As already noted in the TrekLit forum, Vonda McIntyre passed away yesterday. Vonda wrote the novelizations of Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home, as well as such original TREK novels as The Entropy Effect.
If memory serves me, THE ENTROPY EFFECT was the first time Hikaru was used as Sulu's first name. It was later used and made canon in STAR TREK VI. R.I.P.
Vonda definitely invented "Hikaru." As I recall, she was writing a love scene for Sulu and couldn't imagine that his lover would address him by his surname, so . . . Hikaru.
Sad to report that character actor Seymour Cassel has passed away at age 84. He did a guest appearance on Star Trek the Next Generation. He is also one of 90 some actors who appeared in the original Twilight Zone and who also appeared in some incarnation of the Star Trek franchise. Rest in peace. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Cassel
Felix Locher (1882-1969) played the young officer who turned quite old at the start of The Deadly Years. I wonder if he's the oldest of anybody listed here. Locher was the father of 1940s action star Jon Hall. I remember him for a couple of horror films, Curse of the Faceless Man and Frankenstein's Daughter (both 1958).
Elder, are you asking about 'live' actors or actors 'live OR dead'? Olaf Pooley was 101 when he passed in 2015.
Locher is the earliest born Star Trek actor. But he died at 86, plenty of Star Trek luminaries have outlived that age (for example, Shatner is 88). Ellen Dow was 101 years and 6 months when she passed, a couple months older than Pooley, and is the oldest on this list. The oldest Star Trek actor ever is still alive: Norman Lloyd at 104 years old.
Just wondering if he had the earliest birth date of anyone on the show, and Mr. Thomason above says that's true. It's fun to play with a data base like this ... I hope it isn't considered disrespectful.
Actor Jessie Lawrence Ferguson who appeared in the Next Generation episode Code of Honor has passed away at age 77. Rest in peace. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_Lawrence_Ferguson
Just learned that John Lindesmith passed away in 2005. He played a helmsman in 'Charlie X' in classic Trek.
Brioni Farrell passed away Aug. 8, 2018, age of 78 - complications from Alzheimers. She played 'Tula' on classic Trek episode 'The Return of the Archons'. Lars Hensen, passed away in 1999, age unknown. Played a background townsman in classic Trek episode 'Return of the Archons'. Monty O'Grady, passed away in 2000, age of 84. Played a Council member in classic Trek episode 'A Taste of Armageddon' I can not find more information, but it is likely that Dick Cherney has passed away as he'd be 105 today. He also played a Council member in 'A Taste of Armageddon'.
Green, not exactly sure now. I use Imdb primarily to research the actor but if I can't find anything there as to the date of death, I type the actor's name along with the words 'star trek' into google search and it comes up quite often with all kinds of Hollywood databases or private databases, most of which have no information at all (more like they are wannabe databases) but occasionally, I'll find some obscure obit in very tiny print that gives a date that matches some information I already had so I have some confirmation. I suppose you could also type the actors' name along with the name of each tv show or movie they appeared in, one at a time, and maybe come up with new databases but that would entail a lot of work. I've also found at least a dozen actors that acted in only one episode and in no other show or movie but there is no information on them at all anywhere I can find. I've no doubt that several have passed by now but it seems they just don't care about notoriety. Several of the above actors I mentioned in my prior posts had moved on to general careers in politics, legal professions, teaching, etc... and have totally forgotten their acting past. Sad.... for us. By the way, I do this research once a year and it takes me weeks and weeks to do and is very tedious, tiring and boring but I have a great love for Star Trek, especially classic Trek. I also don't track those who did just voice work or did close-ups of hands or other body parts or producers, directors, carpenters, electricians, etc... I was the person who posted on Memory Alpha about Seymour Cassell.
Robert Hitchcock passed away Oct. 9th, 1997, age of 71. He played a background miner in the classic Star Trek episode 'The Devil in the Dark'. Also, Paul Power passed away April 5, 1968, age of 65. He played an 'Elder' in the classic Star Trek episode 'Errand of Mercy'. Also, Bill Catching passed away Aug. 24th, 2007, age of 81. He played Lazarus (alternate universe) in the classic Star Trek episode 'The Alternative Factor'. In the same vein, Al Wyatt, Sr. passed away Aug. 13th, 1992, age of 75. He also played an alternate universe Lazarus in the episode 'The Alternative Factor'. Walter Bacon passed away Nov. 7th, 1973, age of 82. He played a street onlooker in the classic Star Trek episode 'The City on the Edge of Forever'. Bill Borzage passed away June 7th, 1973, age of 81. He played a drunk in the classic Star Trek episode 'The City on the Edge of Forever'. Noble Chissell passed away Nov. 8th, 1987, age of 82. He played a server in the classic Star Trek episode 'The City on the Edge of Forever'. Joseph Glick passed away Sept. 5th, 1978, age of 73. He played a 'man in the mission' in the classic Star Trek episode 'The City on the Edge of Forever'. Max Wagner passed away Nov. 16th, 1975, age of 73. He played a 'man in the mission' in the classic Star Trek episode 'The City on the Edge of Forever'.
Bill Catching and Al Wyatt were the stunt doubles for when the two Lazarus fight in the negative corridor.
Well that's a great job you're doing crediting all those little known people who stepped in front of the camera for the original series! I still can't figure out if Bart Conrad and Tom Curtis are alive and well and their 100s. Bart Conrad played Captain krasnosky in court-martial and Tom Curtis played Mike also in court-martial. Memory Alpha in correctly lists Tom Curtis with an incorrect character name and an incorrect photograph. Curtis is white haired and they also appeared in Beverly Hillbillies and Mission Impossible. Both seem to be in their late 40s early 50s and would be well over a hundred but it's theoretically possible they're still hanging on. IMDb in Memory Alpha doesn't even list birth dates or years for those two.