Actor / Director Profile

Persis Khambatta was born in Bombay, India. At age 17, as Femina Miss India, Khambatta 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 Lt.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 TV shows. 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 Monday, August 17, 1998, Khambatta was taken to the Marine Hospital in south Mumbai, complaining of chest pains. She died of a heart attack on 18 August 1998 at the age of 49. Her funeral was held in Mumbai.