Rod Roddenberry

Rod Roddenberry

Roddenberry with his wife Heidi
Born Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Jr.
(1974-02-05) February 5, 1974
Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation Television producer
Spouse(s) Heidi Roddenberry
Children 1
Parent(s) Gene Roddenberry
Majel Barrett

Eugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry Jr. (born February 5, 1974)[1] is an American television producer and the chief executive officer of Roddenberry Entertainment.

Early life

Roddenberry was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Majel Barrett and writer and producer Gene Roddenberry, who is best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek.[2] Roddenberry went to the John Thomas Dye School in Bel Air and Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood.[3] and then attended Hampshire College in the early 1990s.

As a young man, Roddenberry was not closely familiar with Star Trek, having never even watched it. In 1991, when Roddenberry was 17 years old, his father died, after which he began to more closely examine Star Trek and discover "what made the series special" to its fans.[4] Roddenberry struggled initially with his father's near legendary stature among Star Trek fans, commenting, "A son cannot identify with a mythical figure; my father was put up on this pedestal throughout my life." However, as Roddenberry heard many moving stories about his father's flaws and follies, he observed, "That allowed me, as a son, not just to connect with him, but actually love him."[2]

Career

In 2001, Roddenberry became chief executive officer of Roddenberry Entertainment, which builds upon his father's work, and develops multimedia science fiction properties including comics, television and film projects, including the television documentary Trek Nation, which debuted on Science in November 2011.[5]

In mid-2009, the Los Angeles Times reported that Roddenberry approved of the 2009 Star Trek film by J. J. Abrams. Roddenberry opined that the producers and writers "made Star Trek cool again" with the film.[6]

In November 2011, Science premiered Trek Nation, a Roddenberry Entertainment documentary that Roddenberry both produced and starred in, which chronicles his 10-year journey to explore his father's life. The undertaking inspired him to fully embrace the vision Gene Roddenberry had for the future, which he expressed through the founding of The Roddenberry Foundation in 2010. The Roddenberry Foundation funds innovative solutions to critical global issues in science and technology, the environment, education and humanitarian advances.

In October 2011, The Roddenberry Foundation, which was founded by Rod Roddenberry, made its largest gift of $5 million to the J. David Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco to establish the Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine.[2] The Roddenberry Foundation believes that the center's innovative technology that converts adult skin cells into life-changing stem cells will radically advance the fight against Alzheimer's and heart disease.[7]

In 2010, Roddenberry, an avid scuba diver since 1993, founded the Roddenberry Dive Team, to allow people "to embark on undersea experiences and discover the diversity beneath the ocean." Roddenberry leads the dive team in its exploration of underwater worlds and hopes to inspire stewardship of the world's oceans. Roddenberry, who holds a Divemaster certification, has led or participated in more than 1,000 dives from exotic locations around the world.[2][5]

Filmography

Year Film/Series Role Notes
1990 Star Trek: The Next Generation Production assistant
1997 Earth: Final Conflict Writer (technical advisor) Produced through his production company, Roddenberry Entertainment
2004–2011 Star Trek: New Voyages Consulting producer Star Trek fan series
2011 Trek Nation Producer and star Documentary chronicling Roddenberry's exploration of his father's work. Includes interviews with fans, Star Trek alumni and notable celebrities such as George Lucas, J. J. Abrams and Seth MacFarlane.
2012 "White Room: 02B3" Executive producer A 15-minute, 360-degree narrative short film starring Breckin Meyer, Tamlyn Tomita, David Blue and Rachel True

References

  1. ↑ Majel Barrett star trek.com
  2. 1 2 3 4 Truitt, Brian (November 28, 2011). "Roddenberry put 'Star Trek' light-years ahead". USA Today.
  3. ↑ "Where SciFi Begins". Roddenberry.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  4. ↑ Harshnini Vakkalanka (July 12, 2012). "Trekking to a new world". The Hindu.
  5. 1 2 Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry (April 23, 2010). "Bios: Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry". Roddenberry.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  6. ↑ Whitmore, Linda (August 6, 2009). "The Roddenberry stamp of approval". The Los Angeles Times.
  7. ↑

External links

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