Star Trek Star Gary Graham Dies At 73
Gary Graham, who was known for playing Soval on "Star Trek: Enterprise," has died at the age of 73. Graham's ex-wife Susan Lavelle broke the news on January 23. "It is with deep profound sadness to say that Gary Graham, my ex husband, amazing actor and father of our beautiful only child together, Haylee Graham, has passed away today. We are completely devastated especially our daughter Haley. His wife, Becky was by his side," Lavelle's statement on Facebook read. The actor's death was sudden, but its cause hasn't been disclosed.
Graham started his screen acting career in 1975, and went on to appear in some of the biggest shows of the 1970s and 1980s, from "Starsky & Hutch" to "Dukes of Hazzard." From 1989 to 1990, he starred as human Detective Matthew Sikes in "Alien Nation" — the TV series based on the 1988 movie of the same name — taking over the role from James Caan. After the show ended, Graham reprised the role in several 1990s TV movies.
After "Alien Nation," Graham continued working in numerous movies and TV shows. His arguably most prominent role is the recurring "Star Trek: Enterprise" character Soval, a highly decorated Vulcan ambassador to Earth. As dedicated "Star Trek" fans know, though, this wasn't his only role in the franchise. Graham also portrayed Tanis on "Star Trek: Voyager" Season 2, Episode 10 — Cold Fire. He also played Ragnar in the unofficial fan film "Star Trek: of Gods and Men" and its follow-up project, "Star Trek: Renegades."
Graham had deep insight into his most famous character
Gary Graham's best-known roles may have been in sci-fi shows, but he had an impressive resume of over 100 projects that ranged from serious drama to comedy. Despite his versatility, he didn't shy away from discussing his time in the "Star Trek" universe. In an interview with Sci-Fi Bulletin, the actor broke down the challenges of playing a comparatively reserved Vulcan character like Soval.
"Vulcans, of course, are exactly the opposite [to the emotional, aggressive Klingons] — it's a day for opposites — very difficult to play," Graham said. "If somebody were just cerebral you could play that, but people who are cerebral — and have done that out of survival against their natural nature — are explosive, organic, and emotional. To subliminate that into a passive, intellectual outlook is a great challenge and a great mental game to play as an actor."
Even without his other "Star Trek"-adjacent roles, Graham no doubt knew what he talked about. His Soval is one of the more prominent Vulcan characters in the franchise, and appears in all four seasons of "Star Trek: Enterprise."