57: Meet Star Trek's Original Gorn, Stuntman Bobby Clark!

When people think of Star Trek aliens that don't look human, chances are the first thought that pops into their head is the Gorn. This verdant bruiser left an indelible mark on Trekkies since he debuted and remains a signature part of the series to this day. In this episode of Trek Untold, we chat with Bobby Clark, a stunt performer who performed four times in the original Star Trek, along with a list of other roles across many Westerns, crime dramas, and plenty of other TV shows & films during his very active career. Bobby Clark first appeared in the 1967 TOS episode "Arena," where he was the primary actor to wear the Gorn suit and fight against William Shatner's Captain Kirk. Learn how Clark got the role, what the suit was like, sparring with Shatner in arguably the most iconic fight scene in Star Trek history, and memories of his time at Vasquez Rocks.  Clark followed that up with three more appearances in TOS, "Mirror Mirror" as a guard who gets shot by Trek Untold alumni Garth Pillsbury, "Return of The Archons" as a crazed towns-person, and "The Apple" as a follower of Vaal, who tussles once again with Kirk, but this time painted as a jumbo-sized Oompa-Loompa. We chat about his many Star Trek memories, his background, and how he got into the stunt business, working with Hal Needham, Gene Lebell, Charlie Picerni, Vince Deadrick, Joseph Penvey, and others in this fascinating discussion about a time in Hollywood when stunt performers had a very different lifestyle than they do today. Visit Pancan.org to support the Trek against Pancreatic Cancer Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notifications button to be updated when we go live or upload our next video! Support Trek Untold by checking out our merchandise at https://teespring.com/stores/trekuntold or become a Patreon at Patreon.com/TrekUntold. Trek Untold is sponsored by Triple-Fiction Productions, a US-based company that 3-D prints Trek-inspired prop replicas for fan films and cosplayers, as well as accessories and playsets for all iterations of Trek figures through the years. Visit them at Triple-Fictionproductions.net.   Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave a rating if you like us!     The views expressed on air during Trek Untold do not represent the views of the RAGE Works staff, partners, or affiliates.   Follow Trek Untold on Social Media Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trekuntoldTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/trekuntoldFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/trekuntold Follow Nerd News Today on Social Media Twitter: Twitter.com/NerdNews2DayInstagram: Instagram.com/NerdNewsTodayFacebook: Facebook.com/NerdNewsToday Trek Untold is sponsored by Treksphere.com, powered by the RAGE Works Podcast Network, and affiliated with Nerd News Today.