Gerald R. Fleck est mort à 56 ans dans son sommeil le 4 septembre 2003 lors du pré-tournage du onzième épisode da la saison trois de la série Enterprise « North Star » …après plus de 11 années à collaborer à l’aventure cinématographique de Star Trek. La production a suspendu les tournages le 15 septembre pour honorer sa mémoire... L’épisode « Extinction » fut dédié à sa mémoire...

Fleck, Gerald R.

A memorial service for Gerald R. Fleck, first assistant director of the "Enterprise" series, will be conducted at 1:30p.m. Sunday, September 21 at the Rincon Beach Club, Carpinteria. Jerry Fleck died Sunday September 14, of unknown causes at his home in Saugus. He was 55. Visitation will be 12 noon to 4p.m. Saturday at the Eternal Valley Memorial Park Mortuary, Newhall. Jerry Fleck was born in Chicago in 1947 to Ed and Joan Fleck late of Santa Barbara. When the family moved to Santa Barbara in 1955 he attended Our Lady of Guadalupe and Bishop High. During his years there, while serving as student body president and achieving the Eagle Scout rank, he displayed a talent for singing and acting, starring in school productions of "The King and I" and "Carousel," and with the Santa Barbara Youth Theater in "Man of La Mancha." He continued his theater studies at Santa Barbara City College and Long Beach State, and won a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York City. After graduation he appeared in numerous theater productions throughout the eastern states for several years. In the mid-70s he began assisting in the production of feature films and episodic television with Sun Classic Pictures, notably "The Life & Times of Grizzly Adams." Throughout the 1980's he was an assistant director on many television series, including "Matt Houston," "Hardcastle and McCormick," "The A-Team," and "Hunter." He was an assistant director on such feature films as "Beetlejuice" and "Edward Scissorhands." He joined Paramount Studios 11 ½ years ago as first assistant director on "Star Trek The Next Generation." He continued with "Star Trek Voyager," and most recently "Enterprise." He had an integral role in the production of these episodic television series, as well as working as an assistant director on two of the recent Star Trek feature films, "First Contact" and "Insurrection". Loved and respected by many in his profession, Jerry was a member of the Directors Guild of America and was affectionately known as "the best AD in Hollywood." He is survived by his wife Katy of Saugus, son Simon of Sherman Oaks, daughter Emily of Santa Barbara, brother Michael of New Zealand, and sister JoAnne of Boise, Idaho. Jerry's family has requested in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made in his name to The Humane Animal Rescue Team, P.O. Box 920, Fillmore, CA 93016, or to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, 5001 Angel Canyon Dr., Kanab, UT 84741-5000

Published in the Los Angeles Times on Sept. 18, 2003