David Gautreaux (born June 28, 1951) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

stage, television and film actor, perhaps best known for work he never did – the role of

Vulcan Vulcan may refer to: Mythology * Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...

science officer Xon in the proposed ''

Star Trek: Phase II ''Star Trek: Phase II'' was the initial working title for what officially became titled ''Star Trek II,'' an unproduced American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as a sequel to (and continuation of) the original ''S ...

'' 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 (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Career

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

Man From Atlantis ''Man from Atlantis'' is a short-lived American science fiction/fantasy television series that ran for 13 episodes on the NBC network during the 1977–78 season, following four television films that had aired earlier in 1977. Ratings success by ...

'', ''

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 focu ...

'', ''

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

'', ''

T. J. Hooker ''T. J. Hooker'' is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982, on ABC and ran on the network un ...

'', ''

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'', '' ER'', ''

Rules of Engagement Rules of engagement (ROE) are the internal rules or directives afforded military forces (including individuals) that define the circumstances, conditions, degree, and manner in which the use of force, or actions which might be construed as pro ...

'', ''

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

Franklin & Bash ''Franklin & Bash'' is an American 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 executive refe ...

'' and ''

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''.

''Star Trek: Phase II''

When

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

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 eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' series in 1977,

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...

declined to reprise his role of

Spock Spock is a Character (arts), fictional 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 ''Enterprise ...

. 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 ''The New York Times, 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 Constell ...

, 1997, Pocket Books,

Partial filmography

*'' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979) - Commander Branch *''

The Hearse ''The Hearse'' is a 1980 American supernatural horror film directed by George Bowers and starring Trish Van Devere and Joseph Cotten. It follows a schoolteacher from San Francisco who relocates to a small town in northern California to spend the ...

'' (1980) - Tom Sullivan *''

Troop Beverly Hills ''Troop Beverly Hills'' is a 1989 American comedy film. It is produced by the Weintraub Entertainment Group and directed by Jeff Kanew, starring Shelley Long, Craig T. Nelson, Betty Thomas, Mary Gross, Stephanie Beacham and introducing Jenny Lewis ...

'' (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 with ...

'' (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