Iconic Star Trek and Batman Actress Leslie Parrish Dies at 90
Hollywood has lost a familiar face from television’s golden age.
Actress Leslie Parrish, known for memorable appearances in The Manchurian Candidate, Batman, Perry Mason, and Star Trek, has died at the age of 90. Her death in Washington state in 2025 was confirmed by her stepdaughter, Erica Berdan, to The Hollywood Reporter in August 2026.
Born Marjorie Hellen in 1935, Parrish grew up in a small Pennsylvania mountain community with little access to television or radio. She originally dreamed of becoming a concert pianist and studied at the Philadelphia Conservatory before financial difficulties forced her to put her formal training on hold.
A chance move into modeling eventually changed everything. After traveling to New York, she was discovered by a Twentieth Century Fox scout and given the stage name Leslie Parrish.
Her Hollywood career quickly took off. In 1955 alone, she appeared in several films, and over the following decades became a recognizable face on both the big and small screens.
Television audiences remember her from shows including Perry Mason, Bat Masterson, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Batman, and Star Trek.
On Batman, Parrish appeared in three episodes, including as Glacia Glaze, a henchwoman working for the villainous Mr. Freeze.
On Star Trek, she appeared in the Season 2 episode “The Apple,” playing Lieutenant Carolyn Palamas aboard the USS Enterprise.
Her most celebrated movie role came in 1962’s The Manchurian Candidate, where she played Jocelyn Jordan alongside Laurence Harvey.
But Parrish’s life eventually moved far beyond Hollywood.
She became deeply involved in anti-war and environmental causes, protesting the Vietnam War and later dedicating herself to conservation. Alongside her second husband, author Richard Bach, she co-founded the Spring Hill Wildlife Sanctuary on Washington’s Orcas Island.
Through conservation agreements, 168 acres of forest and wildlife habitat were ultimately protected.
Her final acting credit came in the 1978 television movie No Margin for Error. Afterward, she largely stepped away from acting and focused on environmental work.
From Hollywood actress to activist and conservationist, Leslie Parrish left behind a remarkable legacy that reached far beyond the screen.
She was 90.
Rest in peace, Leslie Parrish. ❤️🕊️