Tricia O'Neil
- Actress
Tricia O'Neil played the first female captain in the Star Trek franchise, an experience she later described as wearing "as a badge of honour". In addition to her brave, but tragically ill-fated Captain Rachel Garrett in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)'s "Yesterday's Enterprise", she has graced the screen on other occasions in sci fi, usually in alien makeup: as Kurak, a Klingon warp field specialist in another TNG episode ("Suspicions"), as Korinas, a Cardassian Obsidian Order operative in "Defiant" (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)), an alien female seeking medical help on Babylon 5 (1993) in "Believers" and as Earth Alliance President Elizabeth Levy in the telemovie Babylon 5: In the Beginning (1998).
The actress was born in Shevreport, Louisiana, as Patricia Lou O.Neil, one of three siblings, to James Weldon O'Neil (1912-1977) and Mary Jane 'Cita' Marxer (1918-2010). She attended McAllen High School in El Paso and graduated in 1968 with a degree in art and education from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Tricia began her performing career as a jazz, blues and folk singer and guitarist on radio, local television and in nightclubs. She was forced to change her initial stage moniker from 'Patti O'Neil' to 'Tricia O'Neil' upon discovering that an actress of that name was already listed in Equity.
Tricia made her professional theatrical bow on Broadway alongside Danny Kaye and Joan Copeland in the 1970 Richard Rodgers musical production of Two By Two, which won her a World Theatre Award. A motion picture debut followed with The Legend of Nigger Charley (1972), a blaxploitation western starring Fred Williamson. Tricia's subsequent screen appearances were primarily as guest star in episodic television, where she displayed a considerable range and versatility in portraying a diverse gallery of characters, including in Columbo (1971) (a dog trainer), The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978) (a nightclub singer), Hawaii Five-O (1968) (the posh owner of a contentious ruby), Barney Miller (1975) (a crime scene photographer), MacGyver (1985) (leader of a terrorist gang), and Riptide (1984) (a reporter). Five appearances on Murder, She Wrote (1984) saw the her, respectively, as a software developer, a wealthy ranch owner's fiancée, a hotel manager, an actress and an accountant. Tricia retired from screen acting in 2001. Aside from her performing career, she has been said to have sidelined as a sculptress and commercial artist.
The actress was born in Shevreport, Louisiana, as Patricia Lou O.Neil, one of three siblings, to James Weldon O'Neil (1912-1977) and Mary Jane 'Cita' Marxer (1918-2010). She attended McAllen High School in El Paso and graduated in 1968 with a degree in art and education from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Tricia began her performing career as a jazz, blues and folk singer and guitarist on radio, local television and in nightclubs. She was forced to change her initial stage moniker from 'Patti O'Neil' to 'Tricia O'Neil' upon discovering that an actress of that name was already listed in Equity.
Tricia made her professional theatrical bow on Broadway alongside Danny Kaye and Joan Copeland in the 1970 Richard Rodgers musical production of Two By Two, which won her a World Theatre Award. A motion picture debut followed with The Legend of Nigger Charley (1972), a blaxploitation western starring Fred Williamson. Tricia's subsequent screen appearances were primarily as guest star in episodic television, where she displayed a considerable range and versatility in portraying a diverse gallery of characters, including in Columbo (1971) (a dog trainer), The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978) (a nightclub singer), Hawaii Five-O (1968) (the posh owner of a contentious ruby), Barney Miller (1975) (a crime scene photographer), MacGyver (1985) (leader of a terrorist gang), and Riptide (1984) (a reporter). Five appearances on Murder, She Wrote (1984) saw the her, respectively, as a software developer, a wealthy ranch owner's fiancée, a hotel manager, an actress and an accountant. Tricia retired from screen acting in 2001. Aside from her performing career, she has been said to have sidelined as a sculptress and commercial artist.
