About
Gene Roddenberry, born Eugene Wesley Roddenberry on August 19, 1921, in El Paso, Texas, and died on October 24, 1991, in Santa Monica, California, was an American screenwriter and producer, best known for creating the Star Trek franchise. After serving as a B-17 pilot during World War II, he worked as an airline pilot and then as a Los Angeles police officer before turning to television writing. He created the original Star Trek series (1966-1969) and served as executive producer of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994). He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985 and was posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2010.
* 1921-08-19 — † 1991-10-24
Major works
- Star Trek (1966)TV series
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)TV series
Key milestones
- 1941-1945Served as a B-17 pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, flying 89 combat missions.
- 1966Created Star Trek, which premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966.
- 1985First television writer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Themes
Space explorationHumanismDiversity and inclusionTechnological optimismConflict and diplomacy
Sources: id.loc.gov · britannica.com · mopop.org