'Star Trek's Mickey Cottrell Dead at 79
Mickey Cottrell
Mickey Cottrell, the actor best known for his appearances in Star Trek and My Own Private Idaho, has died. He was 79.
Cottrell passed away on New Year's Day at the Motion Picture & Television Fund in Woodland Hills, according to statements made by his sister, Suzie Cottrell-Smith.
Cottrell's sister told Deadline reporters that he suffered from Parkinson’s disease. The actor and independent PR executive previously suffered a stroke in 2019 and went to live with his sister in Arkansas while he recovered, before eventually moving back to Los Angeles.
“He was the most fun brother ever,” Cottrell-Smith relayed to the outlet. “So many good memories of when I was a kid — we’d sing together, dance, just all kinds of fun things that went on all the time when he was around. … He was just so fun, full of life, entertaining. Every woman in the neighborhood adored him. He had a job when he was a teenager where he would take the bus downtown and he had to walk two or three blocks home from the bus stop, and he’d be singing and dancing all the way home. And all the ladies in the neighborhood would come outside and watch him.”
“He knew every movie ever made and every little bit actor that was in movies. It was amazing," she added. "I could just ask him the question and he always knew the answer when it came to a movie.”
Cottrell was born Sept. 4, 1944, in Springfield, Illinois, and his career spanned over 30 years, including on-screen credits and behind-the-scenes work as a publicist. One of the directors he helped bring to recognized stardom was Phillip Noyce.
"He did a lot for Phillip," his sister shared with the outlet. "When Phillip first came to Hollywood, he didn’t know anybody. Mickey was instrumental about getting his films recognized."
As for his own credits, outside of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1992), Star Trek: Voyager (1997) and My Own Private Idaho (1991), Cottrell also held roles in Ed Wood (1994), Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), The Practice (1997), Volcano (1997) and Shortbus (2006), among many others. He also produced a slew of original entertainment, including Big River Man (2009) and Perfect Cowboy (2014).
Along with his sister Suzie, Cottrell is survived by another sister named Gigi. He was predeceased by his older brother, Rod. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations go to the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
