Kate Mulgrew
She commanded a starship through the Delta Quadrant and a prison cafeteria with the same fierce, uncompromising intelligence.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American actress and author·Birthday: April 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Kate Mulgrew possesses a voice that could order a nebula to stand down, a quality she used to make television history as the first woman to permanently captain a Star Trek series. Her Captain Kathryn Janeway was a scientist, a warrior, and a moral compass, steering 'Voyager' home for seven seasons and inspiring legions of fans. Mulgrew arrived at that role with formidable stage training and early fame as the fiery Mary Ryan on the soap 'Ryan's Hope.' After her Trek tenure, she refused to be typecast, moving seamlessly between theater, voice work, and television. Her second act triumph came as Galina 'Red' Reznikov on 'Orange Is the New Black,' where she traded a Starfleet uniform for a prison tracksuit, delivering a performance of immense depth and vulnerability. An accomplished author, her raw memoirs reveal a life as dramatic off-screen as on, marked by profound personal choices and an artist's relentless drive.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Kate was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Kate Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Kate's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played Captain Kathryn Janeway on 'Star Trek: Voyager,' becoming the first female lead captain in the franchise.
- Received a Critics' Choice Television Award for her role as Red on the hit series 'Orange Is the New Black.'
- Authored two acclaimed memoirs, 'Born with Teeth' and 'How to Forget,' detailing her life and career.
- Originated the role of Mary Ryan on the daytime drama 'Ryan's Hope,' earning an early following.
Did You Know?
She studied at the prestigious Stella Adler Conservatory in New York.
She gave a son up for adoption in her early twenties and was reunited with him decades later, a story detailed in her memoir.
She is the voice of the villainous Grand Councilwoman in Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch.'
She turned down the role of Diane Chambers on 'Cheers' before it went to Shelley Long.
She is a dedicated advocate for Alzheimer's disease research.
“I think you can be many things in this life, but you must always be brave.”
