Merritt Butrick

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Merritt Butrick
Born	Merritt R. Butrick September 3, 1959(1959-09-03) 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 who was known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk's son David Marcus in the movies Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. He also appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Symbiosis". Earlier in his career he starred as "Johnny Slash" Ulasewicz in the sitcom Square Pegs. He also appeared in the 1982 comedy Zapped! and the cult film Fright Night II (1988), and as Barbara Hershey's hillbilly son in the 1987 drama Shy People.

Early life and career

Butrick was born in Gainesville, Florida and was an only child. He graduated from Tamalpais High School, where he was known as Ritchie, in Mill Valley, California, in 1977.^[1] He attended the California Institute of the Arts for acting, but was told by his college instructors that he didn't have the skill or talent to make it as an actor, and was later dismissed. Determined to prove them wrong, he shortly thereafter was cast in Square Pegs, which, although it was cancelled after only one season, garnered a large following and reputation, in part due to the fact that Saturday Night Live alumni were involved. On the strength of this, he was called in for his first Star Trek appearance. Director Nicholas Meyer has commented in interviews, saying how he felt Merritt's appearance was plausible casting as he had the blonde look of his screen mother Bibi Besch, combined with his curly hair resembling screen father William Shatner.

Whilst Star Trek is what Butrick will be best remembered for, he had success in episodic work for television and TV movies as well as several more high profile movies appearing in films that also starred Danny DeVito, Robert Mitchum, Alec Baldwin and Judge Reinhold. However, he also received critical acclaim from Time magazine for his final performance in the play Kingfish, in which he played a ditzy, petulant muscle-boy prostitute, which played in LATC in Los Angeles.

Death and legacy

Butrick died of AIDS on March 17, 1989 at the age of 29.^[2]

In 2008, Square Pegs was released on DVD, which 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: The Search For Spock costar Robin Curtis offered similar praise on the DVD commentary for that film. Director Nicholas Meyer, who had directed Butrick in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, paid tribute to him in a small scene in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, when Captain Kirk puts a photograph of his murdered son on his desk.

Filmography

References

External links

• Merritt Butrick at the Internet Movie Database
• Merritt Butrick at Allmovie
• Merritt Butrick at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Merritt Butrick at TV.com
• Merritt Butrick at Find a Grave
• Merritt Butrick fansite
• Merritt Butrick at Find a Death