Andrew Koenig

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 best known for his role as Richard “Boner” Stabone in Growing Pains.

For other people named Andrew Koenig, see Andrew Koenig (disambiguation).

Andrew Koenig
Koenig in 1982 as the Page Boy in Falstaff
Born
Joshua Andrew Koenig

(1968-08-17)August 17, 1968
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 16, 2010(2010-02-16) (aged 41)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Cause of deathSuicide by hanging
Body discoveredFebruary 25, 2010(2010-02-25) (aged 41)
Stanley Park, downtown Vancouver
Burial placeHollywood Forever Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
EducationNorth Hollywood High School
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
OccupationActor, director, editor, writer
Years active1973–2010
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Parents
RelativesJimmy Pardo (brother-in-law)

Early life

Andrew Koenig was born August 17, 1968, the son of Star Trek actor Walter Koenig and Judy Levitt.[1]

Writer Harlan Ellison spoke of the young Koenig – by his given first name of Josh – 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.[2]

The story went on to win the 1977 Nebula Award and the 1978 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.

Career

From 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.[3] 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,[4] 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.[5]

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[6] 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.[5]

Personal life

Andrew Koenig was an important part of the nonviolent direct action community in Venice Beach that focused on environmental protection during the 1990s. Koenig, a vegan,[7] 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.[8]

"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.[8] Koenig also noted the Chinese government's implicit support of genocidal forces 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."[9] 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."[8]

Death

Koenig 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.[10] On February 25, a group of friends and family found him dead in Vancouver's Stanley Park; he had apparently hanged himself.[11][12][13]

His ashes were interred in a niche in the Garden of Memory section of Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography
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

References
  1. "Andrew Koenig – Missing. You Can Help!". Dreadcentral.com. February 22, 2010. Archived from the original on February 24, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  2. Ellison, Harlan (1980). Shatterday. Houghton Mifflin. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-395-28587-9.
  3. "TV Ratings > 1980s". ClassicTVHits.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  4. "Andrew Koenig's Body Found in Stanley Park". Daily Contributor. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  5. "'Growing Pains' Actor Andrew Koenig Found Dead". Fox News. February 25, 2010. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  6. Hanselman, Scott. "The Boomerang Kid – You'll Keep Coming Back". Lasplash.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  7. "Andrew Koenig's brother-in-law cancels Chicago comedy shows". Chicago Tribune. February 26, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  8. "Ready for a fight". Pasadena Weekly. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  9. "Cops pop 'Boner'". Pasadena Weekly. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
  10. Dillon, Nancy (February 24, 2010). "Family of missing 'Growing Pains' actor Andrew Koenig fears he may have harmed himself". Daily News (New York).
  11. Roberts, Soraya (February 28, 2010). "'Growing Pains' actor Andrew Koenig hanged himself from tree in Vancouver's Stanley Park: source". Daily News (New York).
  12. Duke, Alan (February 25, 2010). "Missing actor's body found in Vancouver park, source says". CNN. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010.
  13. Fisher, Luchina (February 26, 2010). "Andrew Koenig's Long, Losing Battle With Depression". ABC News. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
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