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In remembrance of 2025, we reflect on the passing of 16 actors who were integral to the Star Trek saga. Explore their diverse roles and lasting impact on fans worldwide.
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00:00Every year we're both honoured and saddened to present this list to you.
00:04Commemorating the lives of those incredible people who helped make Star Trek what it is
00:08never feels enough, yet feels of paramount importance, particularly today. As we normally
00:14do, the entries on this list will focus on those actors who appeared in Trek, but it is also
00:19important to remember those who stepped behind the camera as well. Mary Ann Pickard, Jean Winfield,
00:25Annette Wolfe, Dave Mallow, Bob Rivers, Mark Sparks, Margaret Clarke, Joe Farrago, Elizabeth
00:32Paintson, Angelo Dodaro, Paddy Maloney, Charles Bartlett, Russell Schinkel, Gary Jensen, Lorna
00:40Raver, Lane Leavitt, Peter David, Alan Bragg, Ronald R. Rondle, Drew Struzan, Ralph Sinensky,
00:48Carl Cefaglio, Roberto Orsi, and Paul Kapp all contributed in wonderful, fantastic, expansive
00:55ways to the Star Trek universe, be it writing, directing, stunt performances, make-up, comic
01:01creation, or much more. We present those actors here who have passed away between January and
01:06December of 2025, in the order we lost them. Thank you for joining us and thank you for
01:11taking the time to remember them with us. I'm Sean Ferrick for Trek Culture and here are
01:1716 Star Trek actors who died in 2025. Clay Hodges, 1st January 2025. Clay Hodges featured in several
01:26episodes of Star Trek throughout the years, beginning in the Vengeance Factor with appearances
01:31in Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek Voyager. Outside of acting, Hodges trained as a
01:37boxer, securing several impressive wins in his career, including the national title in the 1967
01:44National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions. He defeated George Foreman twice in his career,
01:51though he suffered an eye injury early in his career too. Alongside his roles in Trek, he appeared
01:57in many films and television series throughout his career, including a music video for Snoop Dogg in
02:031994. Rex Holman, 9th January 2025. Born Ray Baker in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1935, Rex Holman
02:14appeared twice in Star Trek. First, he played the illusory form of Morgan Earp in Specter of the Gun,
02:20then returned as John in Star Trek V The Final Frontier. Before his turn to screen acting,
02:27Holman did a lot of work in theatre, gradually moving from smaller venues up to larger theatre halls.
02:33He got a start in Hollywood alongside film crews, eventually finding his niche in cowboy westerns. He
02:42appears as Cybok's right-hand man, John, though this appears to be either his last or among his last
02:50roles on screen. Though he appeared in many of the major TV shows of the 60s, Holman credited his
02:57theatre work as a way to rid himself of complexes. Bruce French, 7th February 2025. Bruce French appeared in
03:07several roles in Star Trek. He first appeared as Sabin Ginestra, the Betazoid assistant to Nora Satie in
03:13The Drumhead. He then appeared as an Occompan doctor in Caretaker, a Sonah officer in Star Trek
03:20Insurrection, and finally a Vulcan in The Andorian Incident. French had a long and busy career in film
03:27and television, which included recurring roles in Passions, Dallas and Ally McBeal. He appeared in many
03:33films with a career lasting over 50 years. According to actress and singer Eileen Barnett, to whom he was
03:40married for 34 years, French played so many men of faith in his career that he owned a priest's collar
03:47that he would often bring with him to auditions. French passed away from complications due to
03:52Alzheimer's disease. Leila Saracallo, 13th February 2025. Though she may only have been credited as
04:00passerby in Star Trek IV The Voyage Home, Leila Saracallo was an instant standout moment of comedy
04:07in the film. While struggling to find a power source to refuel the stolen bird of prey, Chekov and Uhura
04:14begin questioning people on the street, including Saracallo, who directs them across the bay in Alameda.
04:21Saracallo found herself cast in the film by way of a towed car as she elected to wait beside the
04:26shooting
04:26location until she could collect her car again. She was invited to walk through a scene, though she
04:32was instructed not to speak to Walter Koenig or Nichelle Nichols. Thinking her line wouldn't make
04:37the film anyway, she chose to reply to them, with her response being so funny that it made the final
04:42cut.
04:43Outside of her brief acting tenure, she was a fashion designer and a radio host,
04:47based in France for several years. She had no formal training in acting, but her brief role in The
04:52Voyage Home has ensured she will always be remembered by Star Trek fans. Stephen Parr, 20 February 2025.
05:01Stephen Philip Parr appeared in the first season episode of Star Trek Deep Space Nine,
05:06Dramatis Personae, playing a Valerian captain. The episode was one of the standout entries in the
05:12show's debut year, with Parr's role highlighting both his presence, he appeared on a computer screen,
05:17and the team's impressive prosthetics work on the actor as well.
05:21Parr was a veteran of the screen by the time he appeared in Star Trek, with a career dating back
05:26to the mid-1970s. He appeared in 10 episodes of All My Children as Rick Kincaid, and 65 episodes of
05:34The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts as Tony Cranpool. His role in Deep Space Nine in 1993 was one
05:41of his
05:41last credited acting roles. Parr is survived by his wife of many years, Marianne, and their child.
05:47Craig Richard Nelson, 3rd March 2025. Craig Richard Nelson appeared twice in Star Trek. His first
05:55role was in the Next Generation episode A Matter of Perspective as Craig, then his later appearance
06:02with the Voyager episode Living Witness as a Vaskin arbiter. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and
06:09grew up as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From there, once he had
06:14finished his
06:15initial schooling, he began to study acting, which led him to his appearance in a Tony-winning play
06:20Two Gentlemen of Verona. He was spotted by a casting agent who, in turn, gave him a role as a
06:26law student in the film The Paper Chase. His acting roles spanned from the 1970s until the early 2000s,
06:33with his Voyager appearance being one of his last credited roles. He was married to Stephen Green,
06:38with whom he shared more than 30 years. His friends and family remembered him as a kind, thoughtful,
06:45and dedicated person. Clive Revel, 11th March 2025. Clive Revel, a legend of the stage and screen,
06:53appeared in The Next Generation's fourth season episode Cupid as Guy of Gisborne. His theatrical
06:58presence suited the role perfectly, as he was more than capable of standing alongside fellow Shakespearean
07:03actor Patrick Stewart. Though he was overdubbed in the special edition of the film, Revel originated
07:08the vocal performance of Emperor Palpatine in The Empire Strikes Back, which was just one of an
07:14impressive collection of film, television, and stage performances in his career. He was nominated for
07:20several Tony Awards, as well as appearing alongside some of the greats of the 20th century. Although he
07:26may best be remembered for his stage work, he also appeared in numerous voiceover roles in cartoons and
07:32video games. He appeared in Batman the Animated Series, The Transformers, and several Star Wars video
07:37games as well. He is survived by his daughter, Kate, from his second marriage. Clifton Jones, 4th of June,
07:442025. Clifton Jones appeared in both parts of Redemption, albeit as different characters. In Part 1,
07:51he played the Bortas' helmsman, while in Part 2, he played Officer Keith Craig. Born in Jamaica,
07:58he moved to London in the 1950s, where he quickly established a career in theatre and later in
08:03television. One of his most well-known roles was that of Moonbase Alpha's computer specialist,
08:09David Kano, in almost all of the first season of Gerry Anderson's Space 1999. He replaced the actor who
08:16originated the role, then appeared in 23 episodes overall, before the show retooled its cast for its
08:23second season. Jones also appeared in film, lending his voice to such roles as Blackovar in the seminal,
08:30trauma-inducing film, Watership Down. He remembered his time on Space 1999 especially fondly, recalling
08:37how honoured he was to appear on that show, as well as the opportunities it afforded him in his later
08:43career. Peter Henry Schroeder, 7th of June, 2025. Peter Henry Schroeder appeared in the pilot episode
08:51of Enterprise, Broken Bow, as the Klingon Chancellor. This was just one role in seven decades worth of
08:58acting, both in television and on stage. He was born in Syracuse, New York, and eventually made his
09:04way to both LA and finally to Florida. Throughout his long career, he took breaks from acting to serve in
09:10the
09:10Korean War, where he recalled seeing Marilyn Monroe entertaining the troops, and he also taught acting
09:16professionally. He released several records, as well as trained with Lee and Paula Strasberg. He had a
09:21large family, with both children and grandchildren, as well as a large extended family. He founded PHS
09:28Productions and the Actor-Artist Group Workshop to help train the next generation of performers. He left
09:34behind a rich legacy in both his personal and professional life. With his grandchildren recalling
09:41many occasions, his eccentric and outgoing personality led to many people confusing him
09:45with Jack Nicholson, something they referred to as Jack Attacks. He was 90 years old when he passed away.
09:52Harris Ulan, 10th of June, 2025. Harris Ulan appeared in the dual role of Eamon Maritza and
09:58Gul Darheil in the Deep Space Nine episode, Duet. The episode is credited as one of the strongest
10:04in the show's entire run, with Ulan's performance as the tortured Maritza receiving special mention
10:11for helping to truly raise the episode. Ulan had a long, varied career in film, television and stage.
10:19He both acted and directed, worked with many other Star Trek alumni through the years. He continued to
10:26act well into the 2000s, appearing in shows like Ozark, while he had earlier appeared in Buffy the Vampire
10:32Slayer. Ulan's list of credits is immense, with his contribution to the entertainment industry
10:37being enormous. His sole Trek credit remains one of the all-time great guest roles across any of
10:43the iterations. Ulan was married twice and had one daughter, Claire Lucido, who pre-deceased him in
10:492021. Among his many acting credits is a turn as Willy Lohman in Death of a Salesman at the Gate
10:55Theatre in
10:56Dublin, Ireland. Kenneth Washington, 18th of June, 2025. Kenneth Washington appeared in the original
11:04series episode, That Which Survives, playing an engineer, John B. Watkins, who becomes an unfortunate
11:09victim of Lee Merriweather's Alocera. It was this episode that featured the final time any of the
11:15crew died on the original series, with Washington's character alongside two others. Washington is perhaps
11:21best known for his role as Sergeant Richard Baker in the final season of Hogan's Heroes, replacing
11:27the outgoing Ivan Dixon, playing a similar role to the latter's U.S. Staff Sergeant James Kinch
11:33Kinchlow. Washington was married twice, was a father and a grandfather. At the time of his death,
11:38he was the last surviving principal cast member of Hogan's Heroes. He earned a college degree from
11:44Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he then taught courses focusing on black actors in
11:50Hollywood before transferring to Southwest College. He was 88 when he died. Stephen Michael Giovanni,
11:578th of August, 2025. Stephen Michael Giovanni appeared in several episodes of Star Trek Voyager
12:03and Enterprise, playing the role of a co-pilot in Drive under heavy prosthetics and one of the Vulcan
12:09monks in the Andorian incident, among others. Stephen is dearly missed by his family, and it's thanks to
12:15his brother Peter that we have such great images of Stephen to share. Several of these images were
12:20captured by their brother Alec, who worked in TV production for years. Stephen was a long-time
12:26friend of Terry Metallus, who, before his tenure on Star Trek Picard, also worked on both Voyager and
12:32Enterprise. It was he who helped to get Stephen's headshots in front of the right people, which in
12:36turn led to his roles on these shows. Stephen passed away from a sudden progressive illness to the shock and
12:43sadness of his family and friends. We want to especially thank Peter for reaching out to us
12:49to ensure that Stephen's memory is very much a part of the Star Trek family. In Peter's own words,
12:55Steve isn't dead. He just went back to the Delta Quadrant. Stephen Mandillo, 3rd of September, 2025.
13:03Stephen Mandillo appeared as Captain Tevek in the Enterprise episode, The 7th. He was, however,
13:09well known to fans of the franchise film Slapshot, alongside Paul Newman. This movie, focusing on
13:15minor league hockey, starred Mandillo as the Chiefs alternate captain, Jimmy Hearn, who is described,
13:21among other things, as a reluctant fashion show participant and laundry critic. He had a varied
13:26career on screen and on stage and was a graduate of Yale School of Drama. He was born in New
13:32Haven,
13:32Connecticut, where he played hockey at a young age. His coach was the New Rangers Iron Man, Murray Murdoch,
13:38and his father was also the team doctor with the New Haven Blades of the Eastern Hockey League.
13:44Mandillo was married to actress Lisa Blake Richards, who appeared with Mandillo in Do Not Go Gentle.
13:50He was 84 when he died. Samantha Egger, 15th October, 2025.
13:56Samantha Egger appeared in one episode of The Next Generation, Family, wherein she played Marie Picard,
14:02the sister-in-law of Jean-Luc. At the time of her appearance, she was one of very few actresses
14:07who had been nominated for an Academy Award in a leading role to appear in Star Trek,
14:12for her role in the 1965 film The Collector. Egger was born Victoria Louise Samantha Marie
14:19Elizabeth Therese Egger in London, and was for a time raised as a Roman Catholic. She spoke about
14:25her time studying at the convent school under the nuns. The nuns didn't have too much success with me.
14:30I've always had a violent temper. In fact, once I almost killed one of the nuns. She had a long
14:35and
14:35varied career in film, television, and theatre. She appeared in many of the most popular series of
14:41the 70s and 80s, with recurring roles in All My Children and Anna and the King. She also voiced the
14:46role of Hera in Disney's Hercules. For her role in The Collector, she won Best Actress at the Cannes
14:53Film Festival, Best Actress in a Drama at the Golden Globes, and Best Performance in a Foreign Film at the
15:00Saint-Georges Awards. She was 86 when she died. Jonathan Farwell, 22nd of November, 2025.
15:08Jonathan Farwell appeared in the first season episode of The Next Generation,
15:12Conspiracy, as the captain of the USS Horatio, Walker Keel. This was in 1988, which was the same
15:19year he was cast in his most recognizable television role of George Rawlins on The Young and the Restless.
15:25Farwell had a long history in theatre, serving as Ewell Brenner's understudy for hundreds of
15:31performances of The King and I. He joked in recent years that he never got the chance to actually
15:36play the part, because if Ewell had been ill, they simply would have cancelled, as he believed the
15:41audiences were there to see Ewell and not him. He was remembered by his daughter Alison as a true
15:48matinee idol, standing over six feet tall, with a commanding voice and a wonderful singing voice.
15:54He was married twice, first to Joanne Gaines and then later to his frequent collaborator,
16:00Debbie Note. In 2014, he was interviewed, during which he said,
16:05It is difficult not to be seduced by the glory of holding an audience in the palm of your hand,
16:11world, which has occurred a few times for me over the years. He was 93 when he died.
16:17Kari Hiroyuki Tagawa, 4th December 2025. Kari Hiroyuki Tagawa appeared in the first season
16:24episode of The Next Generation Encounter at Farpoint as a Mandarin bailiff. To many viewers,
16:29Tagawa may be best known as Shang Tsung, having appeared in Paul W.S. Anderson's Mortal Kombat movie
16:35in the 90s, its sequel via archival footage, and the series Mortal Kombat Legacy. Tagawa's first film
16:42role was in 1987, acting in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor. He recalled this being an amazing
16:49experience, particularly arriving so early in his career, and he relished the chance to work in China.
16:55A Japanese-American man, he moved to L.A. at a young age, where he began to study and teach
17:00his own
17:00form of martial art, Shu Shin. He had continued to act in many different productions, including
17:06Blue-Eyed Samurai, which was recently released on Netflix, and Amazon's The Man in the High Castle.
17:12He is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren. He was 75 when he died.
17:17Thank you for taking the time to remember these amazing people with us, folks.
17:21You, as always, bring joy, happiness, and respect to this channel, and for that,
17:27we can only say thank you so much. We wish you a peaceful holiday season, a peaceful new year,
17:34and look after yourselves, folks. As I say, thank you once more again.
17:39Thank you to all of these incredible people who have helped to make Star Trek what it is.
17:45Live long and prosper.