Walter Koenig

American actor and screenwriter (born 1936)
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Walter Marvin Koenig is an American actor and screenwriter. He began acting professionally in the mid-1960s and quickly rose to prominence for his supporting role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series (1967–1969). He went on to reprise this role in all six original-cast Star Trek films, and later voiced President Anton Chekov in Star Trek: Picard (2023). He has also acted in several other series and films including Goodbye, Raggedy Ann (1971), The Questor Tapes (1974), and Babylon 5 (1993). In addition to his acting career, Koenig has made a career in writing as well and is known for working on Land of the Lost (1974), Family (1976), What Really Happened to the Class of '65? (1977) and The Powers of Matthew Star (1982).

Koenig was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of businessman Isadore Koenig and his wife Sarah (née Strauss). They moved to the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan when Walter was a child, where he went to school. Koenig's parents were Russian Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union; his family had been living in Lithuania when they emigrated, and they shortened their surname from "Königsberg" to "Koenig".

Koenig's father was a communist who was investigated by the FBI during the McCarthy era. Koenig attended Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, with a pre-med major. He transferred to UCLA and received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. After a professor encouraged Koenig to become an actor, he attended Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City with fellow students Dabney Coleman, Christopher Lloyd, and James Caan.

Date of Birth14th September 1936
Age88 Years
Zodiac SignVirgo
CountryUnited States of America
Current CityChicago
Birth PlaceChicago
NationalityUnited States of America
CitizenshipUnited States of America
LanguageEnglish
ReferenceIMDB
ChildrenAndrew Koenig
Education
University of California, Los Angeles, Grinnell College, Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, Ethical Culture Fieldston School
Occupationactor, television actor, film actor, screenwriter, writer, director
Awards
  • Inkpot Award
  • star on Hollywood Walk of Fame