Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, shown in this 1994 file photo, died Thursday at her home in Bel-Air, Calif. (Associated Press)Majel Barrett Roddenberry, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's widow and a fixture of nearly every incarnation of the space travel franchise, died on Thursday. She was 76.
Roddenberry, who suffered from leukemia, died at home in Bel Air, Calif., according to a spokesperson.
Before Star Trek, the Ohio-born actress worked on a range of television shows, including Bonanza and Leave it to Beaver.
She was romantically involved with Roddenberry when he launched Star Trek in the mid-1960s. Though he cast her as the USS Enterprise's unnamed first officer in his pilot, she would go on to fame as the secondary character Nurse Chapel in the original series and in subsequent films. The couple married in 1969.
Roddenberry reappeared in the revamped Star Trek: The Next Generation as one of its beloved recurring characters: Betazoid ambassador Lwaxana Troi and as the voice of the starship's onboard computer — a job she would also hold on spin-offs Deep Space Nine and Voyager, audio books, animated series, video games as well as on the forthcoming J.J. Abrams prequel film.
After her husband's death in 1991, Roddenberry continued his legacy by helping bring to life other TV projects he had been working on, including the television series Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda.
Roddenberry is survived by her son, Eugene Roddenberry Jr.
With files from the Associated PressShare Tools
FILM REVIEW: Men in Black 3 by Eli Glasner May. 25, 2012 1:01 AM Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back in the action sequel Men in Black 3, a third instalment of a series now 15 years old. Though new addition Josh Brolin manages some amazing mimicry as a younger version of Jones, the story doesn't measure up to the weird and wonderful charms of the original, says film reviewer Eli Glasner.
Top News Headlines
- Quebec faces mounting pressure amid student crisis
- The morning after nearly 700 people were arrested in protests in Montreal and Quebec City, Jean Charest announced he has replaced his top aide with his former right-hand man. more »
- Reclaiming the dead on Mt. Everest
- The difficulty, danger and expense of removing the bodies of climbers who died in Mount Everest's "death zone" mean most of the dead remain on the mountain as a stark reminder to other climbers of the risks. more »
- Conservatives move again to have robocalls suits tossed
- The Conservative Party has filed a second motion to dismiss the robocalls lawsuits filed by the left-leaning Council of Canadians, calling council chairperson Maude Barlow a 'virulent critic' of Prime Minister Stephen Harper who has 'orchestrated' the litigation. more »
- Suspect arrested in decades old N.Y. missing boy case
- A man has been arrested in the 1979 disappearance of a six-year-old New York City boy, in the first arrest ever made in a case that helped give rise to the nation's missing-children movement. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Elton John cancels Las Vegas concerts over illness
- Elton John is suffering from a serious respiratory infection and has cancelled three Las Vegas performances on doctors' orders. more »
- Vancouver Bieber fans in disbelief over tour snub
- Justin Bieber announced yesterday morning the dates of his world tour in support his latest album Believe, but fans in Vancouver were disappointed to see that their city didn't make the list. more »
- Shaw Festival opens with Noel Coward play
- The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake opened Wednesday with Present Laughter, a Noel Coward comedy about a self-obsessed actor and his retinue of admirers. more »
- Canadian co-pro wins award at Cannes
- A Canadian co-production about a young pianist who falls in love with a lonely bass player has won a critics' prize at the Cannes Film Festival. more »
Q Blog
Toni Morrison on her two selves May. 24, 2012 4:18 PM Jian speaks with the celebrated African American author and academic about her two conflicting selves, and her new novel, Home.
CBC Books
Talking about war May. 24, 2012 4:12 PM The public conversation around war has always been complex and thorny. How does Canada's military approach differ from that of other countries? Are we a society of peacekeepers or warriors? These are some of the questions that Noah Richler explores in his new book What We Talk About When We Talk About War.
- Workers' EI history to affect claim under new rules
- Quebec faces mounting pressure amid student crisis
- Suspect arrested in decades old N.Y. missing boy case
- Canadian Everest victim warned by guide to turn back
- Double-lung recipient Hélène Campbell dances for joy
- Outhouse bear attack survivor was grabbed from 'throne'
- Disgraced RCMP officer transferred to B.C.
- John Baird to champion religious freedom in U.S. speech
- Phillip Phillips wins American Idol
