Marj Dusay, a veteran soap opera actress who most notably carved a name for herself in "Star Trek," has died at 83.
Her stepdaughter Elizabeth Perine confirmed the news, explaining that Marj "passed away peacefully" in her sleep on Tuesday.
"She was quite a woman and had quite a grand life. She was deeply loved and will be deeply missed," Perine said in a Facebook post.
Marj was born and raised in Russell, Kansas, where she attended Kansas University.
It was there that she first began to explore her acting abilities and was cast in several stage productions, according to her biography.
She also began modeling and married her high school sweetheart John Dusay. Her big break came not long after they moved to Los Angeles.
Marj was working in theatre and film at the time and joined an improvisational comedy troupe called The Session. For two years they performed as Los Angeles' first in-house improv comedy.
On the side, Marj collaborated with one of the group's members, Richard Dreyfuss, to do a television comedy pilot together. After that, Marj was sold on film and television.
Her big screen debut came in 1967 in "Clambake," which starred Elvis Presley, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The following year, Marj made her first memorable appearance in the original "Star Trek" series. In the episode "Spock's Brain," Marj played Kara — an alien who removed and stole Spock's brain and took it to her own planet.
Marj would go on to star in dozens of films and television series, including top soaps such as "Santa Barbara," "Days of Our Lives," and "All My Children."
In addition to her work onscreen, Marj was also actively involved in several charities. She was an avid supporter of Project Angel Food, which provides meals for men, women, and children living with AIDS, and also backed several other child abuse prevention organizations.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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