Summary
- Robert Butler, iconic TV director of shows like Star Trek and Batman, has died at 95. He set a new standard for television production.
- His influence on Star Trek and his attention to detail resonated through the genre. He defined the tone and visuals of many series.
- Butler’s work was recognized with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award. His legacy will live on in the memories of those he influenced and mentored.
Robert Butler, whose directorial work included the pilot episodes of Star Trek, Batman and Hill Street Blues, has died at the age of 95. His death was announced by his family who shared the sad news on Saturday that the iconic director had passed away on November 3 in Los Angeles.
Butler’s career spanned several decades, and he was credited with setting a new standard for television production. After his work on the Batman TV show of the 1960s, which provided the visionary director with his big break, he immediately stepped into work on the pilot of Star Trek, a show that would change the face of science fiction television forever. His influence on the show, and his ability to apply a keen eye for detail to the fantastical storytelling of the franchise, is something that would resonate through the genre in the decades that followed.
Other shows to have benefited from Butler’s talents were Remington Steele, which he also created, Bonanza, Mission: Impossible, Columbo, Hawaii Five-O and The Waltons. He also worked on the Bruce Willis/Cybil Shepherd series, Moonlighting, and a number of TV movies.
Across his career, Butler worked in many genres, and became well known for his handling of complex character-driven narratives, and being able to define the tone and visual cues of a series in a way that made it stand out among its peers, and indeed successors.
Robert Butler Was A Celebrated Pioneer in the World of Television.
In 2015, Butler became the first recipient of the Director’s Guild of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Television Direction. DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter responded to the news of Butler’s passing with a statement (via Deadline). It read:
“Few directors have changed the face of television as much as Bob did—his impact on the medium is truly immeasurable and this loss to our Guild is deeply felt,” DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. “At ease in any genre, Bob’s pilots established the look and feel of several seminal series including Hogan’s Heroes, Batman and Star Trek. His groundbreaking work on Hill Street Blues brought to life the grit and reality of an urban precinct by coupling his unique visual style with evocative performances he coaxed from an incomparable cast, forever changing the trajectory and style of episodic procedurals. It was for his unparalleled influence in television that the Guild selected Bob for our inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Television Direction in 2015.”
The statement continued to detail Butler’s work outside of his work on screen, which included being a Guild leader for over three decades, advocating for the rights of members and acting as 5th Vice President across two terms. The final part of the statement summed it all up by saying:
“Bob’s legacy will live on in the memories of the many directors he influenced and mentored, and the countless viewers who laughed and cheered along with his exceptional work. Our deepest condolences to his family and the many Directors and Directorial team members who knew and loved him.”:
