---
name: "Persis Khambatta"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/persis-khambatta"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "2 October 1948"
died: "18 August 1998"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-18T12:17:35.988397+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Persis Khambatta

Actor. Born 2 October 1948 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India. Died 18 August 1998.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 2 October 1948, Bombay, Maharashtra, India
- **Died:** 18 August 1998
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persis_Khambatta, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q432731, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001422/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1757

## Streaming the US now

- **Hulu:** [*Star Trek: The Motion Picture*](https://film.one/film/star-trek-the-motion-picture.md) (64)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Persis Khambatta was an Indian actress and model. Born in Bombay in 1948, she won the Femina Miss India title in 1965 and worked as a model before appearing in films including *The Wilby Conspiracy* (1975).

She is best known for portraying Lieutenant Ilia in *Star Trek: The Motion Picture* (1979), shaving her head for the role. The performance brought a Saturn Award nomination. Subsequent credits include *Nighthawks* (1981), *Megaforce* (1982) and *Warrior of the Lost World* (1983), together with guest roles in series such as *MacGyver*. In 1980 she became the first Indian citizen to present an Academy Award. Khambatta died in Mumbai in 1998.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, memory-alpha.fandom.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Star Trek: The Motion Picture* (1979), Fi1m 64, as Lt. Ilia / The Probe — [page](https://film.one/film/star-trek-the-motion-picture.md)

## Complete filmography (19)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman* (1993), series, as Chairperson
- *That's Action* (1990), as Colbalt (archive footage) (uncredited)
- *Phoenix the Warrior* (1988), as Cobalt, Associate Producer
- *Deadly Intent* (1988), as Francesca Slate
- *Shingora* (1986), as Roma Sinha
- *MacGyver* (1985), series, as Zia
- *First Strike* (1985), as Sylvia Kruger
- *Hunter* (1984), series, as Dhari Ziad
- *Mike Hammer* (1984), series, Acting
- *Warrior of the Lost World* (1983), as Nastasia
- *MegaForce* (1982), as Zara
- *Nighthawks* (1981), as Shakka
- *Star Trek: The Motion Picture* (1979), as Lt. Ilia / The Probe — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/star-trek-the-motion-picture.md)
- *The Man with the Power* (1977), as Princess Siri
- *Conduct Unbecoming* (1975), as Mrs. Bandanai
- *The Wilby Conspiracy* (1975), as Persis Ray
- *Kama Sutra* (1969), as Nanda
- *Bombay In The Night's Embrace* (1967), as Lily
- *Pinjre Ke Panchhi* (1966), as Amy

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/persis-khambatta