Charlie Skeen (5 February 1949 – 12 January 1999; age 49) was a stuntman who portrayed a Klingon soldier in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. In addition, he worked as stunt double for actor Christopher Plummer in this film. Skeen received no on screen credit for his Trek work.
Born as William Charles Skeen in Sulphur Springs, he served in the United States Marines and in the U.S. Army for eight years, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant. Skeen worked as stunt double for actors such as David Carradine, Pernell Roberts, and for Ross Hagen in the 1990 thriller Click: The Calendar Girl Killer.
During his career of almost twenty years Skeen performed stunts in films such as An Eye for an Eye (1981, with Tony Cecere, Alan Marcus, Joe Farago, and Star Trek VI stunt coordinator Don Pike), Lone Wolf McQuade (1983, with Kane Hodder and Gary Wayton), Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986, with Rick Avery, Eddie Braun, Bob Minor, and Gary Pike), The Hidden (1987, with Lane Leavitt, Irving Lewis, and Gene LeBell), Bulletproof (1988), Shocker (1989, with Charlie Brewer, Dennis Madalone, Greg Gault, and Patricia Tallman), Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990), Death Ring (1992), Best of the Best II (1993), True Crime (1996, with Joni Avery, Jennifer Caputo, and Bob Minor), and Fire Down Below (1997, with Anita Hart, Rosine "Ace" Hatem, Joel Kramer, and Edward Conna).
Following a featured stunt role as Craig Keller in the Alien Nation episode "Three to Tango" in 1989 he portrayed Clay Shaw in the television documentary The JFK Conspiracy (1992, with B.J. Davis and Chris Doyle). In 1992 he worked as stunt coordinator on the action film Shootfighter: Fight to the Death with Trek stunt performers Dennis Keiffer, Chris Torres, Mark Ginther, and Ted Barba. His last known performance can be seen in the action film Berserker, released in 2001.
Skeen died of a heart attack on 12 January 1999 at the Cedar Hill State Park in Dallas, Texas while filming a car stunt for Walker , Texas Ranger, leaving behind his wife and daughter. [1] [2]