It’s been revealed that Nathan Jung, who was best known for his roles in Star Trek, Kung Fu and The A Team died on April 24th, 2021 at age 74.

The news was confirmed to Variety yesterday by his close friend and attorney, Timothy Tau, and the cause of his death has not been disclosed.

Jung began his career as Genghis Khan in “The Savage Curtain” episode of the original Star Trek. He then went on to play the role of the villain “The Dark Rider” in Kung Fu.

The Californian-born actor is one of the few people who had the opportunity to work alongside both Bruce Lee and his son, Brandon Lee. Jung performed on a 1969 episode of Here Comes the Brides with Bruce and then went on to play a gunman in Rapid Fire (1992) with Brandon and again with him as the Bonsai Club manager in Showdown in Little Tokyo.   

Jung’s final role was as the narrator for Tau’s Nathan Jung v. Bruce Lee, which is a documentary about his meeting with Bruce Lee on Here Comes the Brides.

Jung is the second actor from the Star Trek franchise to pass away in the past year. In May last year veteran actor Richard Herd, who played Admiral Owen Paris in Star Trek: Voyager, passed away from complications of colon cancer. 

Tributes have poured in for Jung on social media. His friend and fellow actor Allen Theosky Rowe posted a touching photo of the pair together backed with the song, ‘See You Again’ by Wiz Khalifa, featuring Charlie Puth. The song was originally commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2015 action film Furious 7 as a tribute to actor Paul Walker.

“Extended reel of Nathan Jung (b. Nov. 29, 1946 in Bakersfield, California, d. April 24, 2021). Found out today from our mutual bro Peter Shinkoda that he passed away yesterday, and spent over 2 hours reminiscing about the man, who we miss dearly already,” posted another friend.

Jung is survived by his nephew, Keith Jung. Our deepest condolences go out to Nathan Jung’s loved ones during this difficult time.

For more on this topic head to Film & TV Observer.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine