The Original Star Trek: Which Cast Members are Still Alive?

"Star Trek" ran from 1966 until its cancellation after three seasons in 1969. The science-fiction series became so popular in syndication that it spawned more than ten motion pictures and series such as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

Many of the actors that were regulars on the original "Star Trek" are still with us, but unfortunately some have passed away, since, after all, it came on the air over forty years ago. Here is a quick look at the fates of some "Star Trek" stalwarts, as well as some of the guest stars that played in memorable episodes.

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are both 76 years old, born within days of each other in March of 1931, with Shatner four days older than Nimoy. They of course were Captain James T. Kirk and Science Officer Spock on the starship Enterprise. Nimoy played guest roles in several television shows before landing the "Star Trek" role that made him famous as the pointy-eared Vulcan, as did Shatner, who is still chewing up the scenery in "Boston Legal."

Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Lt. Uhura, the Communications Officer, will be 75 three days after this Christmas. Nichols was one of the first black actresses to play something other than a maid or housekeeper on a television series and shared the first TV interracial kiss with Shatner in one of the later "Star Trek" episodes.

Walter Koenig, Lt. Pavel Chekov, had boyish looks and received tons of fan mail from smitten teenage girls when he joined the cast, but in reality he was already thirty years old. Koenig was born in 1936, which makes him 71 today. 70 year old George Takei, the man who played Sulu the navigator, is still acting today, having recently appeared on the hit show "Heroes" as Kaito Nakamura. Majel Barrett played Nurse Chapel, who had a crush on Mr. Spock, is 75, the only actor to have been in all five "Star Trek" series. She was not Nurse Chapel in the original pilot episode, as she played a woman commander. Grace Lee Whitney, Yeoman Janice Rand for eight episodes in the show's first year, is now 77 and still enjoys appearing at "Star Trek" conventions, the oldest living member of the original cast.

James Doohan, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, passed away in July of 2005 at 85 years old from complications due to Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's. A veteran of the Normandy Invasion where he had the middle finger of his right hand shot off and took four bullets in the leg, Doohan was also shot in the chest, but a silver cigarette case given to him by his brother as a gift saved his life when the bullet struck it. DeForest Kelley had been in countless Westerns before his "Star Trek" role as Chief Medical Officer Leonard McCoy. Stomach cancer claimed his life in 1999 at the age of 79. Kelley had been offered the part of Spock, but chose to play McCoy instead.

There have been many actors and actresses that played memorable characters in "Star Trek." Ricardo Montalban, who had the role of Khan in the episode entitled "Space Seed" and later reprised it in what was considered the best of the "Star Trek' movies, "The Wrath of Khan", is going to be 87 right after Thanksgiving. Mark Lenard, who played Spock's father in the series and the movies, died in 1996 of cancer at 72.

He also starred in the ABC series "Here Come the Brides" after "Star Trek" went off the air. Jane Wyatt famously portrayed Spock's human mother in the episode "Journey to Babel" and in one of the films, but she recently left us at 96, dying of natural causes in 2006. Jane was also the mother on "Father Knows Best."

Diana Muldaur, who was in "L.A. Law" as well as taking guest roles in more TV series that one could list, played in two "Star Trek' shows as different characters and then was in one of the series years later as a regular; Diana is now 69. Roger C. Carmel, recalled as the intergalactic con-man Harry Mudd, died at 54 in 1986 after battling alcoholism and drug abuse.

Morgan Woodward is alive and kicking at 82, a versatile character actor who has hundreds of credits to his name. Woodward played a deranged starship captain in "The Omega Glory" and a man who was tortured and whose mind had been destroyed in "Dagger of the Mind." William Campbell, who was Trelaine in "The Squire of Gothos" and a Klingon in "The Trouble with Tribbles" will be 81 a day before Halloween. Finally, astute "Trekkies" remember Lieutenant Reilly, who appeared in just two episodes of the show's first season.

He was the crewman singing "Ill Take You Home Again, Kathleen!" as the Enterprise was losing altitude and fixing to burn up in a planet's atmosphere in "The Naked Time" and he also was in "The Conscience of the King." Bruce is 66 now and an acting teacher at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.