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Walter Koenig

Walter Koenig--actor, director, screenwriter, novelist, acting professor, and comic book creator-- was born in Manhattan in 1936 to Lithuanian Russian Jewish parents.

Bitten by the acting bug early in his youth, Koenig studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York where he worked with fellow students James Caan, Elizabeth Ashley, and Dabney Coleman. His stage career spans 30 years and includes stops in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and many other cities. He appeared in many plays and television shows of the late 1950's and early 1960's, including the Mr. Novak series, and even produced and wrote his own feature film in 1967, I Wish I May. In 1967 he landed the role of Ensign Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series.

Koenig has also appeared as Chekov in the first seven of the big screen Star Trek films and currently has a recurring role as Alfred Bester in the TV series Babylon 5. Aside from his role in Star Trek, he has appeared in 40 different TV series and television movies, including Anthony and Cleopatra starring Timothy Dalton and Lynn Redgrave.

A natural writer, Koenig has written for the television shows Family, Matthew Starr, Land of the Lost, Class of '65 and others. His first book, Chekov's Enterprise, which recounts the making of the first Star Trek movie, was published in 1979. He has also written a satiric fantasy novel, Buck Alice and the Actor-Robot, and a three-part comic book series entitled Raver. Koenig wrote and performed a one-character piece entitled You're Never Alone When You're A Schizophrenic, which was a finalist in the 1996 New York Film Festival Awards.

In a 1997 internet poll of favorite television bad guys, Koenig was the top choice of 12, 000 voters for his role as Alfred Bester on "Babylon 5." He was also voted the favorite guest star on "Babylon 5."

Koenig and his wife Judy Levitt have two children and live in Los Angeles.

Filmography:

Babylon 5 ("Cat and Mouse") Alfred Bester TV 1998

Babylon 5 ("Rising Star") Alfred Bester TV 1997

Drawing Down The Moon Joe Merchant Film 1997

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Pavel Chekov CD ROM 1997

Viva Variety Himself TV 1997

Babylon 5 ("The Face of the Enemy") Alfred Bester TV 1997

Babylon 5 ("Moments of Transition") Alfred Bester TV 1997

Babylon 5 ("Epiphanies") Alfred Bester TV 1997

Space Cadets Himself TV 1997

Blonde Justice Film 1997

Maximum Surge Drexel CD ROM 1996

Almost Perfect Himself TV 1996

Babylon 5 ("Ship of Tears") Alfred Bester TV 1996

Babylon 5 ("Dust to Dust") Alfred Bester TV 1996

Babylon 5 ("A Race Through Dark Places") Alfred Bester TV 1996

Babylon 5 ("Mind War") Alfred Bester TV 1996

Star Trek: Generations Pavel Chekov Film 1994

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Pavel Chekov Film 1991

The Real Ghostbusters ("Russian About") Vladimir Maximov TV (cartoon) 1990

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Pavel Chekov Film 1989

Moontrap Jason Grant Film 1989

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Pavel Chekov Film 1986

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Pavel Chekov Film 1984

Anthony and Cleopatra Pompey TV 1983

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan Pavel Chekov Film 1982

Bring Them Back Alive (The Real World of Frank Buck) Toder TV 1982

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Pavel Chekov Film 1979

Columbo ("Fade in to Murder") Sgt. Johnson TV 1976

The Men From Shiloh ("Crooked Corner") TV 1974

Deadly Honeymoon Deputy Sheriff Film 1973

The Starlost Oro TV 1973

The Questor Tapes Admin. Assistant TV 1973

Ironside ("The Summer Soldier") Leo TV 1972

Goodbye, Raggedy Ann Jerry TV Movie 1971

Medical Center ("Between Dark and Daylight") Harry Seller TV 1969

Star Trek TV Series Pavel Chekov TV 1968-1969

Mannix TV 1967

Jericho ("Both Ends Against The Riddle") Paul TV 1966

I Spy ("Sparrowhawk") Bobby Seville TV 1965

Gidgel ("Foreign Policy") Gunnae TV 1965

Mr. Novak ("The Firebrand") Paul Ryder TV 1965

Ben Casey ("A Rambling Discourse on Egyptian Water Clocks") Tom Davis TV 1965

Mr. Novak ("With a Hammer in His Hand, Lord, Lord!") Jim Carsey TV 1964

The Untouchables TV 1962

Great Adventure TVCombat! ("The Prisoner") sentry TV 1962

The Norman Vincent Peale Story Film 1962

Strange Loves Robert Film 1961

General Hospital (pilot episode) TV 1961

Day In Court Various TV