Antoinette Bower, a German-born British actress, has died at the age of 93. Her death was confirmed by her friend, Carlotta Glackin, who is the great-niece of Golden Age actor Edward Everett Horton.
Bower was best known for her role as the seductive, catlike alien Sylvia in Star Trek and her appearances in sci-fi series The Twilight Zone. She also starred alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in the 1980 mystery slasher film Prom Night, playing the mother of the Halloween icon.
Bower had a successful TV and film career spanning four decades, beginning in television in 1958 when she moved to Canada to pursue acting. She joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and appeared in early roles, including the made-for-TV film The Telltale Heart and an episode of The Unforeseen.
Her career took off in the late 50s, with recurring roles in Hudson's Bay and episodes of Heritage in 1960. Bower also showcased her talents by writing, producing, and narrating an hour-long profile of actor Barry Morse for CBC Radio that year.
Bower landed her first American series role in a 1961 episode of Hong Kong and frequently appeared on the small screen in the States. Her credits included major projects such as Columbo, Murder, She Wrote, and mini-series The Thorn Birds.
One of her most notable roles was playing Sylvia in Star Trek: The Original Series' season 2 episode Catspaw, filming her scenes in 1967. The episode, written by Robert Bloch and directed by Joseph Pevney, has been declared 'stylish' and 'silly' in rankings over the years, with some even calling it one of the 'scariest' from the franchise.
Speaking previously in an interview, Star Trek assistant director Charles Washburn praised Bower as the 'most professional actress' he'd worked with on the series.
Bower retreated from acting in 1993, but continued receiving fan mail from Star Trek fans, Glackin has shared. She had a successful career with the UN's International Refugee Organisation, helping people who were destitute after the Second World War.
A life celebration for Bower is scheduled to take place in Pasadena, California, on September 26.
