- Name: Majel Barrett
- Date of Birth: February 23, 1932
- Place of Birth: Columbus, Ohio
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Majel Barrett Wiki Profile
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Born Majel Leigh Hudec on February 23, 1932, in Cleveland, Ohio,she began taking acting classes as a child. She attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, then had some stage roles and came to Hollywood. In the late 1950s and 1960s, she had bit parts in a few movies and small roles in TV series.
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 it to Beaver. She was also briefly seen in the film Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? in an ad parody at the beginning of the film. Barrett is the mother of Eugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry, Jr.
In various roles, Barrett had been in every incarnation of the popular science fiction Star Trek franchise, including live-action and animated versions, television and cinema, and all of the time periods in which the various series have been set.
She first appeared in Star Trek's initial pilot, "The Cage" in 1964, as the USS Enterprise's unnamed first officer, "Number One." Barrett was romantically involved with Roddenberry, whose marriage was on the verge of failing at the time, and the idea of having an otherwise unknown woman in a leading role with a position of authority, 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.[William Shatner corroborated this in Star Trek Memories, and added that female viewers at test screenings hated the character as well.
Shatner noted that women viewers felt she was "pushy" and "annoying" and also thought that "Number One shouldn't be trying so hard to fit in with the men." Barrett often joked that Roddenberry, given the choice between keeping Mr. Spock or the woman character, "kept the Vulcan and married the woman, 'cause he didn't think Leonard Nimoy would have it the other way around."
Her role in subsequent episodes of Star Trek was altered to that of Nurse Christine Chapel, a frequently recurring character, known for her unrequited affection for the emotionless Spock. In an early scene in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, viewers are informed that she has now become Doctor Chapel, a role which she reprised briefly in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Barrett provided several voices for Star Trek: The Animated Series, including those of Nurse Chapel and a communications officer named M'Ress, an ailuroid officer who served alongside Uhura. She would return years later in Star Trek: The Next Generation, cast as the outrageously self-deterministic, iconoclastic Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi, who appeared as a recurring character in the series.
Her character often vexed the captain of the Enterprise, Jean Luc Picard, who spurned her amorous advances.
Barrett later appeared as Ambassador Troi in several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where in stark contrast, she developed a strong relationship with Constable Odo.
She appeared as Primus Dominic in Roddenberry's 1973 post-apocalyptic TV drama pilot, Genesis II. After Roddenberry's death, Barrett took material from his archives to bring two of his ideas into production. She was executive producer of Earth: Final Conflict (in which she also played the character Dr. Julianne Belman), and Andromeda.
| Majel Barrett's Bio: |
Born Majel Leigh Hudec on February 23, 1932, in Cleveland, Ohio,she began taking acting classes as a child. She attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, then had some stage roles and came to Hollywood. In the late 1950s and 1960s, she had bit parts in a few movies and small roles in TV series.
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 it to Beaver. She was also briefly seen in the film Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? in an ad parody at the beginning of the film. Barrett is the mother of Eugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry, Jr.
In various roles, Barrett had been in every incarnation of the popular science fiction Star Trek franchise, including live-action and animated versions, television and cinema, and all of the time periods in which the various series have been set.
She first appeared in Star Trek's initial pilot, "The Cage" in 1964, as the USS Enterprise's unnamed first officer, "Number One." Barrett was romantically involved with Roddenberry, whose marriage was on the verge of failing at the time, and the idea of having an otherwise unknown woman in a leading role with a position of authority, 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.[William Shatner corroborated this in Star Trek Memories, and added that female viewers at test screenings hated the character as well.
Shatner noted that women viewers felt she was "pushy" and "annoying" and also thought that "Number One shouldn't be trying so hard to fit in with the men." Barrett often joked that Roddenberry, given the choice between keeping Mr. Spock or the woman character, "kept the Vulcan and married the woman, 'cause he didn't think Leonard Nimoy would have it the other way around."
Her role in subsequent episodes of Star Trek was altered to that of Nurse Christine Chapel, a frequently recurring character, known for her unrequited affection for the emotionless Spock. In an early scene in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, viewers are informed that she has now become Doctor Chapel, a role which she reprised briefly in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Barrett provided several voices for Star Trek: The Animated Series, including those of Nurse Chapel and a communications officer named M'Ress, an ailuroid officer who served alongside Uhura. She would return years later in Star Trek: The Next Generation, cast as the outrageously self-deterministic, iconoclastic Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi, who appeared as a recurring character in the series.
Her character often vexed the captain of the Enterprise, Jean Luc Picard, who spurned her amorous advances.
Barrett later appeared as Ambassador Troi in several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where in stark contrast, she developed a strong relationship with Constable Odo.
She appeared as Primus Dominic in Roddenberry's 1973 post-apocalyptic TV drama pilot, Genesis II. After Roddenberry's death, Barrett took material from his archives to bring two of his ideas into production. She was executive producer of Earth: Final Conflict (in which she also played the character Dr. Julianne Belman), and Andromeda.
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| Majel Barrett's Information: |
| Eye Colour: blue | ||
| Height:5' 9" (1.75 m) | ||
| Nickname:The First Lady Of Star Trek | ||
| Notable Features:her famous voice | ||
| Education: University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida She attended law school for a year | ||
Family:
Stepmother of actress Dawn Roddenberry and Darleen Roddenberry-Bacha, who died on 29-Oct-1995 | ||
| Resides in:Los Angeles | ||
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| Other:In 1962, Barrett met actress Lucille Ball at an acting class and was signed to a contract with Desilu. Soon thereafter, she appeared with Lucy in an episode Desilu's The Lucy Show. |
