Grace Lee Whitney

Grace Lee Whitney

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.

  • Popularity : 9.454
  • Known For : Acting
  • Birthday : 1930-04-01
  • Place of Birth : Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
img

Grace Lee Whitney Movies

  • 1979
    imgMovies

    Star Trek: The Motion Picture

    Star Trek: The Motion Picture

    6.473 1979 HD

    When an unidentified alien destroys three powerful Klingon cruisers, Captain James T. Kirk returns to the newly transformed U.S.S. Enterprise to take...

    img
  • 1991
    imgMovies

    Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

    Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

    7 1991 HD

    After years of war, the Federation and the Klingon empire find themselves on the brink of a peace summit when a Klingon ship is nearly destroyed by...

    img
  • 1968
    imgMovies

    Way Down Cellar

    Way Down Cellar

    6 1968 HD

    Three friends find a secret tunnel under the ruins of a church that leads them to the basement of a dilapidated house and, incidentally, a group of...

    img
  • 1963
    imgMovies

    The Man from Galveston

    The Man from Galveston

    5.2 1963 HD

    Circuit-riding Texas lawyer Timothy Higgins defends a former girlfriend against a murder charge stemming from an extortionist's threat to reveal her...

    img
  • 1950
    imgMovies

    The Texan Meets Calamity Jane

    The Texan Meets Calamity Jane

    1 1950 HD

    A western in which Calamity Jane's rightful ownership of a gambling hall is challenged. She nearly loses the business to a shady crook, but Texas...

    img
  • 2024
    imgMovies

    To the Journey - Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager

    To the Journey - Looking Back at Star Trek: Voyager

    1 2024 HD

    The documentary explores the legacy of Star Trek: Voyager (1995).

    img
  • 1962
    imgMovies

    A Public Affair

    A Public Affair

    1 1962 HD

    Expository internal affairs drama which brings to light the often unprincipled tactics used in negative "smear" campaigning, and its effects within...

    img
  • 2009
    imgMovies

    Bring Back... Star Trek

    Bring Back... Star Trek

    3.5 2009 HD

    img
  • 1983
    imgMovies

    The Kid with the 200 I.Q.

    The Kid with the 200 I.Q.

    5 1983 HD

    A 13-year-old genius goes to college and tries to cope not only with campus social life, but also with his professor.

    img
  • 1984
    imgMovies

    Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

    Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

    6.581 1984 HD

    A surprise visit from Spock's father provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock's living essence.

    img
  • 1954
    imgMovies

    Top Banana

    Top Banana

    5 1954 HD

    Jerry Biffle is the star of the Blendo Soap Program. He has been invited to participate in an autograph-signing party for his new book at an...

    img
  • 1967
    imgMovies

    Ironside

    Ironside

    5 1967 HD

    Citizens of San Francisco are stunned by the news that Robert Ironside, the city's hard-nosed, tough-talking chief of detectives, has been shot and...

    img
  • 1959
    imgMovies

    Some Like It Hot

    Some Like It Hot

    8.1 1959 HD

    Two musicians witness a mob hit and struggle to find a way out of the city before they are found by the gangsters. Their only opportunity is to join...

    img
  • 2011
    imgMovies

    The Captains

    The Captains

    6.336 2011 HD

    The Captains is a feature-length documentary film written and directed by William Shatner. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors...

    img
  • 2007
    imgMovies

    Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

    Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

    4.3 2007 HD

    It is the year 2306. Thirteen years have passed since Captain James T. Kirk was swept away by the Nexus, after saving the crew of the USS...

    img
  • 1961
    imgMovies

    Pocketful of Miracles

    Pocketful of Miracles

    7.3 1961 HD

    A New York gangster and his girlfriend attempt to turn street beggar Apple Annie into a society lady when the peddler learns her daughter is marrying...

    img
  • 1986
    imgMovies

    Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

    Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

    7.144 1986 HD

    When a huge alien probe enters the galaxy and begins to vaporize earths oceans, Kirk and his crew must travel back in time in order to bring back...

    img
  • 1963
    imgMovies

    Irma la Douce

    Irma la Douce

    7.4 1963 HD

    When a naive policeman falls in love with a prostitute, he doesn’t want her seeing other men and creates an alter ego who’s to be her...

    img
  • 1958
    imgMovies

    The Naked and the Dead

    The Naked and the Dead

    5.9 1958 HD

    Fighting men in World War II learn the value of courage and quickness at the risk of losing their lives.

    img
  • 1963
    imgMovies

    Critic's Choice

    Critic's Choice

    5.5 1963 HD

    Parker Ballantine is a New York theater critic and his wife writes a play that may or may not be very good. Now Parker must either get out of...

    img
  • 1966
    imgS3 E24

    Star Trek

    Star Trek

    8 1966 HD

    Space. The Final Frontier. The U.S.S. Enterprise embarks on a five year mission to explore the galaxy. The Enterprise is under the command of Captain...

    img
  • 1958
    imgS6 E20

    77 Sunset Strip

    77 Sunset Strip

    6.7 1958 HD

    Stu Bailey and Jeff Spencer are the wisecracking, womanizing private-detective heroes of this Warner Brothers drama. They work out of an office...

    img
  • 1995
    imgS7 E25

    Star Trek: Voyager

    Star Trek: Voyager

    7.789 1995 HD

    Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is 75 years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels...

    img
  • 1966
    imgS3 E26

    Batman

    Batman

    7.306 1966 HD

    Wealthy entrepreneur Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson lead a double life: they are actually crime fighting duo Batman and Robin. A secret...

    img
  • 1960
    imgS2 E40

    Surfside 6

    Surfside 6

    5 1960 HD

    Surfside 6 was an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered on a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and...

    img
  • 1979
    imgS5 E22

    Hart to Hart

    Hart to Hart

    6.8 1979 HD

    Wealthy couple Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a self-made millionaire and his journalist wife, moonlight as amateur detectives.

    img
  • 1955
    imgS20 E24

    Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

    6.5 1955 HD

    Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take...

    img
  • 1963
    imgS1 E41

    Arrest and Trial

    Arrest and Trial

    7 1963 HD

    Arrest and Trial is a 90-minute American crime/legal drama series that ran during the 1963-1964 season on ABC, airing Sundays from 8:30-10 p.m....

    img
  • 1953
    imgS10 E34

    General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

    6 1953 HD

    General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was...

    img
  • 1971
    imgS5 E25

    Cannon

    Cannon

    6.5 1971 HD

    Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976. The primary protagonist is the...

    img
  • 2005
    imgS1 E8

    Bring Back...

    Bring Back...

    6 2005 HD

    Bring Back... is a British television series comprising one-off shows where Justin Lee Collins tries to locate people from music, TV or film...

    img
  • 1965
    imgS3 E26

    Run for Your Life

    Run for Your Life

    7.2 1965 HD

    Run for Your Life is an American television drama series starring Ben Gazzara as a man with only a short time to live. It ran on NBC from 1965 to...

    img
  • 1967
    imgS1 E23

    Cimarron Strip

    Cimarron Strip

    5 1967 HD

    Cimarron Strip is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from September 1967 to March 1968. Starring Stuart Whitman as Marshal Jim...

    img
  • 1962
    imgS9 E24

    The Virginian

    The Virginian

    6.4 1962 HD

    The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie. It...

    img
  • 1963
    imgS4 E26

    Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre

    Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre

    5.5 1963 HD

    Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre is an American anthology series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967....

    img
  • 1965
    imgS4 E26

    The Big Valley

    The Big Valley

    6 1965 HD

    The Big Valley is an American western television series which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969. The show stars Barbara Stanwyck,...

    img
  • 1962
    imgS2 E30

    The Eleventh Hour

    The Eleventh Hour

    6 1962 HD

    The Eleventh Hour is an American medical drama about psychiatry starring Wendell Corey, Jack Ging, and Ralph Bellamy, which aired sixty-two new...

    img
  • 1958
    imgS5 E26

    The Rifleman

    The Rifleman

    7 1958 HD

    The Rifleman is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It...

    img
  • 1958
    imgS3 E34

    Bat Masterson

    Bat Masterson

    6.3 1958 HD

    Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat...

    img
  • 1959
    imgS3 E29

    The Detectives

    The Detectives

    5.6 1959 HD

    The Detectives is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons, and on NBC during its third and final season. The...

    img
  • 1956
    imgS5 E30

    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

    5.5 1956 HD

    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American Western anthology series which ran on CBS from 1956 to...

    img
  • 1967
    imgS1 E17

    Rango

    Rango

    1 1967 HD

    Rango is an American Western situation comedy starring comedian Tim Conway which was broadcast in the United States on the ABC television network in...

    img
  • 1957
    imgS2 E6

    The Walter Winchell File

    The Walter Winchell File

    5 1957 HD

    The Walter Winchell File is the title of a television crime drama series that initially aired from 1957 to 1958, dramatizing cases from the New York...

    img
  • 1963
    imgS2 E17

    The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

    7.8 1963 HD

    The Outer Limits is an anthology tv series of self-contained sci-fi-horror stories, sometimes with a plot twist at the end.

    img
  • 1993
    imgS8 E22

    Diagnosis: Murder

    Diagnosis: Murder

    7.1 1993 HD

    Dr. Mark Sloan is a good-natured, offbeat physician who is called upon to solve murders.

    img
  • 1968
    imgS1 E26

    The Outsider

    The Outsider

    5.2 1968 HD

    The Outsider was the story of David Ross, a go-it-alone private investigator who's always where the action is. Darren McGavin played Ross, a man...

    img
  • 1955
    imgS6 E37

    The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

    The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

    6.7 1955 HD

    The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a television western series loosely based on the life of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. The half-hour...

    img
  • 1959
    imgS4 E30

    The Untouchables

    The Untouchables

    7.9 1959 HD

    Special Agent Eliot Ness and his elite team of incorruptible agents battle organized crime in 1930s Chicago.

    img
  • 1963
    imgS1 E26

    Temple Houston

    Temple Houston

    5.7 1963 HD

    Temple Houston is a 1963–64 NBC television series which has been called "the first attempt . . . to produce an hour-long Western series with...

    img
  • 1968
    imgS3 E24

    The Name of the Game

    The Name of the Game

    6.8 1968 HD

    The Name of the Game is an American television series starring Tony Franciosa, Gene Barry, and Robert Stack that ran from 1968 to 1971 on NBC,...

    img
  • 1963
    imgS1 E41

    Arrest and Trial

    Arrest and Trial

    7 1963 HD

    Arrest and Trial is a 90-minute American crime/legal drama series that ran during the 1963-1964 season on ABC, airing Sundays from 8:30-10 p.m....

    img
  • 1965
    imgS3 E26

    Run for Your Life

    Run for Your Life

    7.2 1965 HD

    Run for Your Life is an American television drama series starring Ben Gazzara as a man with only a short time to live. It ran on NBC from 1965 to...

    img
  • 1959
    imgS3 E29

    The Detectives

    The Detectives

    5.6 1959 HD

    The Detectives is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons, and on NBC during its third and final season. The...

    img
  • 1958
    imgS6 E20

    77 Sunset Strip

    77 Sunset Strip

    6.7 1958 HD

    Stu Bailey and Jeff Spencer are the wisecracking, womanizing private-detective heroes of this Warner Brothers drama. They work out of an office...

    img
  • 1962
    imgS9 E24

    The Virginian

    The Virginian

    6.4 1962 HD

    The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie. It...

    img
  • 1952
    imgS18 E26

    Death Valley Days

    Death Valley Days

    6.4 1952 HD

    Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley...

    img
  • 1967
    imgS8 E24

    Mannix

    Mannix

    6.7 1967 HD

    Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed...

    img
  • 1964
    imgS8 E26

    Bewitched

    Bewitched

    7.9 1964 HD

    Samantha Stephens is a seemingly normal suburban housewife who also happens to be a genuine witch, with all the requisite magical powers. Her husband...

    img