(written from a Production point of view)
Jen Oda (21 April 1983 – 25 February 2015; age 31) was an actress and model who appeared as the female Ayt in Star Trek Into Darkness. Her makeup applications were done by Brian Sipe and Dave Snyder and the sculptures by Mark Garbarino and Glen Eisner. [1]
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Oda grew up in North America, traveled extensively throughout Japan, Brazil, and the Middle East. She attended Fordham University in New York City where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Performance. She trained in acting and singing under coaches such as Karen Armstrong, Ralph Hawkens, and Diana Castle and trained in stunts and martial arts with Impact Stunts. Among her stage work in New York were plays such as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "The Imaginary Invalid", and "The Trojan Women". For her portrayal of Marguerite in Matthew Maguire's "Abandon" at the La Mama Theatre in NYC, Oda received an OBIE Award. [2]
Among Oda's earlier projects are the horror film Dead End Massacre (2004), the short film My Soul Reflection (2007), the sequel Spider-Man 3 (2007, with Kirsten Dunst, James Cromwell, Becky Ann Baker, Michael Papajohn, Gregg Daniel, Robert Curtis Brown, Paul Terrell Clayton, and Bill E. Rogers), the action film Back Stab (2007), the drama Dreamt (2010), and the short drama The Hirosaki Players (2010), as well as the television series Got Home Alive (2011), Blackout (2012, with Kevin Brief and Lee Reherman), Super Sunday (2012), and All About Lizzie (2012).
Further projects include the short film True Skin (2012), the television drama Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret (2013, with Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Tony Plana), a guest role in Real Husbands of Hollywood (2013), and a lead role as Agent Jackson in the comedy series Unnecessary Force (2014-2015).
Among her final works are guest roles in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2015) and Parks and Recreation (2015, with Adam Scott and Jim O'Heir), the horror thriller Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs (2015, with Matt Winston and directed by Tom Woodruff, Jr.), and the horror film Redstone (2015).
Oda was murdered by her husband, actor and personal trainer Vincent Maggio, on 25 February 2015 in Beverly Hills, California following a separation. Maggio then committed suicide. The couple worked together on several workout videos and on the 2013 short drama Dry Dock. [3] [4]