Annie Wersching, the actress who brought to life a number of fan-favorite TV characters has sadly passed away today. Wersching most recently appeared as the villainous Borg Queen in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, a role that saw her return to the Star Trek franchise in a much bigger capacity a decade after initially making her Star Trek debut in a guest role in Star Trek: Enterprise. Wersching also had roles in popular TV shows such as 24, Bosch, and The Vampire Diaries. Away from TV, Wersching was a big part of the fast-rising The Last of Us franchise. She lent her voice and performed motion capture for the beloved role of non-player character Tess who was recently brought to live action on the HBO series by Anna Torv. Wersching was 45 years old at the time of her death.
Confirming her death to the media, Wersching‘s husband, actor Stephen Full penned a heartfelt tribute saying:
“There is a cavernous hole in the soul of this family today. But she left us the tools to fill it. She found wonder in the simplest moment. She didn’t require music to dance. She taught us not to wait for adventure to find you. ‘Go find it. It’s everywhere.’ And find it we shall. As I drove our boys, the true loves of her life, down the winding driveway and street, she would yell BYE! until we were out of earshot and into the world. I can still hear it ringing. Bye my Buddie. ‘I love you little family…'”
Wersching was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, however, she pressed on with her career and continued to take up acting gigs one of those being the Borg Queen, another iteration of the Cyborg leader of the alien species in the second season of Star Trek: Picard, a character which previously appeared in The Next Generation, Star Trek: First Contact, and as well as Star Trek: Voyager series. Wersching became the third actress to take on the role following Alice Krige and Susanna Thompson.
Annie Wersching began her career picking up bit parts in hit TV shows including Birds of Prey, Frasier, Boston Legal, and Supernatural. After recurring briefly on General Hospital, Wersching landed her first major TV gig as the FBI Special Agent, Renee Walker in Seasons 7 and 8 of the action series, 24. Her subsequent main TV roles came in Bosch, and Hulu‘s Runaways based on the eponymous Marvel Comics superhero team and set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She also appeared in the films Bruce Almighty and Below the Beltway.
Since news of her passing was made public, tributes have begun pouring in from Wersching‘s industry colleagues including Jon Cassar, the producer, and director of 24, who reflected on their time working together writing;
“My heart is broken in more pieces than I can count. Annie came into my world with an open heart and a contagious smile. Brandishing such talent, she took my breath away. Annie became more than a workmate, she became a real friend to me, my family, and every cast and crew member that worked with her. She’ll be truly missed by them and the fans she always found time to interact with. Annie you’ll be missed, you left your mark, and we’re all the better for it.”
Wersching is survived by her husband Stephen and their three sons Freddie, Ozzie, and Archie. Our deepest condolences are with her loved ones at this difficult time; if you would like to make a donation to her family’s GoFundMe you can do so here.
via Collider