Walter Koenig, Ensign Chekov on the original ‘Star Trek’ series, dies at 90

Walter Koenig, the actor who played Ensign Pavel Chekov on the original 'Star Trek' television series, has died at age 90. Koenig died Monday at his home in Los Angeles. His death leaves William Shatner and George Takei as the only surviving main cast members of the original series.

Actor Walter Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov on the original 'Star Trek' television series, has died at age 90. Koenig died Monday at his home in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, his talent agent Zachery McGinnis said in a statement. In 'Star Trek,' Ensign Chekov was the sole Communist-bloc member of the spaceship Enterprise bridge staff, embodying stereotypical Russian traits. The show ran on NBC from 1966 to 1969 and spawned an extensive franchise. Koenig was born September 14, 1936, in Chicago, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. He graduated from UCLA and studied acting in New York. He appeared in seven 'Star Trek' movies starting in 1979, wrote a book titled 'Chekov's Enterprise,' and worked on scripts for other shows. He also taught part-time at UCLA. His death leaves William Shatner and George Takei as the only surviving members of the original series' main cast. Koenig's son Andrew, an actor known for 'Growing Pains,' died in 2010 at age 41.