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Grace Lee Whitney

Known For
Acting

Known Credits
62

Gender
Female

Birthday
April 1, 1930 (96 years old)

Place of Birth
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Grace Lee Whitney

Biography

Grace Lee Whitney (April 1, 1930 - May 1, 2015) was an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Janice Rand on the original Star Trek television series and subsequent Star Trek films. Born Mary Ann Chase, she was adopted by the Whitney family, who changed her name to Grace Elaine. She started her entertainment career as a "girl singer" on Detroit's WJR radio at the age of fourteen. After she left home, she began to call herself Lee Whitney, eventually becoming known as Grace Lee Whitney. In her late teens, she moved to Chicago where she opened in nightclubs for Billie Holiday and Buddy Rich, and toured with the Spike Jones and Fred Waring Bands.

Whitney debuted on Broadway in Top Banana, playing Miss Holland. Following the successful run of the show, she joined the cast in Hollywood, where she recreated the role in the 1954 movie of the same name. In Los Angeles, Whitney auditioned for and was cast in the starring role of Lucy Brown in the national tour of The Threepenny Opera.

Whitney made more than a hundred television appearances following her television dramatic debut in Cowboy G-Men in 1953; The Real McCoys, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, Bat Masterson, The Rifleman, 77 Sunset Strip, Bewitched, Batman, and The Untouchables. During the 1950s and early 1960s, Whitney was also on live television shows including You Bet Your Life, The Red Skelton Show, The Jimmy Durante Show and The Ernie Kovacs Show. Whitney was cast as a member of the all-female band in Billy Wilder's comedy Some Like It Hot. She shared several scenes with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe, including the famed "upper berth" sequence. She had uncredited roles in House of Wax, Top Banana, The Naked and the Dead, and Pocketful of Miracles.

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry cast Whitney in the role of Yeoman Janice Rand, the personal assistant to Captain James T. Kirk, in 1966. Whitney appeared in eight of the first fifteen episodes, after which she was released from contract. She had claimed that, while still under contract, she was sexually assaulted by an executive associated with the series. Later, in a public interview, she stated that Leonard Nimoy had been her main source of support during that time. She went into more details about the assault in her book The Longest Trek, but refused to name the executive, saying in the book, "This is my story, not his." Whitney returned to the Star Trek franchise in the 1970s after DeForest Kelley saw Whitney on the unemployment line and told her that fans had been asking for her at fan conventions. Whitney reprised her role as Janice Rand, who had received a promotion to chief petty officer in Star Trek: The Motion Picture). She also appeared in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, with another promotion, as Lieutenant Commander Janice Rand. Five years later, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the franchise, she returned in the 1996 Star Trek: Voyager episode "Flashback", along with George Takei. She also reprised her role in two internet Star Trek episodes.

In the 1970s, she appeared in The Bold Ones, Cannon, and Hart to Hart. In 1998, she appeared in an episode of Diagnosis: Murder, which reunited her with her Star Trek colleagues George Takei, Walter Koenig and Majel Barrett.

Known For

Acting

2011The Captainsas Self
2009Bring Back... Star Trekas Self
2007Star Trek: Of Gods and Menas Janice Rand
2005Bring Back...as Self
1995Star Trek: Voyageras Commander Janice Rand
1993Diagnosis: Murderas Encounter Group Abductee
1991Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countryas Excelsior Communications Officer
1986Star Trek IV: The Voyage Homeas Commander Rand
1984Star Trek III: The Search for Spockas Commander Janice Rand (Woman in Cafeteria)
1983The Kid with the 200 I.Q.as
1979Star Trek: The Motion Pictureas CPO Janice Rand
1979Hart to Hartas Chic Lady
1971Cannonas
1968The Name of the Gameas Suzette
1968The Outsideras
1968Way Down Cellaras Velma
1967Mannixas Gloria
1967Cimarron Stripas Katie
1967Ironsideas Stripper (uncredited)
1967Rangoas
1966Star Trekas Janice Rand
1966Batmanas Neila
1965The Big Valleyas Maggie
1965Run for Your Lifeas Billie
1965Run for Your Lifeas Millie
1964Bewitchedas Babs Livingston
1963The Man from Galvestonas Texas Rose
1963Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatreas Mona
1963Temple Houstonas Tangerine O'Shea
1963The Outer Limitsas Carla Duveen
1963Arrest and Trialas
1963Arrest and Trialas Sally Burns
1963Critic's Choiceas Minor Role
1963Irma la Douceas Kiki
1962The Eleventh Houras Dawn
1962The Virginianas Heather
1962The Virginianas Nina
1962Sam Benedictas Susan Craig
1962A Public Affairas Tracey Phillips
1961Pocketful of Miraclesas Queenie's Broad (uncredited)
1960Peter Loves Maryas Roxanne Jones
1960Surfside 6as
1960Surfside 6as Bernice
1959The Detectivesas
1959The Detectivesas Susie
1959The Untouchablesas Fran
1959The Untouchablesas Penny
1959Some Like It Hotas Rosella (uncredited)
195877 Sunset Stripas
195877 Sunset Stripas April
195877 Sunset Stripas Natasha
1958Bat Mastersonas Louise Talbot
1958The Riflemanas
1958The Naked and the Deadas Girl in Dream Sequence
1957The Walter Winchell Fileas
1956Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatreas Ellen
1955Gunsmokeas Pearl
1955The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earpas Saloon Girl
1954Top Bananaas Miss Holland (uncredited)
1953General Electric Theateras Audrey Henderson
1952Death Valley Daysas Verna
1950The Texan Meets Calamity Janeas Cecelia Mullen

Production