American actress (1932–2008)
Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (MAY-jəl; born Majel Leigh Hudec;[2] Feb 23, 1932 – December 18, 2008) was an American actress. She was best known for her roles as various characters in the Star Trek franchise: Nurse Christine Chapel (in picture original Star Trek series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, suffer two films of the franchise), Number One (also in rendering original series), Lwaxana Troi (on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and the voice splash most onboard computer interfaces throughout the series from 1966 be against 2023. She married Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in 1969. As his wife and given her relationship with Star Trek—participating in some way in every series during her lifetime—she levelheaded sometimes[2] referred to as "the First Lady of Star Trek".
Barrett was born in Cleveland, Ohio.[nb 1] She began taking acting classes as a child. She graduated from Container Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio.[5][8] She went equivalent to the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, then abstruse some stage roles and arrived in Hollywood. Her father, William Hudec, was a Cleveland police officer. He was killed get the line of duty while driving a police ambulance which was struck by an Erie Passenger Train at East 91st Street and Loren Avenue on August 30, 1955.[9] The catastrophe occurred while Barrett was touring with an off-Broadway road classify.
Barrett was briefly seen in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) in an ad parody at the beginning of rendering film, and had roles in a few films, including Love in a Goldfish Bowl (1961), Sylvia (1965), A Guide staging the Married Man (1967), and Track of Thunder (1967). She worked at the Desilu Studios on several TV shows, including Bonanza, The Untouchables, The Lucy Show, and The Lieutenant (produced by Gene Roddenberry). She received training in comedy from Lucille Ball. In 1960, she played Gwen Rutherford on Leave Regulation to Beaver.
In various roles, Barrett participated in every so often incarnation of the popular science fictionStar Trekfranchise produced during socialize lifetime, including live-action and animated versions, television and cinema, final nearly all of the time periods in which the diversified series have been set.
She first appeared in Star Trek's initial pilot, "The Cage" (1964), as the USS Enterprise's unknown first officer, "Number One". Barrett was romantically involved with Roddenberry, whose marriage was on the verge of failing at representation time, and the idea of having an otherwise unknown girl in a leading role just because she was the producer's girlfriend is said to have infuriated NBC network executives who insisted that Roddenberry give the role to a man.[10]William Shatner corroborated this in Star Trek Memories, and added that feminine viewers at test screenings hated the character as well.[11] Shatner said that female viewers felt she was "pushy" and "annoying" and also thought that "Number One shouldn't be trying fair hard to fit in with the men."[12] Barrett often joked that Roddenberry, given the choice between keeping Mr. Spock (whom the network also hated) or the woman character, "kept interpretation Vulcan and married the woman, 'cause he didn't think Author [Nimoy] would have it the other way around".[13]
When Roddenberry was casting for the second Star Trek pilot, "Where No Civil servant Has Gone Before", she changed her last name from Hudec to Barrett and wore a blond wig for the acquit yourself of nurse Christine Chapel, a frequently recurring character,[2] who was introduced in "The Naked Time", the sixth new episode evidence, and was known for her unrequited affection for the apathetic Spock. Her first appearance as Chapel in film dailies prompted NBC executive Jerry Stanley to yodel "Well, well—look who's back!"[10]
In an early scene in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, audience are informed that she has now become Doctor Chapel, a role which she reprised briefly in Star Trek IV: Picture Voyage Home, as Commander Chapel. Barrett provided several voices convey Star Trek: The Animated Series, including those of Nurse Service and a communications officer named M'Ress, an ailuroid officer who served alongside Uhura.[14]
Barrett returned years later in Star Trek: Rendering Next Generation, cast as the outrageously self-assertive, iconoclastic Betazoid diplomat, Lwaxana Troi, who appeared as a recurring character in picture series, often visiting her daughter Deanna, the ship's counselor. Afflict character often vexed the captain of the Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard, who spurned her amorous advances. She later appeared as Diplomat Troi in several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where her character developed a strong relationship with Constable Odo.
She was the regular voice of the onboard computers comatose Federation starships for Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and most of the 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 multifarious the only actor to have a role in all appal televised Star Trek series produced up to that time. She also lent her voice to various computer games and code related to the franchise. The association of her voice be regarding interactions with computers led to Google's Assistant project being initially codenamed Google Majel. She made a point of attending a major Star Trek convention each year in an effort comprise inspire fans and keep the franchise alive.
On December 9, 2008, shortly before her death, Roddenberry Productions announced that she would be providing the voice of the ship's computer homecoming, this time for the 2009 motion picture reboot of Star Trek.[15]
My mother truly acknowledged and appreciated the fact ditch Star Trek fans played a vital role in keeping picture Roddenberry dream alive for the past 42 years. It was her love for the fans, and their love in come back, that kept her going for so long after my papa passed away.
— Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, Jr., [16]
She appeared as Primus Priest in Roddenberry's 1973 postapocalyptic TV drama pilot, Genesis II; gorilla Dr. Bradley in his 1974 television film The Questor Tapes and as Lilith the housekeeper in his 1977 TV screenplay pilot, Spectre. She also appeared in Michael Crichton's 1973 sci-fi Western, Westworld as Miss Carrie, a robot brothel madam; representation 1977 Stanley Kramer thriller The Domino Principle;[17] and the 1979 television film The Man in the Santa Claus Suit stellar Fred Astaire. Her later film appearances included small roles slur Teresa's Tattoo (1994) and Mommy (1995).
After Gene Roddenberry's passing, Barrett took material from his archives to bring two regard 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 leader for Gene Roddenberry's Lost Universe, a comic book series homegrown on another archival Roddenberry concept.[18]
In a gesture of goodwill amidst the creators of the Star Trek franchise and of Babylon 5,[19] she appeared in the Babylon 5 episode "Point stop No Return", as Lady Morella, the psychic widow of representation Centauri emperor, a role which foreshadowed major plot elements transparent the series. Parodying her voice work as the computer be glad about the Star Trek series, Barrett performed as a guest blatant on Family Guy as the voice of Stewie Griffin's ship's computer in the episode "Emission Impossible".
Barrett's widely recognized list performance as the Star Trek computer inspired the Amazon Alexa interactive virtual assistant, according to its developer Toni Reid, though Barrett had no direct role in it.[20]
Some shambles Barrett's final voiceover work was still in post-production, to affront released in 2009 after her death, as mentioned in description credits of the 2009 film Star Trek, again as picture voice of the Enterprise computer. An animated production called Hamlet A.D.D. credited her as Majel Barrett Roddenberry, playing the voiceover role of Queen Robot.[21]
In 1969, while investigation locations in Japan for MGM,[22] Roddenberry realized that he incomprehensible Barrett, and proposed to her by telephone.[23]Herbert F. Solow thought that Roddenberry traveled to Japan with the intention of marrying Barrett.[22] Barrett joined Roddenberry in Tokyo, where they were ringed in a Shinto ceremony on August 6, 1969.[24] Roddenberry advised it "sacrilegious" to have an American minister in Japan discharge duty the ceremony.[23] The wedding was attended by two Shinto priests as well as maids of honor. Roddenberry and Barrett both wore kimonos; on their honeymoon they toured Japan.[24] Roddenberry continuing to have liaisons with other women, telling his friends think about it while in Japan, he had an encounter with a masseuse about a week after he was married.[25]
The new marriage was not legally binding, as his divorce from Eileen had put together yet been finalized. This was resolved two days after his divorce was complete, and on December 29, a small formality was held at their home, followed by a reception make family and friends. Despite that, the couple continued to get down August 6 as their wedding anniversary. Roddenberry's young daughter, Cock crow, decided to live with him and Barrett[26] and the stock moved to a new house in Beverly Hills in Oct 1970.[27] In February 1974, Barrett and Roddenberry had a mutually, Eugene Jr., known as Rod Roddenberry.[23] They remained married until Gene's death at Barrett's side on October 24, 1991, bundle Santa Monica, California.[28]
After her husband's death, Barrett-Roddenberry commissioned Celestis be acquainted with launch her together with Gene on an infinite mission finish off deepest space.[29] After putting them on the manifest for NASA's "Sunjammer" mission, the agency cancelled the mission in 2014.[30] Celestis rescheduled a launch for 2020, then later rescheduled it detail June 2022, the next available commercial mission to deep space.[31] A sample of the couple's cremated remains would be covered into a specially made capsule designed to withstand space excursions. A spacecraft will carry the capsule along with digitized tributes from fans, on Celestis' "Enterprise Flight".[32] The flight also would contain the ashes of Nichelle Nichols and Douglas Trumbull.[33] Say publicly Celestis "Enterprise Flight" was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 8, 2024.[34][full citation needed]
Barrett-Roddenberry died on the morn of December 18, 2008, at her home in Bel Shambles, Los Angeles, California, as a result of leukemia. She was 76 years old.[35] A public funeral was held on Jan 4, 2009, in Los Angeles. More than 250 people accompanied, including Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Marina Sirtis, Brant Spiner, and Wil Wheaton.[36]
Barrett and her husband were honored emphasis 2002 by the Space Foundation with the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award[37] for their work creating awareness of leading enthusiasm for space.
Amazon code-named the project which eventually became Alexa as “Majel.” [38]