Beloved Twin Peaks actor and Star Trek: Discovery guest Kenneth Welsh has passed away at age 80

Kenneth Welsh as Senna Tal in Star Trek: Discovery “Forget Me Not”

MAY 8, 2022 - Actor Kenneth Welsh, who played Admiral Senna Tal in the Star Trek: Discovery episode “Forget Me Not” and whose voice was transmitted from a beacon in the prior episode “People of Earth”, has passed away at age 80. Welsh’s death was confirmed by the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) via social media over the weekend.

The announcement read, “ACTRA Toronto is extremely saddened today by the passing of Kenneth Welsh. Ken was one of Canada’s all-time great performers, with hundreds of memorable roles spanning decades. He will be greatly missed. Our condolences to his loved ones.”

A staple in the film and television industries for nearly 60 years, Welsh began studying the acting craft at the National Theatre School of Montreal before spending several years on stage with the distinguished Stratford Festival. In the 1960s, Welsh made the jump to television in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation experimental series Shoestring Theatre. From there, he appeared in numerous television series and a plethora of TV movies including Loose Ends, Empire, Inc., and The Twilight Zone.

In 1990, Welsh was cast as FBI agent Windom Earle in the short-lived, but well respected Twin Peaks. While the actor only appeared in 10 of the series’ 48 episodes, the Earle character became a central figure, cementing Welsh’s name in the lexicon of science fiction. Welsh later appeared in well known productions such as Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Timecop, The X-Files, Law and Order, Legends of the Fall, and The Day After Tomorrow before coming to Star Trek: Discovery in its third season.

Discovery actor Patrick Kwok-Choon posted a message to fans regarding Welsh’s passing in a tweet which reads, “Saddened to hear about the passing of Kenneth Welsh. Ken played Admiral Senna Tal in season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery.”

Saddened to hear about the passing of Kenneth Welsh. Ken played Admiral Senna Tal in season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery. ❤️#StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery #SennaTal pic.twitter.com/6pIluRIVXq

— Patrick Kwok-Choon (@KWOK_ROCK) May 6, 2022

Welsh is survived by his son, musician and songwriter Devon Welsh. Like Kwok-Choon, Devon Welsh also responded to his father’s passing on Twitter in a statement saying, “My dad passed away on Thursday peacefully at home. I will always love him beyond words. He lived a wonderful life, he was the best father I could have asked for, and he touched so many lives. Please make a toast, watch a film/TV show he was in, celebrate a giant of acting”.