Roddenberry, Gene

Roddenberry, Gene (Eugene Wesley Roddenberry), 1921–91, American television writer and producer, b. El Paso, Tex. After being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for flying 89 missions and sorties in World War II, Roddenberry worked as a pilot and police officer. He joined the television industry as a scriptwriter, eventually becoming head writer for the series Have Gun, Will Travel. In 1966 he created Star Trek, which became a cultural icon. The show spawned several feature films and further television series.

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Roddenberry, Gene

 in full Eugene Wesley Roddenberry

(born Aug. 19, 1921, El Paso, Texas, U.S.—died Oct. 24, 1991, Santa Monica, Calif.) U.S. television and film producer. He worked as a pilot (1945–49) and police officer (1949–53) before becoming a writer for television series such as Dragnet and Dr. Kildare. He created the idea for the Star Trek series and produced the show from 1966 until it ended in 1969; later rerun in syndication, it developed a durable cult following among fans known as “Trekkies.” He produced six Star Trek movies, and from 1987 to 1991 he produced the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.