Grace Lee Whitney was an American actress and singer. She was known for her role as Janice Rand on the original Star Trek television series and subsequent Star Trek television series and films, as well as for her appearances at Star Trek events.
Whitney was born Mary Ann Chase in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was adopted by the Whitney family, who changed her name to Grace Elaine. She started her entertainment career as a girl singer on Detroits WJR radio at the age of fourteen. After she left home, she began to call herself Lee Whitney, eventually becoming known as Grace Lee Whitney. In her late teens, she moved to Chicago and where she opened in nightclubs for Billie Holiday and Buddy Rich, and toured with the Spike Jones and Fred Waring Bands.
Source: Wikipedia