Grace Lee Whitney - born in Ann Arbor (as Mary Ann Chase) on April 1, 1930, and dead of natural causes on May 1, 2015 in Coarsegold, California - only appeared as Yeoman Janice Rand on the first eight episodes of TV's "Star Trek" when it debuted in 1966, but she nonetheless made a deep impression on fans.
Playing assistant to William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk, Whitney had a key role in an episode titled, "The Enemy Within."
In the episode, a transporter malfunction causes Kirk to be split in two, and an evil version of Kirk makes aggressive, unwanted sexual advances. Rand fights him off, yelling to a colleague to summon Mr. Spock.
Whitney's first appearance on the show was in an episode titled, "The Man Trap."
Whitney's career in show business began as a dancer and a singer. As a teenager, she landed a job singing on the radio in Detroit, and she later opened for stars like Billie Holliday and Buddy Rich in Chicago nightclubs.
In the early '50s, she served as the inspiration for the Chicken of the Sea mermaid, which appeared in ads. She also appeared on shows like "77 Sunset Strip" and "Bewitched" (and appeared uncredited as a band member in Billy Wilder's classic, "Some Like It Hot") before landing a regular role on "Star Trek."
Whitney's co-star, William Shatner, offered this brief remembrance via Twitter.
Because Whitney's "Star Trek" character was likely to get in the way of Kirk's romantic forays, she was written out of the show after eight episodes, and this led to her struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. Whitney credited "Star Trek" cast-mate Leonard Nimoy for helping her get through this difficult period in her life.
In fact, Whitney got more opportunities to play Janice Rand in four "Star Trek" films: "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"; "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock"; "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"; and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country." Plus, she spent much of the latter part of her life working as an advocate for those struggling with addiction.
Whitney is survived by her son, Jonathan Dweck.
Source:www.mlive.com
No comments:
Post a Comment