Majel Barrett Roddenberry; Actress, Widow Nurtured Legacy of 'Star Trek' Creator

Majel Barrett Roddenberry, 76, who was the widow of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry and who nurtured the legacy of the seminal science fiction TV series after his death, died Dec. 18 at her home in Bel Air, Calif., of leukemia.

Mrs. Roddenberry, whose husband died in 1991, was involved in the "Star Trek" universe for more than four decades.

She played the dark-haired Number One in the first pilot but metamorphosed into the blond, miniskirted Nurse Christine Chapel in the original 1966-69 show. She had smaller roles in all five of its television successors and many of the "Star Trek" movie incarnations, although she had little involvement in the productions.

She frequently was the voice of the ship's computer, and about two weeks ago, she completed the same role for the coming J.J. Abrams movie "Star Trek."

She was born Majel Lee Hudec on Feb. 23, 1932, in Cleveland and began taking acting classes as a child. She had some stage roles, then in the late 1950s and 1960s had bit parts in a few movies and small roles in TV series, including "Leave It to Beaver" and "Bonanza."

She met her husband in 1964 while playing a guest role in a Marine Corps drama he produced called "The Lieutenant." That year, she was cast in the pilot for the "Star Trek" series as the no-nonsense second-in-command. The pilot did not appeal to NBC executives, and a second pilot was made, although parts of the original later showed up in a two-part episode called "The Menagerie."

The couple married in Japan in 1969 after "Star Trek" was canceled.

She was the executive producer for two other TV science fiction series, "Andromeda" and "Earth: Final Conflict."

Survivors include a son, Eugene Roddenberry Jr.