Walter Marvin Koenig is an actor, writer, director and teacher born on 14th September 1936 in Chicago, Illinois USA, and is possibly best known for his roles as Alfred Bester in the “Babylon5” series (1993) and Pavel Chekov in “Star Trek”(1966-1969). He is also the script writer for the sci-fi legal thriller “InAlienable” (2008).
Have you ever wondered how rich Walter Koenig is? According to sources it has been estimated that Walter Koenig’s overall net worth is $8 million, as of May 2017, acquired mainly thanks to his recurring role in the hit TV series “Star Trek”, which brought him popularity and significantly increased his net worth. His later work and roles in various productions have also added to his net worth.
Walter Koenig Net Worth $8 Million
Although born in Chicago, Walter grew up in Manhattan, where his parents moved to when he was a child. Koenig’s parents were Russian-Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union, who first lived in Lithuania and changed their surname from “Konigsberg” to “Koenig”. Walter went to Grinnel College in Iowa, but soon transferred to UCLA where he graduated with a BA in psychology. However, as one of his professors encouraged him to pursue an acting career, Koenig decided to attend the Neighborhood Playhouse along with actors Christopher Lloyd, James Caan and Dabney Coleman.
Although initially interested in stage acting, Walter moved to television in the early ‘60s with a role in the TV series “A Day in Court”. He was supposed to star in the “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”sries, but didn’t get the role, instead landing the role of Pavel Chekov in the sci-fi series “Star Trek” as the show’s creator Gene Roddenberry, was criticized for not including a Russian character. Although the show was canceled after its third season, its enormous popularity didn’t decrease, and secured Koenig some of the future roles, s well as adding to his net worth.
His next project was working on the animated show “Land of the Lost” as a writer, however, along with most of his colleagues from “Star Trek” he appeared in the show’s film adaptations which enjoyed a longer run than the original show, starting from “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” ( 1979) all the way to “Star Trek: Generations”(1994). Walter had a regular role in the sci-fi series “Babylon 5” (1994-1998) too, this time portraying a villain.
Apart from his accomplished acting career during which he has appeared in more than 40 different TV movies and shows, Koenig is also a writer. He published his memoir – “Warped Factors: A Neurotic’s Guide to the Universe” – in 1988, and thetheatre play “You’re Never Alone When You’re a Schizophrenic” in 1996, which entered the finals at the New York Film Festival Awards.
Privately, Koenig has suffered a great tragedy when his son, Andrew Koenig, committed suicide in 2010, after fighting with severe depression. Walter has been married to Judy Levitt since 1965, and the couple has a daughter, actress Danielle Koenig, in addition to their late son.
