Camille Saviola, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Kai Opaka, has passed away at 71

Camille Saviola as Kai Opaka in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

OCTOBER 31, 2021 - Broadway star and Star Trek veteran Camille Saviola passed away last week at the age of 71, Deadline.com reports. Saviola’s great niece Alyssa Romeo confirmed the sad event to Deadline, noting that she died of heart failure following a brief illness.

Saviola was known to Trek fans for her four-episode turn on Deep Space Nine as Kai Opaka, the pivotal Bajoran spiritual leader who first identified Benjamin Sisko as the foretold Emissary of the Prophets. Fellow Star Trek actor Wilson Cruz, who performed at AIDS benefits over the years with Saviola, tweeted out a tribute saying, “What a presence this woman was! My heart is heavy. My love to Camille’s family and family of friends throughout the industry. She will be missed.”

What a presence this woman was! My heart is heavy. My love to Camille’s family and family of friends throughout the industry. She will be missed. 😔 #CamilleSaviola https://t.co/fzhPiFzwa7

— Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73) October 29, 2021

Saviola had a variety of career highlights on stage and screen, making her Broadway debut in the show Nine in 1982. Her stage career also included appearing in a revival of Chicago and winning a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award in 2003 for her role in in The House of Bernarda Alba. Along with Deep Space Nine, she appeared on a number of classic TV series such as Remington Steele, JAG, ER, and Nip/Tuck. In 2006 she began a recurring role on HBO’s Entourage, playing mom to Jerry Ferrara’s character Turtle. On the big screen Saviola worked with Woody Allen often, appearing in classic films like Broadway Danny Rose and The Purple Rose of Cairo.

Please join all of us at Daily Star Trek News in expressing our sorrow and best wishes to Camille Saviola’s friends and family in her passing.