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Hendrik Vollaerts(1918-1988)

  • Writer
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Best known for doing three things: for scripting an episode of the cult 1960s series Star Trek (episode title: For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky), for scripting six episodes of the semi-cult 1960s series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. He also did a Batman adventure. However, his constant jumping to various tv genres, and not sticking to the one genre, means that he is a hard man to describe.

His Star Trek came in the show's third season when some were saying the series was dropping in quality. However, Vollaerts was able to surprise some viewers as he presented a love story where Dr McCoy was dying. The opening scene of this hour ranks as one of season three's most powerful moments. His touching script put some female viewers into tears.

He remained with Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea for six episodes and, for this writer, that is a long period. Vollaerts invaded the submarine Seaview with amphibians, a giant fish that attacks the Seaview, a power-mad General, a human body snatching space brain, a human body snatching Shadowman, and finally, a human body snatching Deadly Cloud.

His Voyage scripts ended up sounding great when acted out by talents such as Richard Basehart (Admiral Nelson), Del Monroe (Seaman Kowalski) Dick Tufeld (space brain), Lloyd Bochner (power-mad General), Jim Mills (Shadowman), etc.

He also scripted a two-part episode of 1960s Batman, done in season one when things were less silly and over-the-top than they would become. His Batman adventure was about a new bad guy called, "The Bookworm", played by Roddy McDowall. Perhaps the most memorable part of the script was the amusing moment when Batman (Adam West) struggles with the idea of fighting with people wearing spectacles.

When you put this all together, you could say that Vollaerts added something special to 1960s tv fantasy.
BornDecember 10, 1918
DiedMarch 15, 1988(69)
BornDecember 10, 1918
DiedMarch 15, 1988(69)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Add photos, demo reels

Known for

Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Ricardo Montalban, George Takei, John Colicos, Maurishka, Nichelle Nichols, Ned Romero, Charles Stewart, Vic Tayback, and George Allen in Star Trek (1966)
Star Trek
8.4
TV Series
  • Writer(as Rik Vollaerts)
Shadow of the Cloak (1951)
Shadow of the Cloak
TV Series
  • Writer
Highway Patrol (1955)
Highway Patrol
7.7
TV Series
  • Writer(as Rik Vollaerts)
My Favorite Martian (1963)
My Favorite Martian
7.2
TV Series
  • Writer(as Rik Vollaerts)

Credits

IMDbPro

Writer



  • Devlin (1974)
    Devlin
    7.1
    TV Series
    • writer (as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1974
  • Jackson Bostwick, Michael Gray, and Les Tremayne in Shazam! (1974)
    Shazam!
    6.5
    TV Series
    • written by (as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1974
  • Diahann Carroll and Marc Copage in Julia (1968)
    Julia
    7.8
    TV Series
    • written by
    • 1970
  • Then Came Bronson (1969)
    Then Came Bronson
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Writer (as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1969
  • Mannix (1967)
    Mannix
    7.4
    TV Series
    • story (as Ric Vollaerts)
    • 1969
  • Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Ricardo Montalban, George Takei, John Colicos, Maurishka, Nichelle Nichols, Ned Romero, Charles Stewart, Vic Tayback, and George Allen in Star Trek (1966)
    Star Trek
    8.4
    TV Series
    • written by (as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1968
  • Maya (1967)
    Maya
    7.7
    TV Series
    • teleplay
    • written by (as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1967–1968
  • Off to See the Wizard (1967)
    Off to See the Wizard
    6.7
    TV Series
    • written by (as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1968
  • Vacation Playhouse (1963)
    Vacation Playhouse
    7.3
    TV Series
    • writer
    • 1967
  • Richard Basehart and David Hedison in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964)
    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
    7.2
    TV Series
    • written by (as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1965–1967
  • Never Too Young (1965)
    Never Too Young
    7.8
    TV Series
    • head writer
    • 1965–1966
  • Bonanza (1959)
    Bonanza
    7.3
    TV Series
    • teleplay by
    • story by (as Rik Vollaerts, as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1966
  • Adam West and Burt Ward in Batman (1966)
    Batman
    7.5
    TV Series
    • written by (as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1966
  • Battleline (1963)
    Battleline
    8.0
    TV Series
    • written by (as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1964
  • My Favorite Martian (1963)
    My Favorite Martian
    7.2
    TV Series
    • written by (as Rik Vollaerts)
    • 1964

Additional Crew



  • Maya (1967)
    Maya
    7.7
    TV Series
    • story supervisor
    • 1967–1968
  • Father of the Bride (1961)
    Father of the Bride
    7.6
    TV Series
    • story editor
    • 1961

Personal details

  • Alternative names
    • Rik Vallaerts
  • Born
    • December 10, 1918
  • Died
    • March 15, 1988
    • Mission Viejo, California, USA
  • Spouses
      Patricia "Trish" Vollaerts1967 - 1988 (his death, 3 children)
  • Children
      Juliana Vollaerts-Call

Did you know

  • Trivia
    He created the villain known as The Bookworm (portrayed by Roddy McDowall) on the 1960s live action show Batman.

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