Robert Scheerer

As an actor, Robert Scheerer enjoyed his greatest success on the Great White Way making an award-winning debut in 1948's "Lend an Ear." Television directing however turned out to be the career choice that allowed Scheerer to make his biggest mark on the landscape. He was a member of the Jivin' Jacks, a dance troupe that appeared in a number of 1940s Universal films including "Moonlight in Vermont" and "Always a Bridesmaid." Scheerer turned to television, making his directorial debut on an episode of the 1960 Spike Jones sitcom, "Swinging Spiketaculars." By the end of the decade, the California native had won an Emmy for "The Danny Thomas Show" and received further Emmy nods for his work on specials featuring Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand. And while Scheerer directed the occasional motion picture, including the little-seen 1970 Michael Douglas vehicle "Adam at Six A.M." and the 1973 Disney feature "The World's Greatest Athlete," television provided his greatest stream of work. By the 1980s, the former song-and-dance man was awash in directorial work, including two years on "Fame" (for which he earned three Emmy nods), a five-year stint working on "The Love Boat," and a number of prime time soaps including "Dynasty," "The Colbys," and "Falcon Crest." While "Matlock" was an employer from 1989 through 1995, Scheerer also worked extensively in the "Star Trek" universe of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Star Trek: Voyager," and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."