Joshua Andrew Koenig (/ˈkeɪnɪɡ/; August 17, 1968 – c. February 16, 2010) was an American character actor, film director, editor, writer, and human rights activist. He was known for his role as Richard "Boner" Stabone in Growing Pains.
Andrew Koenig | |
|---|---|
 Koenig in 1982 as the Page Boy in Falstaff | |
| Born | Joshua Andrew Koenig August 17, 1968 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | c. February 16, 2010 (aged 41) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Body discovered | February 25, 2010 Stanley Park, downtown Vancouver |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1973–2010 |
| Father | Walter Koenig |
| Relatives | Jimmy Pardo (brother-in-law) |
Early life
editAndrew Koenig was born August 17, 1968, the son of Star Trek actor Walter Koenig and Judy Levitt.[1] He was Jewish.[2]
Writer Harlan Ellison spoke of the young Koenig as being the inspiration for his story "Jeffty Is Five".
I had been awed and delighted by Josh Koenig, and I instantly thought of just such a child who was arrested in time at the age of five. Jeffty, in no small measure, is Josh: the sweetness of Josh, the intelligence of Josh, the questioning nature of Josh.[3]
The story went on to win the 1977 Nebula Award and the 1978 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.
Career
editFrom 1985 to 1989, Koenig played a recurring role as Richard "Boner" Stabone, best friend to Kirk Cameron's character Mike Seaver in the first four seasons of the ABC sitcom Growing Pains.[4] During the same period, he guest starred on episodes of the sitcoms My Sister Sam and My Two Dads as well as the drama 21 Jump Street. In the early 1990s he provided a voice for the animated series G.I. Joe as Ambush and Night Creeper Leader,[5] and had a minor role as Tumak in the 1993 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Sanctuary".
Koenig played the role of The Joker in the 2003 fan film Batman: Dead End.[6]
Onstage, he played the Page Boy in the eight performances of Verdi's Falstaff, a production of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, in April 1982. As an adult, he starred as the M.C. in the 2007 interactive theater play The Boomerang Kid[7] and performed with the improv group Charles Whitman Reilly and Friends.
Though he continued his performing career in the 2006 independent film The Theory of Everything (2006), Koenig worked increasingly behind the scenes. He wrote, produced and/or directed the shorts Good Boy (2003) and Woman in a Green Dress and Instinct vs. Reason (2004). He worked as an editor on a number of films and was a video producer for the podcast Never Not Funny (2006–2010). His final role was in the film DaZe: Vol. Too — NonSeNse, in post-production at the time of his death, with Koenig portraying the role of Vice Chancellor.[6]
Personal life
editKoenig was an important part of the nonviolent direct action community in Venice Beach that focused on environmental protection during the 1990s. Koenig, a vegan,[8] traveled to Burma in July 2007 and visited Burmese refugee camps in Thailand with his father as part of the U.S. Campaign for Burma. The following January, he protested the Communist Party of China's political and financial support of the military dictatorship in Burma during the 119th Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, California; after a pre-parade human rights march agreed to by parade officials was allegedly stifled by them, he entered the parade and stood in front of a Chinese float promoting the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Koenig, who carried a sign reading "China: Free Burma" in both English and Chinese, was arrested and briefly held for his act of civil disobedience. Koenig's defense attorney was Bill Paparian, a fellow protester and former mayor of Pasadena.[9]
"China sits on the UN Security Council and they have refused to condemn Burma. China purchases gas from Burma and sells them weapons that the military uses on the Burmese people. So they are really quite complicit, and that was the whole point of protesting the China float," Koenig explained.[9] Koenig also noted the Chinese government's implicit support of the genocide in Sudan, sweatshops and tainted export products, saying of the float, "China is putting on a good face because of the Olympics, but [it's time to] send a message to the Chinese government that they have to not just change their face, but change the way they do things."[10] The Pasadena Weekly quoted Koenig as stating, "Their free speech rights have been totally censored. As a country with a Constitution and a Bill of Rights, we need to continue to support and enforce ours, and [use it to] recognize the rights of human beings all over the world".[9]
Death
editKoenig was last seen in Vancouver, British Columbia, on February 14, 2010, and missed a scheduled flight on February 16, which was the last day he used his cell phone or conducted any banking.[11] On February 25, a group of friends and family found him dead in Vancouver's Stanley Park; he had apparently hanged himself.[12][13][14][15]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Adam-12 | Little Boy | Episode: "Rampart Division: The Senior Citizens" (uncredited) |
| 1985–1989 | Growing Pains | Richard "Boner" Stabone | 25 episodes |
| 1987 | My Sister Sam | Mr. Rudnick | Episode: "Go Crazy" |
| 1988 | 21 Jump Street | Wally | Episode: "Champagne High" |
| 1989 | My Two Dads | Jon | Episode: "You Can Count on Me" |
| 1990 | G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero | Ambush Night Creeper Leader Various Cobra Troopers |
(Season 1) |
| 1993 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Tumak | Episode: "Sanctuary" |
| 2003 | Batman: Dead End | The Joker | Fan film |
| 2006 | The Theory of Everything | Scott | Direct to video |
| 2008 | InAlienable | Emil | Feature film |
| 2010 | DaZe: Vol. Too — NonSeNse | Vice Chancellor |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Andrew Koenig – Missing. You Can Help!". Dread Central. February 22, 2010. Archived from the original on February 24, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ "Jewish Stars". Cleveland Jewish News. March 19, 2010.
- ^ Ellison, Harlan (1980). Shatterday. Houghton Mifflin. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-395-28587-9.
- ^ "TV Ratings > 1980s". ClassicTVHits.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ "Andrew Koenig's Body Found in Stanley Park". Daily Contributor. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ a b "'Growing Pains' Actor Andrew Koenig Found Dead". Fox News. February 25, 2010. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ Hanselman, Scott. "The Boomerang Kid – You'll Keep Coming Back". LA Splash Magazine. Archived from the original on March 30, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ Johnson, Steve (February 26, 2010). "Andrew Koenig's brother-in-law cancels Chicago comedy shows". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Ready for a fight". Pasadena Weekly. March 5, 2008. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ "Cops pop 'Boner'". Pasadena Weekly. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
- ^ Dillon, Nancy (February 24, 2010). "'Growing Pains' actor Andrew Koenig fears he may have harmed himself". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ Roberts, Soraya (February 28, 2010). "'Growing Pains' actor Andrew Koenig hung himself from tree in Vancouver's Stanley Park: source". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ Roberts, Soraya (February 28, 2010). [ "'Growing Pains' actor Andrew Koenig hung himself from tree in Vancouver's Stanley Park: source"]. New York Daily News.
- ^ Duke, Alan (February 25, 2010). "Missing actor's body found in Vancouver park, source says". CNN. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010.
- ^ Fisher, Luchina (February 26, 2010). "Andrew Koenig's Long, Losing Battle With Depression". ABC News. Retrieved January 7, 2015.