Mourning the loss of three TREK alumni

[Rico]

09.12.2007
Three Members of Trek Family Mourned

Three members of the Star Trek family â€" an actor, a writer and a costumer â€" have recently passed away.

Percy Rodriguez was "Commodore Stone," the commander of Starbase 11 who presided over the trial of James T. Kirk in the Original Series episode "Court Martial." Rodriguez died last Thursday, September 6, of complications from kidney disease, according to his talent agency and various reports. He was 83.

A Canadian of Afro-Latino descent, the veteran film, TV and stage actor was the first black actor to play a flag officer (with a rank of commodore or above) in the Star Trek franchise. He would go on to play "Primus Isaac Kimbridge" in Gene Roddenberry's 1973 TV movie "Genesis II," and also guest-star on Mission: Impossible, the Planet of the Apes TV series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Peyton Place, "Roots: The Next Generations," T.J. Hooker, Benson and many other shows.

One of his most iconic roles was that of the narrator of the "Jaws" trailers in 1975. "That ominous, basso rumbling that coldly threatened us with talk of a bloodthirsty creature that roamed the deep evocatively raised audience's fears before they even had a chance to see the film. That anticipation and excitement for 'Jaws' was unequivocally due to the vocal work of voice artist Percy Rodrigues," writes this article at SpielbergFilms.com (using an alternate spelling of his name).

Rodriguez recently came out of his 20-year retirement to grant an interview and to narrate the trailer for a new documentary about the impact and legacy of "Jaws," called "The Shark is Still Working." You can see that trailer and a tribute to Rodriguez at SharkIsStillWorking.com.

Denny Martin Flinn co-wrote "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" with Nicholas Meyer, and authored a sequel to that film in the form of Trek novel "The Fearful Summons." Flinn died on August 24 in Woodland Hills, Calif., of complications from cancer. He was 59.

Besides his Star Trek connection, Flinn was also accomplished as a Broadway actor and a versatile author. He performed in the Pearl Bailey company of "Hello, Dolly" and the national companies of "A Chorus Line" and "Fiddler on the Roof" (along with Theodore Bikel, "Sergey Rozhenko"), among others. He wrote and directed the musical "Groucho," which toured the country for two years. He first collaborated with Meyer when he choreographed a ballroom sequence for Meyer's 1988 film "The Deceivers." He also shares Meyer's interest in Sherlock Holmes, having authored two mystery novels featuring the detective's grandson.

Two of Flinn's most popular books were non-fiction: "How Not To Write a Screenplay" and "How Not To Audition." His final book, "Ready for My Close-Up!: Great Movie Monologues," will be released on October 15. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Jerry Bono was a key costumer on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He died on August 31 in Sherman Oaks, Calif. at the age of 65.

Hailing from Illinois, Bono trained as an actor at the Pasadena Playhouse, and then while serving in the Army organized and performed in several stage shows. After his military stint, he worked at a Hollywood Blvd. clothing store, which â€" according to a Variety obituary â€" led to his first job in wardrobe, a "Star Trek" holiday special (the Variety article did not specify whether this was the "25th Anniversary Special" of 1991, the MTV "Star Trek Logs" special also in 1991, or something else). From there Bono joined TNG in its fifth season, and then moved over to DS9 when it premiered.

Bono also worked on TV shows such as Air Wolf and B.J. and the Bear, and feature films such as "The Vanishing" and "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" starring Whoopi Goldberg. He also served on the executive board of the Pasadena Playhouse Alumni & Associates. He is survived by his mother and two half-brothers.


source:
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/2306623.html