Angelique Pettyjohn was a versatile and charismatic actress who appeared in various genres of film and television, from comedy to sci-fi to horror. She is best known for her role as Shahna, the drill thrall who trained Captain Kirk in the Star Trek episode “The Gamesters of Triskelion”. She was also a burlesque star who performed in Las Vegas and later ventured into adult entertainment. Sadly, she died of cervical cancer at the age of 48 in 1992. Here is a brief overview of her life and career, and how she succumbed to the disease that took her away.
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Early Life and Career
Angelique Pettyjohn was born Dorothy Lee Perrins on March 11, 1943, in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in a family of performers and began dancing at a young age. She started her career as a dancer in the late 1950s and appeared in several popular television shows of the time, such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Red Skelton Hour .
She made her film debut in 1967 under the name Angelique, in the low-budget movies The Touch of Her Flesh and The Love Rebellion . Her big break came that same year when she co-starred with Elvis Presley in the musical comedy Clambake . She also tested for the role of Nova in Planet of the Apes, but lost it to Linda Harrison .
Star Trek and Other TV Roles
In 1968, Pettyjohn landed the role that made her famous among sci-fi fans: Shahna, the thrall trainer of Captain Kirk in the Star Trek episode “The Gamesters of Triskelion” . She wore a silver bikini and a blonde wig for the part, and had a memorable fight scene with William Shatner . She later said that she enjoyed working with Shatner and that he was very professional .
Pettyjohn also appeared on other 1960s television shows, such as Mister Terrific; The Green Hornet; Batman; Love, American Style; The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.; and Get Smart . In the latter, she played Charlie Watkins, a male CONTROL agent who disguised himself as a woman .
Exploitation and Adult Films
In the late 1960s and 1970s, Pettyjohn’s film career shifted to low-budget exploitation films, where she often played sexy or violent roles. Some of her movies from this period include The Mad Doctor of Blood Island, Hell’s Belles, The Curious Female, The G.I. Executioner, and Bordello . She also starred in Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon, a drama with Liza Minnelli .
In the early 1980s, Pettyjohn moved to Las Vegas and worked as a burlesque dancer . She also made use of her buxom figure in hardcore adult films, such as Titillation, Stalag 69, and Body Talk . She used different pseudonyms for these films, such as Angelique, Heaven St. John, and Angel St. John .
Comeback and Death
In the mid-1980s, Pettyjohn’s career got a boost from the growing popularity of Star Trek conventions. She began attending these events and selling posters of herself in and out of her Shahna costume . She also got small roles in cult films like Repo Man, Biohazard, and The Wizard of Speed and Time .
Pettyjohn overcame alcoholism and drug abuse and put her life back on track . She also became more spiritual and studied metaphysics . However, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1989 . She refused conventional treatment and opted for alternative medicine instead . She died on February 14, 1992, in Las Vegas .
