35 Star Trek Actors Who Died In 2022
2. Laurel Goodwin
Laurel Goodwin appeared as Yeoman Colt in the original pilot for Star Trek, The Cage. Though she was in the archive footage featured in The Menagerie, her contract wasn't renewed when the second pilot was greenlit. She had been introduced as a sort of love interest for Pike in the pilot, though that episode focused more heavily on Vina. When Jeffrey Hunter chose not to return for the series, Goodwin's character was written out. She did however recall the story of how she was originally cast, which was in large part thanks to her legs. She said that Gene Roddenberry made a big deal about her legs being so nice to look at, that she lifted her skirt to show him - he approved, and she was cast.
Naturally, she was then given trousers by the costume department.
She had however been acting for some time, and was best known for starring alongside Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! She also knew Leonard Nimoy quite well, having paid for drama classes that he was teaching off her own bat, which then delighted her once she discovered he was cast in Star Trek.
She retired from acting in 1971, dedicating her life to nursing instead. Though she did produce a film with her husband in later years, she had stepped away from acting. Her experience as a nurse helped her as she cared for her husband during his declining health and eventual death.
When she began attending conventions, she joked that she enjoyed everything about them - except getting to them, as the locations were so large!
Goodwin died at the age of 79. Her sister, Maureen, led a moving tribute that described her sister the kind of person that, once you met her, you became family.