Actor: Denise Crosby

Denise Crosby played Tasha Yar in the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation and asked to leave, feeling the character had nothing to do, which resulted in an abrupt and famously unceremonious death.

She returned in several later episodes in different roles. Pet Sematary gave her a film lead, and she directed Trekkies, a documentary about Star Trek fandom that is affectionate and not mocking.