Every person has an odd and interesting story in their past. Kirk Thatcher unexpectedly became an actor, put into a role for which he’d be remembered decades later. A devoted Star Trek fan and video effects creator, he landed a job as Leonard Nimoy’s assistant on the set of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. He worked hard to convince Nimoy he could pull off the part of the “Punk on the Bus,” the guy Spock puts in his place with a Vulcan nerve pinch. Thatcher even wrote the lyrics for the song that was later added to the scene -and sang them.
“It’s nice to be remembered,” says Thatcher. “I could win the Nobel Peace Prize, and my gravestone would still stay, ‘Star Trek IV: Punk on the Bus.'”
Thatcher’s accomplishments since then are quite remarkable, albeit mostly behind the scenes of movies and TV shows you might have seen. Read the story of Kirk Thatcher and the “Punk on the Bus” at Wired. -via Metafilter