Biography for
Persis Khambatta More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

2 October 1948, Bombay, Maharashtra, India

Date of Death

18 August 1998, Bombay, Maharashtra, India (heart attack)

Height

5' 8" (1.73 m)

Mini Biography

Persis Khambatta was born on October 2, 1948 in Bombay, India. At age 17, as Femina Miss India, she entered Miss Universe 1965, dressed in off-the-rack clothes she bought at the last minute. Khambatta became a model for companies such as Revlon. Her biggest acting break was getting the role of Lieutenant Ilia, the bald Deltan alien in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). This led to roles in Nighthawks (1981), Megaforce (1982) and Warrior of the Lost World (1983). She was considered for the title role in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983), but was passed over for Maud Adams. Khambatta became the first citizen of India to present an Academy Award in 1980. She was nominated for Saturn Award Best Actress for her Star Trek role. Khambatta also made guest appearances on many popular American television series. In the early 1980s, Khambatta had to have a heart bypass. A year before her death, she wrote and published a coffee table book called "Pride of India" which featured former Miss Indias; it was dedicated to Mother Teresa and part of the royalties went to the Missionaries of Charity. On August 17, 1998, Persis Khambatta was taken to the Marine Hospital in South Mumbai, complaining of chest pains. She died of a heart attack on August 18, 1998 at age 49, her funeral was held in Mumbai.

IMDb Mini Biography By: John Atkin

Spouse

Cliff Taylor	(1981 - ?)
Sean Kassidy	(? - ?)

Trade Mark

Lieutenant Ilia in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Trivia

Was a former Miss India 1965.

Was seriously injured in 1980 following a car crash in Germany which left her with a large scar on her head.

Shaved her head for the role of Ilia in the feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). At first, she shed tears over the haircut, but smiled after the finishing powder was applied to her scalp and her facial features were more defined by Fred Phillips.

Before her death, she wrote a coffee table book about the history of the Miss India pageant titled "Pride of India".

Has an action figure modeled after her Star Trek character, Lieutenant Ilia.

Unsuccessfully auditioned for the title role in the James Bond film Octopussy (1983).