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Death

‘Star Trek’ Actress Jill Jacobson Dead at 70, Cause of Death Revealed

CultureCelebs
By Craig Garrett
December 16, 2024 | 7:47 a.m. CST
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Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Jill Jacobson, a fan-favorite actress for her roles in two Star Trek series, Falcon Crest and The New Gidget, has passed away at 70.

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Jacobson died on Sunday, December 8, at Culver West Health Center in Culver City, California, following a prolonged illness, according to her friend and publicist, Dan Harary, per Deadline.

The actress, an award-winning spokesperson for the American Cancer Society, revealed earlier this year that she overcame a two-and-a-half-year battle with esophageal cancer.

“What I went through was pretty intense,” she admitted to Jim Masters. “You can’t function, you just can’t function. And now I’m so grateful; I just want to keep going, I want to help people. It makes you want to help people.”

Jacobson is well-known to sci-fi fans for his roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1989 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1996. She also appeared in the beloved genre show Quantum Leap.

From 1985 to 1987, Jacobson also portrayed the cunning private detective Erin Jones in 22 episodes of Falcon Crest, the CBS primetime soap opera centered around a wealthy California wine dynasty. Simultaneously, from 1986 to 1987, she took on the role of Larue Wilson in The New Gidget, a sequel to the 1960s ABC sitcom starring Sally Field, which followed the adventures of a teen surfer.

Family and Co-Stars Pay Tribute to Jill Jacobson

Caryn Richman, Jacobson’s co-star in The New Gidget and a lifelong close friend, shared a heartfelt statement in remembrance of Jacobson. “Jill’s comic timing was brilliant. And her enthusiasm and love of life made our time together on set joyful,” Richman said.

Jacobson also appeared in a deep bench of other popular shows over the decades, including Days of Our Lives, Murphy Brown, Arli$, Party Down, Hung, and Castle.

A Texas native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Radio-Television-Film/Performance, she made her screen debut in the titular role of Al Adamson’s 1977 cult horror classic, Nurse Sherri. Her career continued with appearances in films such as Bad Georgia Road (1977), Forbidden Love (1982), Baby Sister (1983), and Splash (1984).

In recent years, Jacobson was a regular performer at Los Angeles venues like The Improv and The Comedy Store, where she did stand-up comedy.

“Beautiful, energetic, and positive to the end, she will be deeply missed by numerous relatives, friends, and her beloved dogs Benny and Kowalski,” her family wrote in a statement, per Deadline.