David Gautreaux (born June 28, 1951) is an American stage, television and film actor, perhaps best known for work he never did – the role of Vulcan science officer Xon in the proposed '' Star Trek: Phase II'' television series. When the series was aborted, he was given the role of Commander Branch in '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture''.

Early life

Gautreaux was born in

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

Career

He has guest-starred in numerous television series including ''

Man From Atlantis ''Man from Atlantis'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero television series that ran on the NBC network from 1977–78. It began as four TV movies that aired in Spring 1977. The movies achieved high ratings which led to the commissioning ...

'', ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show f ...

'', ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'', '' T. J. Hooker'', '' L. A. Law'', '' ER'', '' Rules of Engagement'', ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, to Decem ...

'', and '' The Beast''. He played recurring roles on ''

Franklin & Bash ''Franklin & Bash'' is an American legal comedy drama television series created by Kevin Falls and Bill Chais. The series starred Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as unconventional lawyers and longtime friends. A Turner Broadcasting exec ...

'' and ''

Damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognized at ...

''.

''Star Trek: Phase II''

When

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

announced plans to make a new ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' series in 1977,

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy ( ; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes Development of Spock, originating Spock in Star Trek: T ...

declined to reprise his role of

Spock Spock is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. He first appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star Trek'' series serving aboard the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), USS ''Enterpri ...

. The character of Lieutenant Xon – a 22-year-old full Vulcan officer – was created to fill the void. The series was to premiere in 1978, but the studio decided to instead bring the franchise back as a motion picture. With Nimoy now on board, Gautreaux was given the small role of Commander Branch, leader of Epsilon 9, a space station destroyed by the "V'Ger" cloud early in the film.''Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series'', by

Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are a ''New York Times''-bestselling husband-and-wife writing/producing team. In June, 2013, at the Constellation Awards ceremony in Toronto, the writing couple were honored with the Constellation Award for "Ou ...

, 1997, Pocket Books,

Partial filmography

*'' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979) - Commander Branch *'' The Hearse'' (1980) - Tom Sullivan *'' Troop Beverly Hills'' (1989) - Mr. DiBlasio *''Animal Instincts II'' (1994) - Phillip *''The Zone'' (1995) - Rich Hazen *''Decaf'' (1996) *''

Ghost Whisperer ''Ghost Whisperer'' is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon ( Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate w ...

'' (2007) - Erwin Sembrook

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gautreaux, David American male television actors Star Trek: Phase II 1951 births Living people 20th-century American male actors American male film actors