What Ethnic Background Is Walter Koenig From

Walter Koenig

Walter Koenig AKA Walter Marvin Koenig

Born: 14-Sep-1936
Birthplace: Chicago, IL

Gender: Male
Religion: Jewish
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Actor

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Chekov on Star Trek

Walter Koenig'south parents were both Russian, but he grew up in Manhattan. His family's proper name was originally Koenigsberg. In his babyhood, the family was very poor, constantly late with the hire and evicted more than in one case. Later, when Joseph McCarthy was loudly railing confronting all things Russian, Koenig's begetter burned all of the family'due south Russian music albums, and instructed the children to say they were Lithuanian, not Russian.

In college, Koenig earned a degree in psychology, but 1 class in drama had more of a lasting impact. An counselor suggested he should study further, so Koenig enrolled at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, where his classmates included James Caan and Dabney Coleman. Koenig had a long r�sum� of off-Broadway and TV parts before Star Expedition, including guest bits on Ben Casey, Combat, and I Spy.

He was added to the cast of the original Star Trek in its 2d season. The grapheme was "Ensign Jones" when Koenig auditioned, and was supposed to be British -- an endeavour to entreatment to "the bubble-gum audition" that was, at the fourth dimension, wild for Ringo Starr and Davy Jones. The character became "Ensign Pavel Chekov" when series creator Gene Roddenberry heard that the Soviet propaganda sail Pravda had criticized Star Trek as "typically capitalistic", showing a multicultural hereafter that apparently included no Russians. In response, Roddenberry retooled the grapheme as a Russian, nigh comically proud of his homeland. And then once again, the Pravda story may have been an invention of NBC's PR department. It wasn't available in English at the time, and no translation of an alleged review of Star Trek has even been found.

"I was told that it was a recurring role and it would certainly depend on how the graphic symbol was received every bit to how many appearances I would make. And so it was a abiding surprise for me, considering I worked on one show and they said, thank you very much, then I'd think that would be it, and then they�d call me back for a second evidence, etc."

Afterwards Star Trek left him typecast, Koenig'due south career consisted mostly of pocket-size-scale theater work, hundreds of appearances at Star Trek conventions, seven Star Trek movies, and a recurring role as Alfred Bester, a delightfully sinister character on Babylon 5. He has written for several cheesy science-fiction shows, including State of the Lost and the Star Expedition cartoon series. Koenig also wrote an episode of the Kristy McNichol drama, Family, the novel Buck Alice and the Thespian-Robot, and an autobiography, Warped Factors.

Wife: Anjanette Comer (actress, div.)
Wife: Judy Levitt (actress, b. 1-Sep-1940, grand. 1965, one son, ane daughter)
Son: Josh Andrew Koenig (actor, b. 17-Aug-1968, d. 14-Feb-2010 suicide)
Daughter: Danielle Koenig (comic, b. five-Feb-1973)

High School: Fieldston Loftier Schoolhouse, Riverdale, NY (1954)
University: Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
University: BA Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles

Heart Bypass Operation 1993
Endorsement of DirecTV 2006
Lithuanian Ancestry
Russian Ancestry
Jewish Beginnings

TELEVISION
Babylon 5 Alfred Bester (psi cop, 1994-98)
Star Expedition Ensign Chekov (1967-69)

FILMOGRAPHY As Thespian
For the Dearest of Spock (16-Apr-2016) · Himself
To Be Takei (18-Jan-2014) · Himself
Bone Eater (17-October-2007)
Trekkies (18-Oct-1997) · Himself
Star Expedition: Generations (18-Nov-1994) · Chekov
Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered State (vi-December-1991) · Chekov
Deadly Weapon (15-Aug-1989)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (9-Jun-1989) · Chekov
Moontrap (8-Jun-1989)
Star Trek 4: The Voyage Domicile (26-Nov-1986) · Chekov
Star Trek Three: The Search for Spock (i-Jun-1984) · Chekov
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (4-Jun-1982) · Chekov
Star Trek: The Pic (7-Dec-1979)
The Questor Tapes (23-Jan-1974)
Nightmare Honeymoon (1973)