20 Star Trek Actors Who Died In 2021

20. Joanne Linville - Romulan Commander

Linville appeared in the Original Series episode The Enterprise Incident. She was the first female Romulan shown on-screen, commanding the fleet that intercepts the Enterprise after it violates the Neutral Zone. Her performance with Leonard Nimoy here gained her recognition with Trekkies for decades.

Before beginning acting, she worked as an oral hygienist assistant, going on to study with Stella Adler, all while dancing to pay her tuition. She would act in many television credits, moving into film as well. She appeared in the 1976 film A Star Is Born, with her last movie credit coming in 2001. There, she played the gossip columnist Hedda Hopper in the biopic James Dean.

She retired from acting in the '80s to concentrate on teaching. She taught the course The Power of Language at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting & Theatre in Los Angeles. Here, she taught Mark Ruffalo.

She returned to Star Trek in audio drama Starship Excelsior, where she reprised her original role. Her daughter, Amy, portrayed the same character in the two-part finale of Star Trek Continues.

Linville died on June 20, 2021, at 93 years of age.