Andrew Koenig
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Andrew Koenig | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joshua Andrew Koenig |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director, editor, writer |
| Years active | 1973–2010 |
Joshua Andrew Koenig (Template:Pron-en; August 17, 1968 – c. February 25, 2010),[1] also known as Josh Andrew Koenig or Andrew Koenig, was an American character actor, film director, editor and writer. He was the son of actor Walter Koenig known for his role Pavel Chekov in Star Trek.[2]
Career
Koenig played Richard "Boner" Stabone, a recurring role in the first four seasons of the ABC sitcom Growing Pains. From 1985 to 1989 he played best friend to Kirk Cameron's Mike Seaver on the series, which was a Top 10 Nielsen ratings hit.[3] During the same period, he guest starred on episodes of other successful series, the sitcoms My Sister Sam and My Two Dads and the drama 21 Jump Street.
In the early 1990s he provided a voice for the animated series G.I. Joe as Ambush and Night Creeper Leader, and had a minor role as Tumak in "Sanctuary," a 1993 episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. [4]
Five years before Heath Ledger played the role in the big-budget The Dark Knight, Koenig took the character of The Joker back from the colorful camp of Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson to the convincingly creepy, maniacal intellect of the graphic novels in the well-received fan film Batman: Dead End (2003).[5][6] Directed by commercial director Sandy Collora, the short received its first screening at the San Diego Comic-Con International.[7][8] Director Kevin Smith called it "possibly the truest, best Batman movie ever made".[9]
Onstage, he starred as the M.C. in the 2007 interactive theater play The Boomerang Kid[10] and performed with the improv group Charles Whitman Reilly and Friends.
Though he continued his performing career including acting in the independent film The Theory of Everything (2006), Koenig worked increasingly behind the scenes. He wrote, produced and/or directed the shorts Good Boy (2003) and Woman in a Green Dress and Instinct vs. Reason (2004). Most recently he was working as an editor on a number of films and had been a video producer for the award-winning podcast Never Not Funny (2006-2010). His final role was in the film DaZe: Vol. Too — NonSeNse, in production at the time of his death, with Koenig portraying the Vice Chancellor.
Personal life
Andrew Koenig was the son of actor Walter Koenig, who at the time of Andrew's birth was playing Pavel Chekov in Star Trek, and his wife, Judy Levitt.[11] Andrew's sister Danielle Koenig is married to stand-up comedian Jimmy Pardo.
In his book Where I Shall Dwell in The Next World, writer Harlan Ellison spoke of the young Andrew — by his given first name of Josh — as being the inspiration for his story Jeffty Is Five.[12]
My friends Walter and Judy Koenig invited me to a party. I don’t like parties. I do like Walter and Judy. I also like their kids. I went to the party.
Mostly I sat near the fireplace, friendly but not ebullient. Mostly I talked to Walter and Judy’s son, Josh, who is remarkable beyond the telling. And then I overheard a snatch of conversation. An actor named Jack Danon said — I thought he said — something like this — ‘Jeff is five, he’s always five.’ No, not really. He didn’t say anything like that at all. What he probably said was, ‘Jeff is fine, he’s always fine.’ Or perhaps it was something completely different.
But I had been awed and delighted by Josh Koenig, and I instantly thought of just such a child who was arrested in time at the age of five. Jeffty, in no small measure, is Josh: the sweetness of Josh, the intelligence of Josh, the questioning nature of Josh.
Thus, from admiration of one wise and innocent child, and from a misheard remark, the process that not even Aristotle could codify was triggered."[13]
The story went on to win the 1977 Nebula Award and the 1978 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.
Humanitarian work
Koenig traveled to Burma in July 2007 and visited Burmese refugee camps in Thailand with his father as part of the U.S. Campaign for Burma. The following January, he protested the Communist Party of China's political and financial support of the military dictatorship in Burma during the 119th Tournament of Roses Parade, entering the parade and standing in front of a Chinese float promoting the 2008 Beijing Olympics after allegedly a pre-parade human rights march agreed to by parade officials was stifled by them. Koenig, who carried a sign reading "China: Free Burma" in both English and Chinese, was arrested and briefly held for his act of civil disobedience. Koenig's defense attorney was Bill Paparian, a fellow protester and former mayor of Pasadena, California, where the parade is held.[14]
"China sits on the UN Security Council and they have refused to condemn Burma. China purchases gas from Burma and sells them weapons that the military uses on the Burmese people. So they are really quite complicit, and that was the whole point of protesting the China float," Koenig explained. Burma's constitution has been suspended since 1988; it has become a source for human trafficking, forced labor and sexual exploitation, and is second to Afghanistan in the production of opium, according to the CIA.[15] Koenig also noted the Chinese government's implicit support of genocidal forces in Sudan, sweatshops and tainted export products, saying of the float, "China is putting on a good face because of the Olympics, but [it’s time to] send a message to the Chinese government that they have to not just change their face, but change the way they do things.”[16] The Pasadena Weekly reported "In September, the government violently suppressed protests by pro-democracy activists, Buddhist monks and others reacting to a spike in fuel prices. The UN and Amnesty International reported severe beatings and torture of detainees, which included opposition leaders and journalists," and quoted Koenig as stating, "Their free speech rights have been totally censored. As a country with a Constitution and a Bill of Rights, we need to continue to support and enforce ours, and [use it to] recognize the rights of human beings all over the world."[17]
Death
In February 2010, Koenig was reported missing by friends and family.[18] He was last seen near a bakery in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on February 14, and missed a scheduled flight back to the U.S. on February 16.[19] According to his parents, Koenig left evidence that he was depressed prior to his disappearance.[20] On February 25, 2010, it was reported by CNN that his body was found by friends searching for him in Stanley Park in Vancouver.[21] Police later confirmed Koenig's body was found earlier in the day, and Koenig's father told reporters at an evening press conference that his son took his own life.[22]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Adam-12 | Little Boy | Episode: "Rampart Division: The Senior Citizens" (uncredited) |
| 1985–1989 | Growing Pains | Richard "Boner" Stabone | 25 episodes |
| 1987 | My Sister Sam | Episode: "Go Crazy" | |
| 1988 | 21 Jump Street | Wally | Episode: "Champagne High" |
| 1989 | My Two Dads | Jon | Episode: "You Can Count on Me" |
| 1990 | G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero | (unknown episodes) | |
| 1993 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Tumak | Episode: "Sanctuary" |
| 2003 | Batman: Dead End | The Joker | Fan film |
| 2006 | The Theory of Everything | Scott | Direct-to-video |
| 2008 | InAlienable | Emil | Feature film |
| 2010 | DaZe: Vol. Too (sic) - NonSeNse | Vice Chancellor | post-production |
References
- ^ Confirmed: Andrew Koenig's Body Found
- ^ Body of missing actor Andrew Koenig found in Vancouver's Stanley Park
- ^ http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1986.htm
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0069487/
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374526/usercomments
- ^ http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/4789/
- ^ http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=3252
- ^ http://www.collorastudios.com/projects/bde/bdemain.htm
- ^ "Batman: Dead End date = January 2, 2004". JoBlo.com. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Missing pipe in:|title=(help) - ^ http://www.lasplash.com/publish/Los_Angeles_Performances_116/The_Boomerang_Kid--You_ll_Keep_Coming_Back.php
- ^ Andrew Koenig - Missing. You Can Help!
- ^ http://wheredoyougetyourideas.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/harlan-ellison/
- ^ http://wheredoyougetyourideas.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/harlan-ellison/
- ^ http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/ready_for_a_fight/5735/
- ^ http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/ready_for_a_fight/5735/
- ^ http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/?id=5514&IssueNum=105
- ^ http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/ready_for_a_fight/5735/
- ^ Andrew Koening missing
- ^ Phipps, Keith (February 21, 2010). "Actor Andrew Koenig missing in Vancouver". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
- ^ Has anyone seen Andrew Koenig? "Boner" from "Growing Pains" missing since 2/14 in Vancouver
- ^ "Missing actor's body found in Vancouver park, source says". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System. February 25, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-news-andrewkoenig0225,0,2887351.story Andrew Koenig's Body Found In Vancouver Park; Father Says Actor Committed Suicide
External links
- Recent deaths
- 1968 births
- 2010 deaths
- 20th-century actors
- 21st-century actors
- 20th-century American people
- 21st-century American people
- 21st-century film directors
- Actors from California
- Actors who committed suicide
- American child actors
- American film actors
- American film directors
- American film editors
- American television actors
- American voice actors
- People from Los Angeles, California
- Suicides in British Columbia