Persis Khambatta
| Persis Khambatta | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 October 1948 Bombay, Bombay State, India |
| Died | 18 August 1998 (aged 49) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Years active | 1968–1998 |
| Spouse(s) | Cliff Taylor (1981 - ?) |
Persis Khambatta (2 October 1948 – 18 August 1998) was an Indian model, actress and author.[1] She was best known for her role as Lieutenant Ilia in the 1979 feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
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Early life[edit]
Persis Khambatta was born into a middle-class Parsee home in Mumbai, then known as Bombay. She first gained fame when a set of her pictures casually taken by a well-known Bombay photographer[who?] was used for a successful campaign for a popular soap brand. This led eventually to her becoming a model. She entered and won the Miss India contest in 1965.[2]
Career[edit]
At age 17, as Femina Miss India, Khambatta entered Miss Universe 1965, dressed in off-the-rack clothes she bought at the last minute. Khambatta became a model for companies such as Revlon. Khambatta made her Hindi film début in director K.A. Abbas's Bambai Raat Ki Bahon Mein (1967).[3] Khambatta was the cabaret singer Lily who croons the film's title track. In 1975, she had small roles in Conduct Unbecoming and The Wilby Conspiracy. She went on to a brief movie career that included the role for which she is most recognized, as bald Deltan navigator Lieutenant Ilia, in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). Khambatta became the first citizen of India to present an Academy Award in 1980. She was nominated for Saturn Award Best Actress for her Star Trek role. This led to roles in Nighthawks (1981), Megaforce (1982) and Warrior of the Lost World (1983). She was considered for the title role in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983), but was passed over in favor of Maud Adams.
Khambatta was seriously injured in a car crash in Germany in 1980, which left her with a large scar on her head. She underwent a heart bypass operation in 1983. She returned to Bombay in 1985, and appeared as a character in the Hindi television series Shingora. Soon after, Khambatta returned to Hollywood and performed in guest roles on various television series such as Mike Hammer and MacGyver. In 1997 she wrote and published a coffee table book, Pride of India, which featured several former Miss Indias. The book was dedicated to Mother Teresa, and part of the royalties went to the Missionaries of Charity. Her final appearance in an acting part was that of an Indian ambassador in the 1993 pilot episode of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
Death[edit]
In 1998, Khambatta was taken to the Marine Hospital in south Mumbai, complaining of chest pains. She died of a heart attack on 18 August 1998 at the age of 49.[4] Her funeral was held in Mumbai on 19 August.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ "Obituary: Persis Khambatta" The Independent (20 August 1998).
- ^ Author unknown (1998-08-20). 'Star Trek' actress Persis Khambatta, 49. Bangor Daily News, 20 August 1998. Retrieved from http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5AxbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SU4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5217,917115&dq=persis+khambata+miss+india&hl=en.
- ^ "Persis Khambatta, 49, dies". Indian Express. Aug 19 1998. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- ^ a b "Persis Khambatta, Movie Actress, 49 : Obituary". The New York Times. 20 August 1998. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
Notes[edit]
- The Globe 1998 November 10
- New York Post 20 October 1998
- Beverly Hills 213 Magazine November 1998
External links[edit]
- http://www.persiskhambatta.com
- Persis Khambatta at the Internet Movie Database
- Persis Khambatta at the TCM Movie Database
- Persis Khambatta at AllRovi
- Persis Khambatta at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
- http://www.answers.com/topic/persis-khambatta
- Persis Khambatta - In Memoriam
- Persis Khambatta at Find a Grave
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