Antoinette Bower, the actress who played the shape-shifting alien Sylvia in the original Star Trek, died on April 30, 2026, at a senior residence in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles. She was 93. Her longtime friend Carlotta Glackin confirmed her death, which was not made public until July. No cause was given.
From Baden-Baden to Hollywood
Bower was born in Baden-Baden, Germany, on September 30, 1932, to an English father and a German mother. She built a career on stage and screen that took her to Hollywood, where she became one of the most recognizable guest stars of 1960s television.
Star Trek and The Twilight Zone
Her best-remembered role came in the 1967 Star Trek episode “Catspaw”, in which she played Sylvia, an alien who takes the forms of a woman and a black cat to toy with Captain Kirk and his crew. She also appeared in The Twilight Zone, the chase drama The Fugitive and, later, Murder, She Wrote and the acclaimed miniseries The Thorn Birds.
Neon Rider
Late in her career Bower took on a recurring role as Fox Devlin in the Canadian drama Neon Rider, staying with the series for three seasons from 1989 to 1992 before stepping away from acting.