After receiving a bachelor's degree in music at USC, he would go on to earn his master's degree at UCLA and teach music theory there. He later completed his Ph.D. in Music Composition and Theory at UCLA. Horner began scoring student films for the American Film Institute in the late 1970s, which paved the way for scoring assignments on a number of small-scale films. His first large, high-profile project was composing music for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), which would lead to numerous other film offers and opportunities to work with world-class performers such as the London Symphony Orchestra. With over 75 projects to his name, and work with people such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Oliver Stone, and Ron Howard, Horner firmly established himself as a strong voice in the world of film scoring. In addition, Horner composed a classical concert piece in the 1980s, called "Spectral Shimmers", which was world premiered by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Horner passed away in a plane crash on June 22, 2015, two months short of his 62nd birthday.Composer on Episode II, died at 61.- Actor
- Director
- Cinematographer
Miguel Ferrer was an American actor known for playing Morton from RoboCop, Shan Yu from Mulan, Martian Manhunter from Justice League: The New Frontier, Slade Wilson from Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, Death from Adventure Time, Sesa Refumee from Halo 2 and Vice President Rodriguez from Iron Man 3. He passed away in January 2017 due to throat cancer. He is survived by his wife and three children.Small role in episode III< died at 61.- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Soundtrack
Anton Yelchin was an American actor, known for playing Bobby in Hearts in Atlantis (2001), Chekov in the Star Trek (2009) reboot, Charlie Brewster in the Fright Night (2011) remake, and Jacob in Like Crazy (2011).
He was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia, USSR, to a Jewish family. His parents, Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin, were a successful pair of professional figure skaters in Leningrad, and his grandfather was also a professional sportsman, a soccer player. Anton was a six-month-old baby when he immigrated to the United States, where his parents settled in California and eventually developed coaching careers. He demonstrated his strong personality from the early age of four, and declined his parents' tutelage in figure skating because he was fond of acting and knew exactly what he wanted to do in his life.
Yelchin attended acting classes in Los Angeles, and eventually was noticed by casting agents. In 2000, at the age of 10, he made his debut on television, appearing as Robbie Edelstein in the medical drama ER (1994). At the age of 11, he shot to fame as Bobby Garfield, co-starring opposite Anthony Hopkins in Hearts in Atlantis (2001), and earning himself the 2002 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film as Leading Young Actor. Over the course of his acting career, Yelchin has already played roles in more than 20 feature films and television productions, including Pavel Chekov in the hugely successful reboot Star Trek (2009), and its sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).
Outside of his acting profession, Anton loved reading, and was also fond of playing chess. He wrote music and performed with a band, where he also played piano and guitar.
Anton lived in Los Angeles, California, until his death on the evening of June 19, 2016, outside his LA home, when his parked Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backward on his steep driveway, pinning him against a brick pillar and security fence. This was due to badly designed shifter that indicated park when it was in neutral. This death, along with reports of other near-misses, resulted in a recall of that model.Played Chekov in the J.J. Abrams movies, and so he isn't quite in the same category but worth a mention. Died at 27 crushed by car.