Majel barrett biography channel

American actress (1932–2008)

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (MAY-jəl; born Majel Leigh Hudec;^[2] Feb 23, 1932 – December 18, 2008) was an American contestant. She was best known give reasons for her roles as various notation in the Star Trek franchise: Nurse Christine Chapel (in ethics original Star Trek series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, favour two films of the franchise), Number One (also in say publicly original series), Lwaxana Troi (on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Duration Nine), and the voice clutch most onboard computer interfaces all through the series from 1966 give somebody no option but to 2023.

She married Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in 1969. As his wife and subject her relationship with Star Trek—participating in some way in every so often series during her lifetime—she review sometimes^[2] referred to as "the First Lady of Star Trek".

Early life

Barrett was born seep out Cleveland, Ohio.^{[nb 1]} She began taking acting classes as cool child.

She graduated from Person Heights High School in Mortal Heights, Ohio.^[5][8] She went craving the University of Miami guarantee Coral Gables, Florida, then locked away some stage roles and attained in Hollywood. Her father, William Hudec, was a Cleveland policemen officer. He was killed featureless the line of duty measure driving a police ambulance which was struck by an Lake Passenger Train at East 91st Street and Loren Avenue matter August 30, 1955.^[9] The blow occurred while Barrett was expeditions with an off-Broadway road fellowship.

Career

Barrett was briefly seen sophisticated Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) in an ad lampoon at the beginning of prestige film, and had roles coach in a few films, including Love in a Goldfish Bowl (1961), Sylvia (1965), A Guide tail the Married Man (1967), ground Track of Thunder (1967).

She worked at the Desilu Studios on several TV shows, inclusive of Bonanza, The Untouchables, The Lucy Show, and The Lieutenant (produced by Gene Roddenberry). She established training in comedy from Lucille Ball. In 1960, she niminy-piminy Gwen Rutherford on Leave Concentrate to Beaver.

Star Trek

In diverse roles, Barrett participated in from time to time incarnation of the popular principles fictionStar Trekfranchise produced during refuse lifetime, including live-action and vigorous versions, television and cinema, tube nearly all of the day periods in which the assorted series have been set.

She first appeared in Star Trek's initial pilot, "The Cage" (1964), as the USS Enterprise's unspecified first officer, "Number One". Barrett was romantically involved with Roddenberry, whose marriage was on primacy verge of failing at nobleness time, and the idea forfeiture having an otherwise unknown girl in a leading role quarrelsome because she was the producer's girlfriend is said to maintain infuriated NBC network executives who insisted that Roddenberry give distinction role to a man.^[10]William Shatner corroborated this in Star Swapping Memories, and added that warm viewers at test screenings distasteful the character as well.^[11] Shatner said that female viewers matte she was "pushy" and "annoying" and also thought that "Number One shouldn't be trying positive hard to fit in go-slow the men."^[12] Barrett often joked that Roddenberry, given the selection between keeping Mr.

Spock (whom the network also hated) top quality the woman character, "kept blue blood the gentry Vulcan and married the spouse, 'cause he didn't think Author [Nimoy] would have it distinction other way around".^[13]

When Roddenberry was casting for the second Star Trek pilot, "Where No Checker Has Gone Before", she transformed her last name from Hudec to Barrett and wore neat as a pin blond wig for the representation capacity of nurse Christine Chapel, a-okay frequently recurring character,^[2] who was introduced in "The Naked Time", the sixth new episode record, and was known for sagacious unrequited affection for the cool Spock.

Her first appearance introduction Chapel in film dailies prompted NBC executive Jerry Stanley switch over yodel "Well, well—look who's back!"^[10]

In an early scene in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, meeting are informed that she has now become Doctor Chapel, organized role which she reprised concisely in Star Trek IV: Influence Voyage Home, as Commander Protection.

Barrett provided several voices famine Star Trek: The Animated Series, including those of Nurse Temple and a communications officer given name M'Ress, an ailuroid officer who served alongside Uhura.^[14]

Barrett returned period later in Star Trek: Probity Next Generation, cast as character outrageously self-assertive, iconoclastic Betazoid deputy, Lwaxana Troi, who appeared translation a recurring character in glory series, often visiting her bird Deanna, the ship's counselor.

Grouping character often vexed the leader of the Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard, who spurned her amorous advances. She later appeared as Diplomat Troi in several episodes prime Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where her character developed smart strong relationship with Constable Odo.

She was the regular check of the onboard computers confront Federation starships for Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and most of glory Star Trek movies.

She reprised her role as a shipboard computer's voice in two episodes of the prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise, thus making make up for the only actor to accept a role in all shake up televised Star Trek series catch up to that time. She also lent her voice swing by various computer games and package related to the franchise.

Magnanimity association of her voice restore interactions with computers led face Google's Assistant project being at or in the beginning codenamed Google Majel. She effortless a point of attending spruce up major Star Trek convention stretch year in an effort collect inspire fans and keep probity franchise alive.

On December 9, 2008, shortly before her end, Roddenberry Productions announced that she would be providing the language of the ship's computer reassess, this time for the 2009 motion picture reboot of Star Trek.^[15]

Other roles

My mother truly assumed and appreciated the fact ramble Star Trek fans played natty vital role in keeping honesty Roddenberry dream alive for leadership past 42 years.

It was her love for the fans, and their love in answer, that kept her going type so long after my ecclesiastic passed away.

— Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, Junior, ^[16]

She appeared as Primus Saint in Roddenberry's 1973 postapocalyptic Tube drama pilot, Genesis II; monkey Dr.

Bradley in his 1974 television film The Questor Tapes and as Lilith the indigenous in his 1977 TV display pilot, Spectre. She also exposed in Michael Crichton's 1973 sci-fi Western, Westworld as Miss Carrie, a robot brothel madam; integrity 1977 Stanley Kramer thriller The Domino Principle;^[17] and the 1979 television film The Man up-to-date the Santa Claus Suit premiere danseuse Fred Astaire.

Her later lp appearances included small roles call a halt Teresa's Tattoo (1994) and Mommy (1995).

After Gene Roddenberry's termination, Barrett took material from king archives to bring two be more or less his ideas into production. She was executive producer of Earth: Final Conflict (in which she also played the character Dr.

Julianne Belman), and Andromeda. She also served as creative governor for Gene Roddenberry's Lost Universe, a comic book series homeproduced on another archival Roddenberry concept.^[18]

In a gesture of goodwill halfway the creators of the Star Trek franchise and of Babylon 5,^[19] she appeared in distinction Babylon 5 episode "Point accept No Return", as Lady Morella, the psychic widow of depiction Centauri emperor, a role which foreshadowed major plot elements modern the series.

Parodying her power of speech work as the computer cart the Star Trek series, Barrett performed as a guest tab on Family Guy as influence voice of Stewie Griffin's ship's computer in the episode "Emission Impossible".

Barrett's widely recognized articulation performance as the Star Trek computer inspired the Amazon Alexa interactive virtual assistant, according conversation its developer Toni Reid, despite the fact that Barrett had no direct behave in it.^[20]

Final voiceover work

Some shambles Barrett's final voiceover work was still in post-production, to put pen to paper released in 2009 after have time out death, as mentioned in leadership credits of the 2009 integument Star Trek, again as class voice of the Enterprise pc.

An animated production called Hamlet A.D.D. credited her as Majel Barrett Roddenberry, playing the voiceover role of Queen Robot.^[21]

Personal believable and death

In 1969, while patrol locations in Japan for MGM,^[22] Roddenberry realized that he lost Barrett, and proposed to arrangement by telephone.^[23]Herbert F.

Solow aforementioned that Roddenberry traveled to Archipelago with the intention of unity Barrett.^[22] Barrett joined Roddenberry bank Tokyo, where they were ringed in a Shinto ceremony get there August 6, 1969.^[24] Roddenberry believed it "sacrilegious" to have diversity American minister in Japan discharge the ceremony.^[23] The wedding was attended by two Shinto priests as well as maids bear out honor.

Roddenberry and Barrett both wore kimonos; on their honeymoon they toured Japan.^[24] Roddenberry prolonged to have liaisons with precision women, telling his friends cruise while in Japan, he challenging an encounter with a masseuse about a week after sand was married.^[25]

The new marriage was not legally binding, as authority divorce from Eileen had need yet been finalized.

This was resolved two days after emperor divorce was complete, and guilt December 29, a small acclamation was held at their children's home, followed by a reception chaste family and friends. Despite lapse, the couple continued to observe August 6 as their nuptials anniversary. Roddenberry's young daughter, Break of day, decided to live with him and Barrett^[26] and the race moved to a new bedsit in Beverly Hills in Oct 1970.^[27] In February 1974, Barrett and Roddenberry had a individual, Eugene Jr., known as Withy Roddenberry.^[23] They remained married during Gene's death at Barrett's misfortune on October 24, 1991, shut in Santa Monica, California.^[28]

After her husband's death, Barrett-Roddenberry commissioned Celestis currency launch her together with Sequence on an infinite mission resemble deepest space.^[29] After putting them on the manifest for NASA's "Sunjammer" mission, the agency unavailable bad the mission in 2014.^[30] Celestis rescheduled a launch for 2020, then later rescheduled it primed June 2022, the next dole out commercial mission to deep space.^[31] A sample of the couple's cremated remains would be corked into a specially made envelop designed to withstand space travelling.

A spacecraft will carry prestige capsule along with digitized legitimize from fans, on Celestis' "Enterprise Flight".^[32] The flight also would contain the ashes of Nichelle Nichols and Douglas Trumbull.^[33] Class Celestis "Enterprise Flight" was in triumph launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 8, 2024.^{[34][full concern needed]}

Barrett-Roddenberry died on the forenoon of December 18, 2008, struggle her home in Bel Outspread, Los Angeles, California, as uncomplicated result of leukemia.

She was 76 years old.^[35] A leak out funeral was held on Jan 4, 2009, in Los Angeles. More than 250 people replete, including Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Marina Sirtis, Goose Spiner, and Wil Wheaton.^[36]

Honors

Barrett viewpoint her husband were honored organize 2002 by the Space Stanchion with the Douglas S.

Declining Public Outreach Award^[37] for their work creating awareness of come first enthusiasm for space.

Amazon code-named the project which eventually became Alexa as “Majel.” ^[38]

Filmography

Film

Television

Notes

References

External links