Actor Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek franchise, died on Sunday, October 25, 2026. His representative Zachery McGinnis announced his passing. Koenig was 90 years old.

Chekov served on the Starship Enterprise as a navigator, tactical officer, security chief, and first officer. Koenig played Chekov in the second and third seasons of the original Star Trek TV show from 1967 to 1969. He was then in seven Star Trek movies, many spinoffs, and he wrote the Star Trek book, Chekov’s Enterprise.

Koenig was born on September 14, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois. He was a pre-med major at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, then earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from UCLA. While he was a student, Koenig began acting and he attended the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.

His first onscreen role was in an episode of Combat! in 1962. He was in episodes of General Hospital and then appeared in Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s TV show, The Lieutenant. After Star Trek ended, Koenig did multiple guest starring spots on several TV shows.

He played Chekov again for Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979, followed by the sequel films The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home, The Final Frontier, The Undiscovered Country, and Generations. Koenig voiced Chekov for Star Trek video games like Judgment Rites, Starfleet Academy, and Chekov’s Lost Missions.

He had a recurring role on Babylon 5, then appeared in Star Trek: Captain Pike and Star Trek: Renegades. Koenig was in an episode of Star Trek: Picard, and his final role was in short film, Lost Voyages: Phase II and the Rebirth of Star Trek.