Film and television actress Celeste Yarnall, known for playing Martha Landon on an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, died on Sunday at her home in Westlake Village, California, after a four-year battle with ovarian cancer, according to multiple news reports. She was 74.
Her husband, the artist Nazim Nazim, wrote the following on her GoFundMe page, created to help pay her medical expenses: “[I]t is with GREAT SORROW that I must share that my Beautiful Beloved Queen Celeste Yarnall, has Ascended into the Celestial Realms, Sunday, October 7….. taking her place among the Stars, where she will continue to SHINE the Love & Light illuminating All whose lives she touched – be they Human, Animal, Plant or Flower.”
Nazim could not be immediately reached for further comment.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Yarnall rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s, and gained her first acting credit in an episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in 1962. Since then, she appeared in such films as Live a Little, Love a Little (opposite Elvis Presley), The Nutty Professor, Beast of Blood, The Velvet Vampire, and as “the original flower child” in the cult classic Eve.
Yarnall was also known for playing Chekov’s love interest, Martha Landon, in a 1967 episode of Star Trek: TOS called “The Apple.” Although she only appeared in the one episode, her appearance was memorable enough that it made her “a beloved figure on Star Trek convention circuit,” according to StarTrek.com.
Other television credits include appearances on Bewitched, Land of the Giants, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
In addition to acting and modeling, Yarnall had also earned a PhD in nutrition and wrote several books about holistic health care for both humans and pets.
Yarnall is survived by her husband, Nazim; daughter, Cami; granddaughter, Gaby; and son-in-law, Stephen Forte.
