Frank da Vinci obit

Actor Frank da Vinci Has Died

 

He was not on the list.

Frank da Vinci (14 February 1933 – 4 June 2013; age 80) was a Chicago-born actor and stuntman who worked as Leonard Nimoy's stand-in and background and stunt performer on Star Trek: The Original Series. His nickname, according to William Blackburn, was "Buddy." The Star Trek Concordance and derivative works occasionally list him as "Bud da Vinci".

Da Vinci started out as a male model in his hometown, then moved to Hollywood, where he pursued a career in film. First, he worked as a tour guide at Warner Bros. and in the studio's publicity department. Here, he also met actor and dancer George B. Ellsworth, who became his life-long partner.

Da Vinci was a stand-in and double for Anthony Perkins in Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho, which was written by Joseph Stefano, based on a novel by Robert Bloch, and featured John Anderson in the cast. Da Vinci's silhouette can be seen in the famous shower murder scene.

Da Vinci appeared (uncredited) in the 1964 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Project Strigas Affair", which featured both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, and was directed by Joseph Sargent. A year later, he appeared in the episode "The Secret Sceptre Affair", which also featured Jack Donner and William Boyett, was directed by Marc Daniels, co-produced by Sam Rolfe, and had a musical score by Jerry Goldsmith.

After Star Trek was cancelled, da Vinci continued to be Nimoy's stand-in for two seasons of Mission: Impossible. He appeared on screen in the first two parts of the three-part episode "The Falcon", as the uncredited character named Sebastian. For most of the two episodes Sebastian was disguised as Nimoy's character Paris (Nimoy actually applied the mask disguise on to da Vinci's face). The episodes also featured Lee Meriwether, Logan Ramsey, Jack Donner, Dick Dial, and Charles Picerni, and the voice of Robert C. Johnson.

In 1975, da Vinci had the silent bit role of the murder victim in the McMillan & Wife episode "The Deadly Cure" which also features John Schuck, Barbara Bosson, Vic Toyota, Robert Buckingham, Len Felber, and Gary Wright.

Da Vinci left acting in the 1970s. Along with Ellsworth, he owned and operated two gay night clubs in Los Angeles. He passed away due to renal failure on 4 June 2013. The same year, the Pepperdine University of Malibu founded the "Frank James 'Buddy' da Vinci and George B. Ellsworth Scholarship", awarded to applicants who empathize service and volunteerism dedicated to improving the mental and physical health of the LGBT community.

Additional Crew

Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek (1966)

Star Trek

8.4

TV Series

stand-in: Leonard Nimoy

hand double: Michael Strong

photo double: Michael Strong (uncredited)

1966–1969

78 episodes

 

Anthony Perkins, John Gavin, Janet Leigh, and Heather Dawn May in Psycho (1960)

Psycho

8.5

stand-in (uncredited)

1960

 

Actor

Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in McMillan & Wife (1971)

McMillan & Wife

7.2

TV Series

Murder Victim (uncredited)

1976

1 episode

 

Barbara Bain, Martin Landau, Peter Graves, Peter Lupus, and Greg Morris in Mission: Impossible (1966)

Mission: Impossible

7.9

TV Series

Sebastian

Otto Silff

Guard (uncredited)

1969–1970

4 episodes

 

Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek (1966)

Star Trek

8.4

TV Series

Lt. Brent

Crewman

Transporter Operator (uncredited) ...

1966–1969

53 episodes

 

Stunts

Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek (1966)

Star Trek

8.4

TV Series

stunt double: DeForest Kelley

stunt double: Leonard Nimoy

stunts (uncredited)

1966–1968

3 episodes