Home → Familiar faces → Arlene Martel
1936—2014 · three parts, and Spock’s bride
Arlene Martel
Casting directors called Arlene Martel the Chameleon: her looks and her way with accents let her play almost anyone. Star Trek fans know her as T’Pring, Spock’s betrothed — opposite Leonard Nimoy, who would later play a Columbo killer. In Columbo itself she has three parts.

Parts in Columbo
| Episode | Season | Year | Character | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Greenhouse Jungle 2×02 | 2 | 1972 | Gloria | 7.5 |
| Double Exposure 3×04 | 3 | 1973 | Tanya | 9 |
| A Friend in Deed 3×08 | 3 | 1974 | Salesgirl | 9.5 |
Three parts
Gloria in The Greenhouse Jungle — the “pretend girlfriend” of the murdered nephew, Tony Goodland. Tanya in Double Exposure and a salesgirl in A Friend in Deed.
Before Columbo: two Twilight Zone episodes, The Outer Limits, and Star Trek, where she played T’Pring in “Amok Time” (1967).
Facts
- T’Pring, Spock’s betrothed in Star Trek — opposite future Columbo killer Leonard Nimoy.
- In The Greenhouse Jungle she plays the victim’s pretend girlfriend.
- Known in Hollywood as the Chameleon.
More familiar faces
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John Finnegan
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Bruce Kirby
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Vito Scotti
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Cast data from TMDB. Biographical details from open reference sources.