Robert Sparr

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Robert Tyrone "Bob" Sparr (10 September1915 – 28 August1969; age 53) was a director for American television whose credits include the Star Trek: The Original Seriesfirst season episode "Shore Leave".  He started out as an editor before becoming a director.  He directed episodes of many other television shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s in addition to Star Trek, including Lawman, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, Batman, Lassie, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. 

Sparr has directed several of his guest actors from "Shore Leave" in other shows.  He directed both Oliver McGowan and Perry Lopez in the 1965 episode of The Wild Wild West entitled "The Night of the Feathered Fury" (along with George Murdock).  He also worked with these two actors individually, directing McGowan in an episode Cheyenne and an episode of 77 Sunset Strip and directing Lopez in an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.  He also directed Bruce Mars, another "Shore Leave" guest star, in a different episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. 

In addition to his television work, Sparr directed three feature films.  His first film was the 1965 musical comedy A Swingin' Summer, which he also co-wrote and which featured Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actor William Wellman, Jr. Sparr then directed the 1968 western More Dead Than Alive, featuring George Sawaya.  His last film, the 1969 thriller Once You Kiss a Stranger... (starring Whit Bissell), was released posthumously. 

Sparr was killed in a plane crash in Colorado in 1969.  TOS cameraman Jerry Finnerman was seriously injured in the crash, but he survived.