Emmy-winning director Robert Butler, known for his work on TV series including Star Trek and Batman, has died aged 95.
The passing of the co-creator of Remington Steele was announced with the publication of an obituary in which it was revealed he died just two weeks short of his birthday.
The announcement read: “Robert Stanton Butler, revered television director, loving husband, devoted father and doting grandfather, passed away on November 3, 2023 in Los Angeles.”
Born on November 16 1927 in Hollywood, Butler studied at UCLA and joined the Army Ground Forces Band at the end of World War II.
File/Betty Thomas & Robert Butler during The 2001 Directors Guild Awards at Century City Hotel in Century City, California, United States. (Photo by J. Vespa/WireImage)
In the early 1950s, his work in entertainment began after kickstarting his career as an usher at CBS but with a clear determination to go as far as he could.
“He moved up to production clerk, stage manager, and then associate director, working closely with mentor directors John Frankenheimer, Franklin Schaffer, and Arthur Penn,” the obituary recorded.
“While working at CBS Television City he met Adrienne Hepburn, a “script girl” working on Playhouse 90. The two married in 1957 and remained a devoted couple for 66 years.”
Butler’s first credit as a director came in 1959 for an episode of Hennesy, starring Ron Howard and John Cooper.
File/Director Robert Butler attends the 68th Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards Feature Film Symposium at Directors Guild of America on February 6, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for DGA)
Variety reports he went on to direct for various TV shows across a broad career spanning several decades, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, and I Spy.
Butler directed the pilots for programs such as Star Trek, Hogan’s Heroes, Batman and Hill Street Blues.
He is survived by his wife Adri, his son and daughter, and his grandsons Rainer and Liam.