- Merritt Butrick
-
Merritt Butrick 
Born Merritt R. Butrick
September 3, 1959
Gainesville, Florida, U.S.Died March 17, 1989 (aged 29)
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Occupation Actor Years active 1981–1989 Merritt R. Butrick (September 3, 1959 – March 17, 1989) was an American actor, known for his roles on the 1982 teen sitcom Square Pegs, in two Star Trek feature films, and a variety of other acting roles in the 1980s.
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Early life and career
Butrick was born in Gainesville, Florida and was an only child. He graduated in 1977 from Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California.[1] He attended the California Institute of the Arts for acting, but was dismissed from the school.
His first screen role was as a rapist in two 1981 episodes of the police drama Hill Street Blues.
He was cast as "Johnny Slash" Ulasewicz, a major supporting character in the 1982 teen sitcom Square Pegs, which received critical praise but was cancelled after 20 episodes (one season).
While Square Pegs was in pre-broadcast production, Butrick was cast to play David Marcus, the physicist son of James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his former lover Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch), in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He continued the role in the follow-up film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, in which the character was killed. He later appeared as T'Jon, the captain of a cargo vessel rescued by the crew of the Enterprise in "Symbiosis", a 1988 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Meanwhile he appeared in the 1982 comedy film Zapped!, the 1988 horror film Fright Night II, and as Barbara Hershey's hillbilly son in the 1987 drama Shy People. He had a variety of guest roles in episodic television and in TV movies.
He received critical praise from Time magazine for his performance at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in the play Kingfish, in which he played a ditzy, petulant muscle-boy prostitute. It was his last acting role.
Death and legacy
Butrick died of AIDS-related toxoplasmosis on March 17, 1989, at the age of 29.[2] He has at least two panels dedicated to him as part of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, both referencing his role as David Marcus.[3][4]
The 2008 release of Square Pegs on DVD included a featurette dedicated to Butrick, in which his co-stars, including Jami Gertz and Sarah Jessica Parker, and show creator Anne Beatts, paid tributes to and recounted anecdotes about Butrick.
Butrick's Star Trek III costar Robin Curtis offered similar praise on the DVD commentary for that film. Director Nicholas Meyer, who had directed him in Star Trek II, included a scene in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (filmed after Butrick's death), in which Captain Kirk puts a photograph of his murdered son on his desk.
Filmography
Film Year Film Role Notes 1982 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Dr. David Marcus Zapped! Gary Cooter 1984 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Dr. David Marcus 1985 Head Office John Hudson 1986 Wired to Kill Reegus Alternative title: Booby Trap 1987 Shy People Mike 1988 Death Spa David Avery Alternative title: Witch Bitch Fright Night II Richie 1991 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Dr. David Marcus (Picture only) Television Year Title Role Notes 1981 Hill Street Blues Rapist 2 episodes Splendor in the Grass Glenn Television movie CHiPs Kevin Whalen 1 episode 1982–1983 Square Pegs Johnny Slash 20 episodes 1983 When Your Lover Leaves Aaron Scott Television movie 1984 Fame Billy Christiansen 1 episode Sweet Revenge Captain Paul Dennison Television movie 1985 Promises to Keep Reg Television movie 1986 Blood & Orchids Duane York Television movie Stagecoach Lieutenant Blanchard Television movie When the Bough Breaks Tim Kruger Television movie 1987 Vietnam War Story Siska 1 episode Beauty and the Beast Shake 1 episode The Law & Harry McGraw 1 episode 1988 Why on Earth? Oscar Television movie Jake and the Fatman Taylor Fleming 1 episode Star Trek: The Next Generation T'Jon 1 episode Hooperman 1 episode 1989 From the Dead of Night Rick Television movie References
- ^ Tamalpais High School Alumni Directory 2002. Purchase, New York: Bernard C. Harris Publishing Company. 2002.
- ^ Donnelley, Paul (2005-11-01). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries (3 ed.). Omnibus Press. pp. 225. ISBN 1-844-49430-6.
- ^ http://173.165.165.36:591/FMRes/FMPro?-db=search%20the%20quilt.fp5&-sortfield=block%20number&-format=ZFormVw.htm&-lay=Large%20Display&-max=1&-skip=1273&-token=25&-find
- ^ http://173.165.165.36:591/FMRes/FMPro?-db=search%20the%20quilt.fp5&-format=ZFormVw.htm&-lay=Large%20Display&-max=1&-skip=2961&-token=25&-find
External links
- Merritt Butrick at the Internet Movie Database
- Merritt Butrick at AllRovi
- Merritt Butrick at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
- Merritt Butrick at Find a Grave
- Merritt Butrick fansite
Categories:- Actors from Florida
- AIDS-related deaths in California
- American film actors
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- People from Gainesville, Florida
- 1959 births
- 1989 deaths
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