Jud Taylor Judson Taylor , often credited as Jud Taylor , was American actor turned Emmy Award - nominated television director and producer . He is also a former president and vice president of the Directors Guild of America ( DGA ) . He directed five episodes of during the show ' s third season : , , , , and . He also directed the bridge scenes for . Early life and acting career . Taylor was born in New York City and graduated from the University of California , Berkeley . He began his career in show business as an actor , making his debut as radioman Private Abramowitz in the 1956 war film " Attack " , which co - starred William Smithers . Perhaps his most notable film role was that of Allied POW Goff in the World War II classic " The Great Escape " . Another actor who appeared in this film was Lawrence Montaigne , who appeared in two episodes of the original " Star Trek " . During the 1961 - 62 television season , Taylor was a series regular on the NBC medical drama " Dr . Kildare " , portraying Dr . Thomas Gerson . He then made numerous appearances on Paramount Television ' s action drama series " The Fugitive " , including an episode directed by Ralph Senensky . He has also appeared in multiple episodes of the television drama series " 12 O ' Clock High " , starring Robert Lansing . Other " Star Trek " actors he worked with on this show included Paul Carr , Frank Overton , Andrew Prine , Bert Remsen , and Jason Wingreen . Directing career . Episodic television . Taylor turned to directing in 1965 , starting with an episode of " Dr . Kildare " for which he cast Teri Garr . He then directed a second episode of the series , this time casting James Daly as a guest star , after which he cast Lawrence Montaigne for an episode of " The Man from U . N . C . L . E . " Between late 1965 and early 1966 , he directed multiple episodes of the western series " The Man from Shenandoah " . Among the actors he worked with on this show were Hal Baylor , Warren Stevens , Michael Whitney , and TOS regular DeForest Kelley . Before working with her in the " Star Trek " episode " The Paradise Syndrome , " Taylor cast Miramanee actress Sabrina Scharf in an episode of " The Girl from U . N . C . L . E . " with Arnold Moss . Taylor also directed Lou Antonio in a 1966 episode of " The Fugitive " before working with Antonio again on the TOS episode " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield . " Five years after working together in the TOS episode " The Cloud Minders , " Taylor and actor Jeff Corey collaborated again on a 1974 episode of the mystery series " Hawkins " . Taylor directed several other episodes of this show , working with such performers as Antoinette Bower , David Huddleston , Kenneth Mars , Warren Stevens , and William Windom . Taylor also directed several episodes of NBC ' s drama series " Then Came Bronson " . Some of the performers he worked with on this series were Walter Edmiston , Rex Holman , and the aforementioned David Huddleston . Other TV shows for which Taylor has directed include " Shane " ( working with Sam Gilman , Jill Ireland , and Jason Wingreen ) , " Felony Squad " ( with Paul Carr ) , " The Second Hundred Years " ( with Monte Markham ) , " Judd for the Defense " ( with Jonathan Lippe and William Wintersole ) , " Love , American Style " ( one segment with Henry Gibson , another with Jane Wyatt ) , " The Interns " ( with John McLiam ) , " The Rookies " ( with David Huddleston and Kenneth Tobey ) , and " Lou Grant " ( with Clyde Kusatsu and Noble Willingham ) . Between 1977 and 1997 , Taylor focused entirely on directing made - for - TV movies . He returned to episodic television late in 1999 to direct the first of five episodes of the NBC series " Law & Order : Special Victims Unit " . He retired from directing entirely following his work on the 2004 episode " Lowdown . " TV movies . Taylor directed over 40 made - for - television movies between 1968 and 1997 . His first was the CBS drama " Fade - In " ( which featured an appearance by Ricardo Montalban ) , although he chose to be credited under the infamous pseudonym " " . He was one of the first directors to use that credit . The first TV movie he directed credited with his own name was 1970 ' s " Weekend of Terror " , which starred Jane Wyatt and Gregory Sierra . He also directed Eugene Roche in the TV movies " Egan " ( which co - starred John Anderson and Glenn Corbett ) and " Winter Kill " ( with Lawrence Pressman ) . Other TV movies directed by Taylor during the 1970s included " The Rookies " ( 1972 ; featuring Logan Ramsey ) , " Say Goodbye , Maggie Cole " ( 1972 ; with Richard Carlyle ) , " The Disappearance of Flight 412 " ( 1974 ; starring David Soul ) , " Search for the Gods " ( 1975 ; starring Stephen McHattie ) , " Mary White " ( 1977 ; starring Fionnula Flanagan ) , and " Lovey : A Circle of Children , Part II " ( 1979 ; starring Ronny Cox ) . Taylor was nominated for the 1977 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy for the 1977 NBC movie " Tail Gunner Joe " , whose cast included John Anderson , Charles Macaulay , Allan Miller , Dallas Mitchell , Alan Oppenheimer , Bill Quinn , William Schallert , Robert Symonds , and the aforementioned Andrew Prine . That same year , Taylor again directed Prine , as well as Barbara Babcock , on another NBC movie , " Christmas Miracle in Caufield , U . S . A . " In addition , Taylor both produced and directed the 1976 TV movie " Return to Earth " ( which featured Davis Roberts and George D . Wallace ) . He was also director and executive producer of 1976 ' s " Woman of the Year " ( whose cast included John Fiedler ) and 1981 ' s " Incident at Crestridge " ( which starred Bruce Davison ) . Taylor ' s TV movie directorial credits during the 1980s included " Act of Love " ( 1980 ; starring Robert Foxworth ) , " A Question of Honor " ( 1982 ; starring Paul Sorvino and Anthony Zerbe ) , " Doubletake " ( 1985 ; featuring Corbin Bernsen , Michael Bofshever , Jude Ciccolella , Mark Margolis , and Concetta Tomei ) , and " Out of the Darkness " ( 1985 ; also with Jude Ciccolella ) . He then won the 1987 Directors Guild of America ( DGA ) Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials for the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie " Foxfire " . During the 1990s , Taylor directed such TV movies as " Murder Times Seven " ( 1990 ; featuring Andreas Katsulas ) , " Danielle Steel ' s Kaleidoscope " ( 1990 ; starring Terry O ' Quinn ) , " Prophet of Evil : The Ervil LeBaron Story " ( 1993 ; with Robert Pine ) , and " Secrets " ( 1995 ; starring Richard Kiley ) . He also directed the 1992 movie " Kung Fu : The Legend Continues " , which served as the pilot for the subsequent series of the same name . In 1995 , he produced as well as directed the CBS movie " A Holiday to Remember " , which featured Don McManus . His last TV movie was the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation " Clover " , which featured Ron Canada in the cast . Career achievements . In 1973 Taylor participated in contract negotiations as a member of the Creative Rights Committee . From 1975 through 1977 , he served as an alternate on the national board of the Directors Guild of America ( DGA ) . In the latter year , he was named Vice President of DGA . During his four - year term , he spearheaded a study which significantly improved the DGA ' s Pension and Health plans . Taylor served as President of DGA from 1981 through 1983 . He is credited with advancing affirmative action provisions for women and minorities during his presidency . He also improved economic and creative rights for artists as chairman of DGA ' s Negotiating Committee . In 2003 , the DGA awarded Taylor with the Robert B . Aldrich Achievement Award . Incidentally , the award was named after the same director who gave Taylor his start in show business ; Robert Aldrich directed the film " Attack " , which launched Taylor ' s brief acting career , which in turn led to nearly four decades of work as a director . Death . Taylor died in New York City following a long illness at the age of 76 . He was survived by his wife , casting director Lynn Kressel , and their two daughters , as well as a granddaughter and a sister .