R.I.P. ROBERT BUTLER

His name is barely known outside the US television industry, but to those on the inside, the loss of Robert Butler represents the passing of one of the great television directors of all time.

Born into the earliest days of the film industry as a Hollywood native, he honed his craft in a booming, fast-moving young sector. His understanding of the art and craft of television directing lead to the gritty, real-life aesthetic of perhaps his finest work, the cop classic Hill Street Blues; he shot the acclaimed pilot (for which he won his only Emmy; pictured, below) and the first four episodes of Season 1.

His credits span the birth of the American television industry, it's 'golden years' and ultimately the new direction it took in the 80s and 90s. They include The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis (1960); Bonanza (1961); The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961); The Rifleman (1962); five eps of The Detectives (1962); seven eps of The Untouchables (1962); Dr Kildare (1963); three eps of Ben Casey; two Season 5 eps of The Twilight Zone; Hogans Heroes (5 eps; 1966); The Fugitive (6 eps; 1965); Batman (6 eps; 1966); the unaired pilot episode of Star Trek, called 'The Cage' (1966); and, I Spy (4 eps; 1966).

Butler detoured occasionally into TV movies and mini-series. Most notable amongst them the acclaimed William Holden cop drama, The Blue Knight; the action thriller Mayday at 40,000 Feet, with David Janssen; the adaptation of the Shirley Maclaine autobiography, Out On A Limb; and the rafting thriller, White Mile with Alan Alda. He also took bigscreen journeyman jobs, many with Disney (Now You See Him Now You Don't; The Barefoot Executive; Scandalous John; Hot Lead Cold Feet). His final theatrical feature was Turbulence (1997), with Ray Liotta.

But it would be his television series CV that remains his enduring legacy. His ongoing episodic work included Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, Kung Fu, Columbo, twelve episodes of The Magical World of Disney, five episodes of Remington Steele, and the pilot episodes of two iconic series - Moonlighting (1985; pictured, left) and Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1994).

Recipient of the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Acievement Award in 2015, Robert Butler passed away on November 3, aged 95. He is survived by his wife Adrienne Hepburn.