Actress and producer Karen Montgomery succumbed to the disease in her home on Dec.4, after a decade-long battle with breast cancer.
Montgomery's activities as an actress spanned from 1978 to 1993 and, from 1991, transitioned to her spot behind the camera as a producer in several films and a documentary dedicated to her acting coach, Roy London.
Montgomery's most memorable role was that of Princess Beata in the 1988 episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" titled "Angel One" where she played the "Elected One" who rules the matriarchal society that treats men as second class citizens.
Her role in the episode had her exchanging words with Commander William Riker of the U.S.S. Enterprise in order to determine the fate of male fugitives in their planet who were discovered and sentenced to death. Impressed by Commander Riker's wisdom, Princess Beata agreed to spare the lives of the fugitives, exiling them instead to a remote area of Angel One, outside the control of the strict matriarchal culture. She then admitted that her society does have an oppressive tradition and predicts that things will eventually change for them.
Her last known acting credit is for the role of Janet Seaverson in a 1993 episode of "L.A. Law" titled "Vindaloo in the Villows," a reference to the children's literary classic written by Kenneth Grahame, "The Wind in the Willows."
After this, she teamed up with her friend and acting coach Roy London and became an associate producer for his 1991 film, "Diary of a Hit Man." London's death, caused by complications from AIDS, prompted Montgomery and her husband Christopher Monger to produce "Special Thanks to Roy London," a documentary shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2005.
Montgomery was 66 years old and is survived by her husband, mother and brother. A memorial is reportedly planned for her in 2016.
