Winrich Kolbe

Winrich Ernst Rudolf Kolbe (9 August 1940 – September 2012)[1][2] was a German-born American television director and television producer best known for directing 48 episodes of Star Trek across four television series. These included the Hugo Award-winning "All Good Things...". He also directed the series premiere of Star Trek: Voyager, "Caretaker", and was involved in the casting of the series.

Winrich Kolbe
Born
Winrich Ernst Rudolf Kolbe

(1940-08-09)9 August 1940
Germany
DiedSeptember 2012 (aged 72)
United States
NationalityGerman–American
OccupationTelevision director · Television producer
Years active1975–2011
AwardsHugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (1995)

Early life

Winrich Kolbe was born in Germany.[3] He came to the United States to study architecture.

Career

Military service

Kolbe was drafted during the Vietnam War. He served as an artillery spotter in the army.

Television

Following his service in the Military he began his career in television during the 1970s,[3] and he was the associate producer for Battlestar Galactica.[4] He also directed an episode of the series, "Baltar's Escape".[5] Prior to his work on Star Trek, he worked on a variety of series including episodes of Knight Rider and Spenser: For Hire starring Avery Brooks, who he would go on to direct once again in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.[6][7]

Star Trek

Kolbe directed 48 episodes of Star Trek across four series, including The Next Generation (16 episodes), Voyager (18 episodes), Deep Space Nine (13 episodes) and Enterprise (1 episode).[8] These included the series finale of TNG, "All Good Things...",[9] which was awarded the 1995 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (long form).[10]

He directed the series premiere of Voyager, "Caretaker",[11] for which he was involved in the casting. One of the most notable issues that he was involved in overseeing was the casting of the Captain, and was one of the staff members pushing for a female Captain against the wishes of Paramount Pictures. He said that "We did make some attempts to look at male actors for the part when time was running out and it seemed that we might have a problem, but every time a male read for Janeway, I couldn't quite get my head into it. There is a difference a woman would bring that we all felt was important."[12] He later said of the casting of Kate Mulgrew after Geneviève Bujold dropped out of the role, "She is very feminine, but she can handle any situation. I would follow her. She really is wonderful."[12]

His sole episode of Enterprise was "Silent Enemy".[8]

Teaching

He worked as a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design after he retired from directing in 2003 and retired from that post in 2007.[13]

Personal life

During the early years of Voyager, he dated Kate Mulgrew for about three years.[8]

Death

He died in September 2012 after several years of failing health.[8]

Legacy

Following his death, a Memorial Award in his name was awarded in 2013 as part of the Savannah College of Art and Design's film and television department's SCADemy Awards.[14][15]

Selected filmography

Television director

Television producer

References
  1. Obituary: Winrich Kolbe (1940–2012) bei classictvhistory.wordpress.com, abgerufen am 26. Oktober 2012
  2. "Winrich Kolbe" (in German). IMDb. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  3. "Kolbe Passes". TrekNation. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  4. "Winrich Kolbe". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  5. Porter, Lynette R.; Lavery, David; Robson, Hillary (2008). Finding Battlestar Galactica: An Unauthorized Guide. Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks. p. 270. ISBN 978-1402212116.
  6. Lentz, Harris M. (2012). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2012. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 158. ISBN 978-0786469949.
  7. "Brooks, Avery". Star Trek.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  8. "Remembering Winrich Kolbe, 1940–2012". Star Trek.com. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  9. "'Next Generation' wraps up small-screen voyage". Sun Journal. 23 May 1994. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  10. "1995 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  11. Spelling, Ian (16 January 1995). "Kolbe commands 'Voyager' premiere". Record-Journal. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  12. Gross, Edward (January 1995). "Maiden Voyage". Cinescape. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  13. Leao, Gustavo (28 October 2012). ""All Good Things..." Director Winrich Kolbe Dies at Age of 71". TrekWeb. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  14. "SCAD to hold annual SCADemy awards". WTOC 11. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  15. "2013 SCADemy Awards". 16×9 SCAD Film Collective. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
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