Walter Koenig, Chekov on the original 'Star Trek' series, dies at 90

Actor Walter Koenig, best known for playing Ensign Pavel Chekov on the original Star Trek series and multiple films, has died at age 90. Koenig died Monday at his home in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, according to talent agent Zachery McGinnis. In Star Trek, Chekov was the sole Communist-bloc crew member aboard the Enterprise bridge, presented as a friendly, supportive figure reflecting the show’s future-era cooperation between rival nations. Koenig was born Sept. 14, 1936, in Chicago, studied acting at New York’s The Neighborhood Playhouse, and later earned TV roles in the early 1960s. He played Chekov in seven Star Trek movies starting in 1979, wrote Chekov’s Enterprise in 1980, and worked in teaching and computer games.