Angelique Pettyjohn

Born Dorothy Lee Perrins in Los Angeles, California on March 11, 1943, Angelique Pettyjohn began modeling at a very young age. She also took advantage of her living in the locus of "American Dreams" by studying acting. Pettyjohn made her movie debut at age 21, under the name "Angelique", in the low-budget The Love Rebellion (1967), before tasting the big-time, co-starring opposite "The King", Elvis Presley, in the forgettable Clambake (1967). This was her first appearance in an A-list movie, and this led to small roles in other big-budget films. However, her fame as a thespian lies with her work on the small screen, appearing in memorable roles on Get Smart (1965) and Star Trek (1966). In 1967, she appeared on the former in a recurring role as Charlie Watkins, imaginatively dubbed "Agent 38", to highlight her twin assets to the less-enlightened and obtuse in the audience. Charlie was a man disguised as a woman, and Angelique succeeded. After testing for the role of Nova in Planet of the Apes (1968) (the role went to a producer's girlfriend), she won the role that made her an immortal among fans of science fiction: Shahna in the episode The Gamesters of Triskelion (1968). The episode, which ran in the second season of the cult series, featured her as an alien who helps Captain James T. Kirk perform as a gladiator for the pleasure of a powerful clique of aliens-captors. Angelique's character had been bred by the aliens, specifically, to participate in the gladiatorial contests. Assigned to Kirk as an instructor, she prepares him for combat, but naturally falls for him. Kirk then uses this ruse to free all of the thralls, and does not leave the planet until he gets a promise that they will be educated and no longer be subjected to the whims of their former overlords. The episode is a favorite of Star Trek fans and, although Pettyjohn would later reap the benefits of the role by appearing in countless Star Trek fan conventions in the distant future, at the time, this led exactly nowhere for her career. She continued in the bimbo sexual desire in such cinematic horrors as Hell's Belles (1969), The Curious Female (1970) and Bordello (1974). Her career was strictly in movies churned out for drive-ins and the exploitation circuit. In the early 1980s, she appeared as a stripper in Las Vegas, Nevada but soon abandoned her avocation as an ecdysiast and softcore star for hardcore porn. Titillation (1982), Stalag 69 (1982) and Body Talk (1982) featured Pettyjohn, billed as either "Angel St. John", "Heaven St. John", or under her old moniker, "Angelique". The burgeoning Star Trek cult, bolstered by the series of movies released by Paramount beginning in 1979, allowed Pettyjohn to quickly ditch her hardcore career. She began working Star Trek conventions to earn her keep, selling posters of herself, in and out of her sexy outfit from "The Gamesters of Triskelion". Her appearance on the circuit raised her profile in the movie industry. Indie film directors, who knew of her earlier work in low-budget exploitation fare, began hiring her for small roles in their films. She appeared in such indie features as Repo Man (1984), Biohazard (1985) and The Wizard of Speed and Time (1988). Eventually, Pettyjohn's fame grew and she began headlining science fiction conventions as the main guest of honor. She overcame alcoholism and drug abuse to put her life on an even keel, overcoming the low self-esteem that had led her to her pornographic appearances. She resided in a cabin in the backwoods of Virginia. Pettyjohn appeared at her last science fiction convention in autumn 1989. Las Vegas had offered her a chance to cash in on her cult notoriety as an exotic dancer, and she took this; she was 46 years old, but still beautiful and vivacious, doing what made her happy, performing for a live audience. Angelique Pettyjohn died of cervical cancer at age 48 on February 14, 1992 in Las Vegas, Nevada.