Victor Lundin

Victor Lundin
Born (1929-12-08)December 8, 1929
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died July 2, 2013(2013-07-02) (aged 83)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names Vic Lundin, Raymond Moses
Years active 1958–2013

Victor Lundin (December 08, 1929 – July 02, 2013) was an American character actor who appeared in the 1964 film Robinson Crusoe on Mars as Friday. He appeared in films directed by Robert Wise and George Stevens, as well as television series such as Batman and The Time Tunnel. He is remembered for having portrayed the first Klingon seen on screen in the Star Trek franchise.

Early life

Lundin was born in Chicago, Illinois, on Dec 8, 1929.[1] His father was from a German American background, and his mother was English. He wanted to work in films from a young age, after enjoying watching films at the cinema where his father worked. While attending Lane Technical College Prep High School,[2] Lundin trained as an opera singer and was on the baseball team.[2][3] During this time, he would take on small roles on radio productions being produced in Chicago, such as Mystery Theater and Captain Midnight.[2] He began to play semi-pro baseball as a pitcher for the Skokie Indians, but an injury to his throwing arm in his second game ended his career.[2]

Lundin began to study music at Roosevelt University, but after a year won a part in the Lyric Opera of Chicago's performance of Don Giovanni, which created an opportunity for him to study abroad in Italy. But he turned this down, instead opting to move to California to pursue his acting dream.[2] He went on to attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles,[3] where he graduated with a B.A. in Communications Arts and Literature.[1] He began to find work in Hollywood, not as an actor but as a singer. He appeared on the variety show Hootenanny as a folk musician, and made 24 appearances on The Red Rowe Show in this same capacity. He recorded a handful of songs, later explaining, "We had a couple turntable hits, but the distribution was poor. They didn't get enough going in sales to do an album."[2]

Acting career

While pursuing his acting career, Lundin also worked as a salesman and a food distributor. He became known for his portrayal of tough men on screen, as well as Native Americans. By Lundin's own estimation, he made more than a 100 different film and television appearances from the late 1950s to the late 1960s.[2] These included such roles as Machine Gun Kelly in the 1960s film Ma Barker's Killer Brood. During the early 1960s, he worked with two Academy Award winning directors, Robert Wise and George Stevens. With Wise, he appeared in the director's 1962 film Two for the Seesaw, and in Stevens' The Greatest Story Ever Told in 1965. Lundin appeared in a number of other films around this same period, including Promises! Promises! (1963) and Beau Geste (1966). In 1964, he also starred in one of the lead roles in Robinson Crusoe on Mars as Friday.[3] During this period, he also worked as a singing coach, working with Lucille Ball for a period but he said "I couldn't teach her anything. She was such a heavy smoker--she was like a basso profundo."[2]

Lundin appeared in several 1960's science fiction and superhero television series such as Batman as one of the Penguin's henchmen, and as Chief Standing Pat in separate episodes. In 1967, he appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Errand of Mercy",[3] the first time that the Klingons made an appearance in the Star Trek franchise. Lundin portrayed the Klingon Lieutenant, and became the first Klingon to be seen on screen by virtue of walking into frame moments before John Colicos' Kor.[4] Lundin had previously auditioned for the role of Spock, which went to Leonard Nimoy instead.[2] He also appeared in other series such as The Time Tunnel, and later in his career in Babylon 5.[4] He was a regular at science fiction conventions, and continued to sing professionally, including making an appearance on a cruise in the early 2000s.[2]

Personal life and death

Lundin married Christa Friedlander in 1961 and had three children; two sons and a daughter.[1] The marriage ended in 1972 and he retained custody of their 3 children. He raised his three children alone and later met Amelia Pryharski with who he would spend the last 20 years of his life. He was involved with charities, including the Child Welfare League of America.[2] Lundin died following a lengthy illness on July 02, 2013,[3] in Thousand Oaks, California.[1]

Partial filmography

Feature films

Year Title Role Other notes Ref
1959 The Miracle Sergeant (uncredited) [5]
1960 Ma Barker's Killer Brood Machine Gun Kelly as Vic Lundin [3]
1962 Two for the Seesaw Beat Singer (uncredited) [3]
1963 Island of Love Henchman [3]
1963 Promises! Promises! Tuglio [3]
1964 Robinson Crusoe on Mars Friday [3]
1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told Centurion Guard (uncredited) [3]
1966 Beau Geste Vachiaro as Vic Lundin [3]
1966 Time Tunnel Kanuso (native on Kratora) "Crack of Doom"
1967 Hondo And The Apaches Silva, an Apache villain Two episodes from the TV series Hondo, edited together and released as a single feature. [6]
1976 Super Seal Man on pier (uncredited) also credited as writer and producer [5]
2002 Fatal Kiss Abraham Van Helsing [5]
2006 The Theory of Everything Gene [5]
2007 Revamped Professor Van Dyke [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Victor R. Lundin". Legacy.com. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Smith, Ulysses (June 28, 2001). "Bit by Bit". Chicago Reader. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Barnes, Mike (July 16, 2013). "Actor Victor Lundin Dies at 83". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Remembering Star Trek's First Klingon, Victor Lundin, 1930–2013". StarTrek.com. July 18, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Lentz, Harris M. (2014). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2013. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 228. ISBN 078-6-4766-5-6.
  6. ↑ "Hondo and the Apaches (1967)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
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