Susan Howard (born 28 January 1944; age 80) is the American actress who played Mara in the Star Trek: The Original Series third season episode "Day of the Dove". She filmed her scenes between Friday 23 August 1968 and Thursday 29 August 1968 at Desilu Stage 9.
Howard was born in Marshall, Texas, and graduated from Marshall High School in the early 1960s. She attended the University of Texas for two years, after which she moved to California, becoming a member of the Los Angeles Repertory Company. She began acting on television programs in 1966.
Outside of Star Trek, Howard is best known for playing Donna Culver Krebbs on Dallas from 1979 through 1987. This role actually began with a single guest appearance in 1979, but the producers liked her performance so much that they asked her to return, and she played the character for an additional eight years. Throughout her run on this series, she co-starred with other Trek actors, including Barbara Babcock, Joanna Cassidy, Glenn Corbett, Barry Jenner, Leigh J. McCloskey, Derek McGrath, Bert Remsen, William Smithers, Paul Sorensen, Ray Wise, and Morgan Woodward. Howard also tried her hand at writing for the series, ultimately becoming a member of the Writers Guild of America, a position which she still holds.
Prior to Dallas, Howard was a regular on Petrocelli (1974-76), playing lawyer Tony Petrocelli's wife (a role played by Diana Muldaur in the 1970 movie The Lawyer, from which the Petrocelli series was spun off). David Huddleston was also a regular on this series; the show's pilot movie, entitled Night Games, co-starred Henry Darrow. Other guest appearances on the show include William Shatner, John Colicos, Susan Oliver and Glenn Corbett among others. Howard's performance on Petrocelli garnered her nominations from both the Emmy Awards and the Golden Globes. Despite this, the series was canceled in 1976.
In addition, Howard has made guest appearances on such TV series as I Dream of Jeannie (working with Lou Antonio and Ted Cassidy), The Flying Nun (including an episode with Michael Pataki), Bonanza (with John Beck, Dean Stockwell, and Harry Townes), and Mission: Impossible (co-starring James B. Sikking and Paul Sorensen and directed by Reza Badiyi). Shortly after working with Michael Ansara on Star Trek, she appeared with him in an episode of Here Come the Brides, a series which starred Original Series guest stars Robert Brown, Mark Lenard and David Soul.
Howard reunited with her Original Series co-star William Shatner in the unsold TV pilot, Indict and Convict. Alfred Ryder and Michael Pataki appeared in this project, as well. Howard has also starred in a number of made-for-TV movies, including The Silent Gun (1969, with John Beck, Walker Edmiston, and Michael Forest), Columbo: The Most Crucial Game (1972, with James Gregory, Don Keefer and Dean Stockwell, written by John T. Dugan), and Superdome (1978, with Jane Wyatt and Michael Pataki).
She has only three feature films to her credit. The first was Moonshine County Express (1977, starring fellow Original Series guest stars Morgan Woodward and Jeff Corey). That same year, she starred in Sidewinder 1, which also featured Byron Morrow. Most recently, she co-starred with Stanley Kamel in the 1993 independent drama Come the Morning.
Other Trek connections[]
Additional television projects on which Howard has worked with other Star Trek alumni are as follows:
- Tarzan episode "Trina" (1968) with Nehemiah Persoff
- The Virginian (1969) with Parley Baer and William Windom
- Land of the Giants (1969) with Don Marshall
- Mannix (1969) with Hal Baylor and Yvonne Craig
- Mannix (1971) with Tim O'Connor
- Love, American Style segment "Love and the Baker's Half Dozen" (1971) with Susan Oliver
- Love, American Style segment "Love and the Sweet Sixteen" (1971) with Henry Gibson, Barbara Luna, and Lee Meriwether
- Savage (1973 pilot) with Bill Quinn
- Marcus Welby, M.D. (1973) with Joan Pringle
- The Rockford Files (1976) with Roger Aaron Brown and directed by Russ Mayberry
- Barnaby Jones (1973) with William Bramley, Brooke Bundy, Jonathan Lippe, Lee Meriwether, Tim O'Connor, Barry Russo, and Jerry Summers
- Most Wanted episode "Ms. Murder" (1977) with William Smithers
- Killer on Board (1977 TV movie) with William Daniels and Thalmus Rasulala
- The Fantastic Journey episode "Vortez" (1977) with Jason Evers and Ike Eisenmann
- Barnaby Jones (1977) with Lee Meriwether and Granville Van Dusen
- The Busters (1978 pilot) with Lance LeGault and directed by Vincent McEveety
- Vegas
(1979) with Roy Jenson