Without a doubt, one of the most well-known TV actresses of the 1970s is Barbara Luna.
Now in her eighties, she’s still remembered as one of the best actresses of her generation
and of course, one of the most beautiful.
Barbara Luna has had an interesting life and career and without a doubt – she’s also
been one of the most popular actresses of her time.
When one utters her name, the image of her in a bikini in a steamy Star Trek scene comes
to mind.
But, few of us know about Barbara Luna’s life journey and how she became a successful
actress.
Join FactsVerse to learn about Barbara Luna’s life and career and why she wore a bikini
in her steamy Star Trek scene…
BARBARA LUNA’S EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Barbara Ann Luna was born in either 1936 or 1937 in Manhattan, New York.
Her family background was rather mixed as she had a grandmother from Spain and another
from Italy.
Her mother was born in Hungary and her father was born in the Philippines.
This diverse and unique background is what made her gain her exotic looks – which would
help her in her career later.
Not much is known about her childhood but it’s clear that she fell in love with performing
at a young age.
She appeared in the Broadway production of South Pacific while still in her teens and
this contributed to her love for acting.
She later appeared in plays such as The King and I & Teahouse of the August Moon.
She began her screen career in the 1950s.
In 1954, she first appeared in an episode of The New Adventures of China Smith – in
the episode entitled ‘The Proverbs of Shen-Tze.’
However, this wasn’t enough to garner her more work and she went another 4 years before
landing another television role.
Her next role was as Lily Yu in a 1958 episode of Mike Hammer.
The episode was entitled “So That’s Who It Was.”
While perhaps not groundbreaking television today, it was one of the early examples of
seeing an Asian-American character and a storyline involving the Chinese American community on
a popular show.
Barbara Luna was certainly groundbreaking in helping create more opportunities for ethnic
minorities on television.
She continued to get small roles in various TV shows throughout 1958.
Her big break was when she was cast as Theresa Modesto in the show Zorro.
She played this role only for 4 episodes but this was enough for her to garner mainstream
attention.
Her acting career had now truly begun and she was on her way to becoming both a television
and film star.
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in her steamy Star Trek scene, please like this video and subscribe to FactsVerse for
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BARBARA LUNA’S FILM AND TELEVISION CAREER
In 1959, Barbara Luna made her film debut in a film called Cry Tough.
This was a B-movie about a Puerto Rican former criminal who tries to leave behind his criminal
past.
Her role was a small one and it wasn’t enough to garner more attention from interested film
producers.
She continued to find roles in television, and often, these were one-off appearances
that didn’t lead to recurring roles.
She appeared in popular TV shows such as The Texan, Bonanza, Tales of Wells Fargo, and
Death Valley Days.
It wasn’t until 1960 that she found a role in a film again.
The film was Elmer Gantry which was a huge hit.
However, she had a small and uncredited role as a prostitute which did nothing to further
her career in cinema.
She continued appearing in bit parts in TV shows such as Lock Up, Have Gun – Will Travel,
Stagecoach West, Gunslinger, and Adventures in Paradise.
Throughout the 1960s, she continued to find small roles in television – never appearing
in more than 3 episodes at a time.
She also appeared in a TV movie called Calhoun: County Agent which was released in 1964.
She returned to try her hand at cinema again in 1965.
She appeared in in the drama film Synanon which followed a group of recovering addicts.
This was a serious film and it showcased Barbara Luna’s excellent acting abilities.
She was part of an all-star cast and she still managed to hold her own.
The same year she acted in the war film Ship of Fools.
She was once again a part of a great ensemble of stars and though her role was small, this
role got her wider notice – as this was the biggest film she’d worked on so far.
After that, her career was only uphill.
While she focused mainly on television, she also had occasional film roles in great films
such as Che!, The Gatling Gun, Prologue to Wounded Knee, Mannix, Love American Style,
and Marcus Welby MD.
By the time the 1970s came around, she was one of the most recognized faces on American
television despite the fact that she focused mainly on smaller roles and that few of these
were recurring roles.
But without a doubt, one of the most well-known roles in her career was when she appeared
in the Mirror, Mirror episode in the second season of Star Trek.
WHY BARBARA LUNA WORE A BIKINI IN HER STEAMY STAR TREK SCENE
Barbara Luna appeared in the 4th episode of the 2nd season of Star Trek – an episode
titled ‘Mirror, Mirror’ and is now hailed as one of the best Star Trek episodes of all
time.
While this was her only appearance in the original series, her character remains one
of the most well-known characters in the history of the show.
She played Lieutenant Marlena and part of the role involved her wearing a bikini in
one steamy scene.
Part of the reason, of course, was to attract viewers and to keep with the theme of a steamy
scene with William Shatner.
But another reason was because Barbara Luna was feeling ill when she was shooting this
episode.
One day, she woke up with a high fever and she had even lost a lot of weight.
The intended costume didn’t fit her, and it was clear that there needed to be an outfit
change.
The only outfit on hand that fit her was a bikini!
This costume choice was unintended, but it led to this episode as being one of the most
famous in the history of the series.
This is the scene that made Barbara Luna into a sex symbol.
While she’s had a diverse and prolific career, this is one of the scenes that Barbara Luna
is most remembered by.
BARBARA LUNA’S LATER LIFE
Let’s wrap up to explore some of Barbara Luna’s other prominent films and TV shows
and what she’s up to today.
One of the first TV shows where Barbara gained prominence in following her Star Trek appearance
was The FBI.
She appeared in 4 episodes of the show, one before her Star Trek appearance.
Each time she played a different character and each time her performance was lauded by
fans and by her colleagues.
The episodes she appeared in were “Special Delivery” “The Gray Passenger” “The
Extortionist” and “The Young Warriors.”
It wasn’t until 1985 that she finally managed to land a recurring role on a TV series.
She appeared as Anna Ryder in 195 episodes of the popular soap opera Search for Tomorrow.
Later, she appeared in 8 episodes of the show One Life to Live.
Her last major role was as Sydney Jacobs in the show Sunset Beach in 1998.
The previous year she appeared as Mrs. Wing in the feature film Fool’s Paradise.
In 2015, she appeared in the feature film Superseven Unchained and in 2020 she played
herself in a film called Unbelievable!!!
She also appeared in two episodes of a reboot of Star Trek called Star Trek Phase II.
One episode was in 2004 and the other was in 2011.
Almost 50 years since her first appearance in Star Trek, she was still one of the most
famous characters in the show – despite the fact that she only appeared in one episode.
Barbara Luna’s career has been prolific though, unlike most actors and actresses,
it’s been focused mainly on small roles and non-recurring roles in TV shows.
Nevertheless, she’s been recognized as one of the hardest-working actresses of her generation.
Today, she’s in her eighties and is still considered a sex symbol and loved for her
perseverance.
There’s not much information on whether she’s retired or whether she’s going to
continue appearing in films and television shows.
But regardless of her choice, she’s had a great career and a second look at her works
are in order!
If you’re a fan of Barbara Luna, consider re-watching “Mirror, Mirror” and give
her other TV shows and films a watch as well.
If you aren’t familiar with her career, now is the best time to discover her talents.
OUTRO
So, now let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of Barbara Luna?
Have you seen the famous episode in Star Trek where she wore the steamy bikini?
In fact, here’s what we want to know from you:
Do you think that Barbara Luna is still popular among newer generations and is she still a
sex symbol?
Or do we need to re-introduce her work, especially in light of the recent Star Trek film versions?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
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