(written from a Production point of view)
Buzz Barbee (13 October 1913 – 30 October 2013; age 100) [1] was an actor who appeared as Ambassador Fox's aide in the Star Trek: The Original Series first season episode "A Taste of Armageddon". Barbee, who received no credit for this appearance, filmed his scenes on Wednesday 28 December 1966 and Friday 30 December 1966 at Desilu Stage 10. On the call sheet, Barbee is listed as "1 Man – Fox Official". [2] Barbee's name and measurements also appear on a fitting sheet of William Ware Theiss for the episode "Amok Time" though Barbee cannot be seen in the final episode. [3] Barbee also appeared as a maiden voyage official in Star Trek Generations.
Barbee was a professional touring ice skater and a well-known background actor and member of the Screen Extras Guild (SEG) in the Motion Picture Industry for six decades. Among his earliest known work are extra roles as a passerby in the drama Mildred Pierce (1945, with Dorothy Hack and Shep Houghton), as a club patron in the crime drama Mr. District Attorney (1947, with Noble Chissell and Lars Hensen), as a soldier in the comedy I Was a Male War Bride (1949, with Kenneth Tobey), as an apartment party guest in the music drama Jailhouse Rock (1957, with Al Cavens, Noble Chissell, Dick Dial, Shep Houghton, K.L. Smith, and Arthur Tovey), and as a college teacher in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis episode "The Ruptured Duck" (1961, with William Schallert and John Fiedler).
Further background film work includes the action thriller The Towering Inferno (1974, with Gregory Sierra, Paul Comi, David Armstrong, Shirley Anthony, John Blower, Peter Eastman, Robert Hitchcock, Steve Marlo, John Hugh McKnight, John Moio, Robert Strong, and Vic Toyota) [4], the crime comedy Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976, with Bert Remsen, Ted Cassidy, Christopher Rydell, Seamon Glass, Benjie Bancroft, Peter Paul Eastman, Bob Harks, and Robert Hitchcock), the horror thriller The Swarm (1978, with Arell Blanton, Steve Marlo, Monty O'Grady, and Bob Harks) [5], the television thriller Sparkling Cyanide (1983, with Barrie Ingham, Benjie Bancroft, Bob Harks, Danny Nero, and Walter Smith), the comedy Life Stinks (1991, with Michael Ensign, Matthew Faison, Brian Thompson, Larry Cedar, Robert Gatewood, Sam Alejan, and Michael Stanhope), the comedy The Distinguished Gentleman (1992, with Victor Rivers, Noble Willingham, Gary Frank, Daniel Benzali, Julianna McCarthy, Dion Anderson, Gary Price, Lena Banks, Sam Alejan, Jim Portnoy, Gene Poe, Lou DeGrado, John Copage, Sherry O'Keefe, S. Reed, John Rice, Scott Barry, Irving Ross, Kevin G. Tracey, and Robert Buckingham), and the comedy Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994, with Raye Birk, Matt Roe, Earl Boen, Rosalind Ingledew, Alex Zimmerman, Marc Alaimo, Rick Scarry, Bob Scribner, Marcy Goldman, Bill Erwin, Bill Zuckert, Lena Banks, Symba Smith, David Keith Anderson, Kevin Tracey, Mark Kosakura, Warren Tabata, Cooper, Al Ahlf, Gene Poe, John Staible, Sam Alejan, Kevin Grevioux, George Sasaki, Dan Magee, Jim Portnoy, Lou DeGrado, Robert Coffee, Theresa St. Clair, Andray Johnson, Star Halm, Robert Buckingham, Rob Plaza, Rachen Assapiomonwait, Jessie Biscardi, Kelly Burris, Jasmine Gagnier, Joycelyn Robinson, Mike Paciorek, Kimberly Auslander, Dale Kasman, and Martin Valinsky).
Barbee was also an often seen face in many television series, mostly playing restaurant patrons, party guests, or businessmen. He was Alicia's father in the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century episode "Return of the Fighting 69th" (1979, with Tim O'Connor and Felix Silla) and appeared in episodes of Columbo (1971, episode "Lady in Waiting" with Garry Walberg, Jon Lormer, and Bob Harks and 1974, episode "A Friend in Deed" with Richard Kiley, Arlene Martel, Byron Morrow, Paul Sorensen, and Robert Hitchcock), McMillan & Wife (1974 with John Schuck, Morgan Woodward, Walt Davis, George Sawaya, David Ross, Lee Allen, Frieda Rentie, and Roberta Storm and "Buried Alive" with John Schuck, Don Keefer, Bob Harks, Leland Sun, and David Armstrong, 1975 episodes "Deadly Inheritance" with John Schuck, Beans Morocco, Benjie Bancroft, Walt Davis, Dorothy Hack, and Arthur Tovey, "Requiem for a Bride" with John Schuck, Henry Darrow, Lawrence Pressman, Stanley Kamel, John Blower, Lee Allen, and Steve Hershon, and "Secrets for Sale" with John Schuck, Graham Jarvis, Davis Roberts, Morgan Jones, Tom Anfinsen, Robert Hitchcock, Robert Lombardo, John Hugh McKnight, and Vic Toyota, and 1976 episodes "Point of Law" with John Schuck, William Daniels, Hamilton Camp, James Ingersoll, Peter Eastman, and Gary Wright and "Dark Sunrise" with John Schuck, Bill Quinn, Bob Hoy, and Lee Allen), Quincy, M.E. (1981), Flamingo Road (1982, episode "The Explosion" with John Beck and Paul Lambert), Cheers (1982 with Erik Holland, Gerald David Bauman, and David Channell and 1983 with Mike Paciorek, Gene Cross, Robert Buckingham, Walter Smith, Tim Culbertson, and Kathy Hammers), The Colbys (1985 with Stephanie Beacham, Tracy Scoggins, Ricardo Montalban, Joseph Campanella, Lynda Robertson, Ilona Wilson, Suzanne Lodge, and Tim McCormack, 1985 with Stephanie Beacham, Tracy Scoggins, Ricardo Montalban, Joseph Campanella, Peter Paul Eastman, and Roger Trantham, 1986 with Stephanie Beacham, Tracy Scoggins, Ricardo Montalban, Ray Wise, Ian Abercrombie, John Blower, Suzanne Lodge, Devron Conrad, John Copage, Lynda Robertson, Gene Poe, and Tony Rocco, 1986 with Stephanie Beacham, Tracy Scoggins, Ricardo Montalban, Peter White, Devron Conrad, and Bob Davis, and 1987 with Stephanie Beacham, Tracy Scoggins, Ricardo Montalban, Nana Visitor, Bruce Gray, Kavi Raz, Robert Hitchcock, and Bob Davis), and Matlock (1990).
Barbee was a recurring background actor on Dynasty, Falcon Crest and Knots Landing. On Dynasty, he appeared between 1981 and 1987 in twenty-one episodes along with Joan Collins, Peter Mark Richman, Lee Bergere, Lloyd Haynes, Benjie Bancroft, Shirley Anthony, Peter Paul Eastman, George Sasaki, Robert Strong, Robert Hitchcock, Roger Trantham, Barbara Tarbuck, Robert Symonds, Suzanne Lodge, Don Eitner, Bert Remsen, Charles Lucia, Clive Revill, John Hugh McKnight, John Blower, Mary Mascari, Lemuel Perry, Ray Petersen, Conroy Gedeon, David Armstrong, John Burnside, Juan De Villa, Michael Zurich, Bob Davis, Bibi Besch, William O. Campbell, Dennis Howard, Mike Paciorek, Tony Rocco, Stephanie Beacham, Tracy Scoggins, Ronnie Claire Edwards, Theodore Bikel, Devron Conrad, Clayton Landey, Lee Faranda, and Richard Sarstedt. On Knots Landing, Barbee appeared between 1981 and 1990 in ten episodes along with William Boyett, Parley Baer, Allan Miller, Ian Abercrombie, Marnie Mosiman, David Clover, J.D. Hall, Stephen Macht, Melinda Culea, Lisa Wilcox, Cecile Callan, Joseph Campanella, Celeste Yarnall, Louis Giambalvo, Mimi Cozzens, and Marco Sanchez. On Falcon Crest, Barbee appeared between 1983 and 1990 in sixteen episodes along with Robert Foxworth, David Armstrong, John Hugh McKnight, Dana Sparks, Brett Cullen, Matthew Faison, Barbara Tarbuck, John Carter, George Sasaki, Mike Paciorek, Jeff Kober, Jonathan Banks, Leslie Bevis, Michael Ensign, David Sage, Ellen Geer, Loren Lester, Cibby Danyla, Christopher Held, Michael Canavan, Joe Stone, Theodore Bikel, Adolphus Hankins, Robert O'Reilly, Conrad Hurtt, Castulo Guerra, Allan G. Royal, Ryan MacDonald, John Hostetter, Betty McGuire, Angela Paton, and Judith Jones.
Among his last known work are supporting roles as a Boston Doctor in the thriller Outbreak (1995, with Benito Martinez, Tim Ransom, Maury Sterling, Brian Reddy, and Beau Lotterman) and as a Mourner in the crime thriller Eye for an Eye (1996, with Armin Shimerman, Natalia Nogulich, Nicholas Cascone, Wayne Péré, Sierra Pecheur, Angela Paton, Bob Clendenin, Larry Polson, Michael Buchman Silver, Janet Dey, Jack Janda, and David R. Maier).
Barbee died on 30 October 2013 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, shortly after his 100th birthday. (SAG-AFTRA Magazine, Spring 2014, p.50 [6])