10 Star Trek Actors Who Died In 2020

6. Richard Herd

Star Trek Admiral Paris
CBS

Admiral Owen Paris was the father of Tom Paris, and had been described as something of a stern, disapproving father figure. However, when the audience finally got to meet him, and see him speak to his son, in the episode Pathfinder - it was clear that this description did the man an injustice. Admiral Paris went very quickly from warm skepticism about Lt. Barclay's project to fiercely supporting it, speaking to the crew of Voyager in one of the most heartwarming scenes in all of Star Trek: Voyager.

Richard Herd was a veteran of acting before he took on the role of Admiral Paris. One of his first major roles had come in The China Syndrome, alongside Michael Douglas, Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon. He would go on to star in what would, for a long time, be his most recognizable role - that of the Visitors' commander in the mini-series, V.

He appeared in several other science fiction properties, with Quantum Leap, alongside future Star Trek star Scott Bakula, among them. He appeared in SeaQuest DSV and, outside of scifi, as George Constanza's boss in Seinfeld.

On 26th May, 2020, he passed away from complications due to colon cancer. He was at home, with his wife of 30 years, Patricia Crowder Herd. He was 87 years old.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"