Biography

Harve Bennett

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Born
August 17, 1930 · Chicago, Illinois, USA
Died
February 25, 2015 · Medford, Oregon, USA (complications from an accidental fall)
Birth name
Harve Bennett Fischman

Harve Bennett was born on August 17, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). He was married to Carole Patricia Oettinger and Jani. He died on February 25, 2015 in Medford, Oregon, USA.

Following Star Trek V Bennett had wanted to produce and direct a Star Trek movie prequel, entitled 'Starfleet Academy'. This was to chronicle the early adventures of Kirk, Spock and McCoy (a project since very successfully undertaken by J.J. Abrams) using a fresh (and thus relatively inexpensive) cast. Once the idea leaked out, it was vociferously opposed by Gene Roddenberry and on the convention circuit by members of the supporting cast. Though he was offered $1.5 million to do Star Trek VI, Bennett decided to call it a day and left the franchise.
In 1989 Produced Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), and appeared on it as "Starfleet Commander Robert Bennett".
He died only two days before Leonard Nimoy, with whom he worked on A Woman Called Golda (1982), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989).
Winner of the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Special A Woman Called Golda (1982).
He was one of radio's "The Quiz Kids" for five years during the 1940s. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles Los Angeles, California, and earned a BA in theater arts.

[on producing Star Trek movies] "When you go where no man has gone before, you have to build things and then it starts getting expensive."
[on Gene Roddenberry] I had very little to do with Roddenberry on the movies. I was fortunate enough to have a mandate from Paramount not to pay any attention to him, which is easier said than done because he is the master manipulator of a large and loyal following. It's like the Bolshevik party, it isn't that there were so many of them, it's just that they were so smart and vociferous. He is a remarkable visionary, but a very bad supervisor of other writers. I don't want to rake muck, because it is not my nature to do that. There is a tremendous misconception about Roddenberry. I am his replacement. His vengeance, some say, is Star Trek: The Next Generation. He alienated some really creative people who were doing the very best to make his show a hit. That's the summation of what my perspective is.

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