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Lorine Mendell (born 23 August 1954; age 69) is the former actress who portrayed the recurring background character Diana Giddings during the seven year run of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She also worked as first unit stand-in and photo double for actress Gates McFadden on The Next Generation and the seventh feature film Star Trek Generations. Mendell received no on-screen credit for her appearances.

Giddings and Martinez

Mendell with her brown wig in "The Next Phase"

Her sciences division Starfleet jumpsuit was sold off at the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1] For some unknown reason, Mendell was wearing a brown wig during her brief appearance in sickbay in the fifth season episode "The Next Phase".

Lorine Mendell in Webster

Mendell in Webster

Mendell reprised her role as Diana Giddings for the final episode of Webster, titled "Webtrek", in 1989. Filmed during the second season of The Next Generation, she shared her bridge scenes with Michael Dorn, James G. Becker, and Dexter Clay as well as Webster star Emmanuel Lewis. Outside of the Star Trek productions, Mendell had a background role as a bar patron in the Cheers episodes "Let Sleeping Drakes Lie" (1988, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Rudy Morrison, Rebecca Soladay, Lee Allen, Mark Reilly, Ilona Wilson, and Joseph Paz), "The Sam in the Grey Flannel Suit" (1988, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Vince Howard, Lee Allen, Robert Buckingham, Jay Crimp, Mark Reilly, and Rebecca Soladay), "The Big Kiss-Off" (1988, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Joseph Paz, Joey Banks, and Mark Reilly), "Bar Wars II: The Woodsman Strikes Back" (1988, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Joel Polis, Robert O'Reilly, Lee Allen, Mark Reilly, Rebecca Soladay, Joseph Paz, Marianne Lewis, Lee Faranda, and Conrad Hurtt), "Hot Rocks" (1989, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Mark Reilly, Lee Allen, Rebecca Soladay, Marianne Lewis, and Joseph Paz), "What's Up, Doc?" (1989, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Renna Bogdanowicz, Lee Allen, Mark Reilly, and Joseph Paz), "A Bar Is Born" (1989, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Lee Allen, Rebecca Soladay, John Rice, Melba Gonzalez, Michael Wilkinson, David B. Levinson, Natalie Wood, and Casey Kono), "The Two Faces of Norm" (1989, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Keith Rayve, Joel Schultz, David B. Levinson, Melba Gonzalez, Ivonne Perez, Michael Zurich, Michael Braveheart, and Rebecca Soladay), "Death Takes a Holiday on Ice" (1989, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Lee Allen, Michael Braveheart, Lee Faranda, Melba Gonzalez, Mark Lentry, Cole McKay, Ivonne Perez, Gene Poe, Keith Rayve, Lynn Salvatori, and Rebecca Soladay), and "For Real Men Only" (1989, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Mark Reilly, Rebecca Soladay, Keith Rayve, Michael Braveheart, Randy James, Denise Lynne Roberts, and Richard Sarstedt), as Mrs. Osborn, on-screen wife to Vaughn Armstrong's character, in the Cheers episode "Golden Boyd" (1989, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Richard Doyle, Lee Allen, Mark Reilly, Lee Faranda, Renna Bogdanowicz, Lemuel Perry, Gayle Frank, Rebecca Soladay, and Joseph Paz), and was featured as "Woman #2" in the Hunter episode "Return of White Cloud" (1989, with Charles Hallahan, Frank Salsedo, Bruce Davison, and James Whitmore, Jr.). She also worked with Randy James on Night Court.

In addition, Mendell worked as a stand-in for the following guest stars on The Next Generation:

On Friday 23 September 1994, Mendell worked as stand-in for Alicia Coppola on the Star Trek: Voyager pilot episode "Caretaker". She also worked as stand-in for Martha Hackett on the first season episodes "Phage", "Emanations", and "Prime Factors".

Born as Lorine C. Mendell in Pasadena, California, she attended the College of DuPage in Chicago, Illinois between 1972 and 1974 and the Benet Academy in Lisle, Illinois. She married her husband Thomas Stoikowitz and is today known as Lorine Stoikowitz. Prior to her work for Paramount Pictures, Mendell worked eight years as promoter and Director for Trade Relations at MCA/Universal Music. [2]

After her seven year run on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Mendell began working as a project coordinator for Nestlé USA in 1994 and left the company twelve years later, in 2006. In November 2006 she started to work as a regional marketing manager for Gentle Transitions of California, a company dealing with families overwhelmed by the relocation of a family member to all types of retirement facilities. Mendell has also worked as the Zest Gala Sponsorship Co-Chair at the Pasadena Senior Center since 2010 and also volunteers with several elder care organizations. [3]

Star Trek appearances[]

Appearances as Diana Giddings[]

External links[]

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