<div><p>Filmmaker Robert Butler passed away earlier in the month on November 3 at 95 years old, according to <span><a data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/robert-butler-dead-batman-star-trek-hill-street-blues-1235644907/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/robert-butler-dead-batman-star-trek-hill-street-blues-1235644907/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the Hollywood Reporter</a></span>.<br></br></p><p>A director of film and TV, Butler directed the pilot episodes for both the <span><a data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;Internal link&quot;,&quot;https://gizmodo.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-amazing-batman-66-1611012986&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]" href="https://gizmodo.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-amazing-batman-66-1611012986">1966 <em>Batman </em>series</a></span> starring the late Adam West and the original live-action <span><a data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;Internal link&quot;,&quot;https://gizmodo.com/star-trek-the-original-series-must-watch-episodes-1842651855&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]" href="https://gizmodo.com/star-trek-the-original-series-must-watch-episodes-1842651855"><em>Star Trek </em>series</a></span> in 1988, in turn setting the tone for both shows that they’re now well-known for. While his time with <em>Trek </em>technically ended there—he’s credited as director for part two of <em>Trek’s </em>“The Menagerie,â€ as most of that episode reuses footage from the unaired pilot “The Cageâ€—he went on to direct six <em>Batman </em>episodes overall. All of those were early on in season one and consisted of two-parters which introduced the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) in “Hi Diddle Riddler/Smack in the Middleâ€, the Penguin (Burgess Meredith) in “Fine Feathered Finks/The Penguin’s a Jinx,â€ and George Sanders’ Mr. Freeze in “Instant Freeze/Rats Like Cheese.â€</p><p>Butler directed a <em>lot </em>of television, and much of his filmography consisted of genre shows such as <em>The Twilight Zone</em> (“Caesar &amp; Me,â€ “The Encounterâ€), and <em>Mission: Impossible </em>(“The Mind of Stefan Miklosâ€). In 1993, he directed the pilot episode to <em>Lois &amp; Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, </em>and served as one of the executive producers on that show. He was nominated for an Emmy multiple times for directing episodes of <em>Lois, Remington Steele </em>(which he co-created), and won one for the pilot of <em>The Blue Knight. </em>His final episode of directed TV was for the 2001 Lifetime series <em>The Division.</em></p><p>He was similarly busy in films, having directed many theatrical or made-for-TV movies like 1975's <em>Strange New World, </em>1969's <em>The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, </em>and 1988's <em>Out of Time. </em>In 2015, the Directors Guild of America granted him a Lifetime Achievement Award for television direction.</p><p>“Robert Butler was an adoring father, grandfather, uncle, friend and teacher, who shared his zeal for film, jazz, books, tennis, and model rocket,â€ <span><a data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/robert-butler-obituary?id=53568617&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/robert-butler-obituary?id=53568617" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his family</a></span> wrote. “Annual family vacations to La Jolla and the California desert were an important family tradition. He never went anywhere without his Pentax camera loaded with Kodak Tri-X film.â€<br></br></p><p>“Few Directors have changed the face of television as much as Bob did—his impact on the medium is truly immeasurable and this loss to our Guild is deeply felt,â€ wrote the <span><a data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https://www.dga.org/News/PressReleases/2023/231111-DGA-Statement-on-the-Passing-of-Robert-Butler.aspx&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]" href="https://www.dga.org/News/PressReleases/2023/231111-DGA-Statement-on-the-Passing-of-Robert-Butler.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DGA</a></span> in its own statement. “At ease in any genre, Bob’s pilots established the look and feel of several seminal series including <em>Hogan’s Heroes</em>, <em>Batman</em> and <em>Star Trek. </em>[...] Bob’s legacy will live on in the memories of the many Directors he influenced and mentored, and the countless viewers who laughed and cheered along with his exceptional work. Our deepest condolences to his family and the many Directors and directorial team members who knew and loved him.â€</p><p>Butler’s family has invited others to send their condolence <span><a data-ga="[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/robert-butler-obituary?id=53568617&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/robert-butler-obituary?id=53568617" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a></span>.</p><hr></hr><p>  <em>Want more io9 news? 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