Ralph Senensky

Ralph Senensky
Born	(1923-05-01)May 1, 1923 Mason City, Iowa, U.S.
Died	November 1, 2025(2025-11-01) (aged 102) Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, U.S.
Occupations	Director screenwriter
Years active	1940–1988 2001 2013
Notable work	Star Trek The Waltons
Website	senensky.com

Ralph Abbott Senensky (May 1, 1923 – November 1, 2025) was an American television director and screenwriter.

Life and career

Senensky was born in Mason City, Iowa, on May 1, 1923 to William, the co-owner of a clothing store, and Jenny Senensky, a homemaker.^[1][2] He attended Mason City High School.^[3] He served in Europe during World War II from 1943 to 1945 and was eventually stationed in Belgium.^[2][4] He studied at the Pasadena Playhouse^[3] and worked as a stage director of 45 productions and as a production supervisor on Playhouse 90 before directing for television.^[4][5] Senensky directed multiple episodes for dozens of television shows, as well as made for TV films from 1958 to 1988, including The Fugitive, Naked City, Route 66, Mission: Impossible, Dynasty, The Paper Chase,^[6] The Big Valley, The Wild Wild West, Eight Is Enough, The Rookies, Trapper John, M.D.,^[4] Dr. Kildare, Breaking Point, 12 O'Clock High, The F.B.I., The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Dan August, Nanny and the Professor, Barnaby Jones, Insight, Hart to Hart, Death Cruise, The New Adventures of Heidi,^[2] the original series of Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, Ironside, The Partridge Family and The Waltons.^[7] He also directed most of the feature film Harper Valley PTA. For Breaking Point, he directed an episode that had one of the first gay storylines in a TV show. He directed six full Star Trek episodes and was fired partway through the filming of "The Tholian Web". Among the episodes of The Waltons directed by Senensky was "Grandma Comes Home", which earned an Emmy Award nomination for Ellen Corby.^[2]

He retired in 1988, but has had small stints directing since including a theatre production and a film short.^[3] He turned 100 on May 1, 2023.^[8] With the death of Robert Butler on November 3, 2023, Senensky was the last surviving person to have directed an episode of the original series of Star Trek,^[9][10] before his own death in a hospital in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, on November 1, 2025, at the age of 102.^[2][4]

Filmography

Films

Year	Film	Credit	Notes
1970	The Cliff	Director	Television movie
1973	A Dream for Christmas	Director	Television movie[11]
	Winesburg, Ohio	Director	Television movie
1974	The Family Kovac	Director
	Death Cruise	Director	Television movie[2]
1975	The Family Nobody Wanted	Director	Television movie[2]
1976	Jeremiah of Jacob's Neck	Director	Television movie
1978	Harper Valley PTA	Director (Uncredited)	[2]
	The New Adventures of Heidi	Director	Television movie[2]
1980	Dan August: Once Is Never Enough	Director	Edit of his prior TV work for movie form[2]
	Dan August: Murder, My Friend	Director	Edit of his prior TV work for movie form[2]
	Treachery and Greed on the Planet of the Apes	Director
1981	Big Bend Country	Director	Television movie
2013	The Right Regrets	Director	Short[2]

Television

Year	TV Series	Credit	Notes
1958–1959	Playhouse 90	Production supervisor, production coordinator	4 episodes[4]
1961–1965	Dr. Kildare	Director	5 episodes[2]
1962	Checkmate	Director	1 episode
1963	Channing	Director	1 episode[12]
	East Side/West Side	Director	1 episode[13]
	Naked City	Director	3 episodes[6]
	Route 66	Director	2 episodes[6]
	The Twilight Zone	Director	1 episode[7]
1963–1964	Arrest and Trial	Director	2 episodes[2]
	Breaking Point	Director	3 episodes[2]
	The Nurses	Director	2 episodes[14]
1963–1965	Kraft Suspense Theatre	Director	3 episodes[15]
1964–1965	The Fugitive	Director	4 episodes[6]
1965	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre	Director	1 episode[16]
	The Long, Hot Summer	Director	1 episode
	Slattery's People	Director	1 episode
	12 O'Clock High	Director	4 episodes[2]
1966	The Big Valley	Director	1 episode[4]
	The Wild Wild West	Director	2 episodes[4]
1966–1972	The F.B.I.	Director	16 episodes[2]
1967	The High Chaparral	Director	1 episode
	Judd, for the Defense	Director	1 episode[17]
	Mission: Impossible	Director	1 episode[6]
1967–1968	Ironside	Director	2 episodes[7]
	Star Trek	Director	6+1⁄2 episodes[2][7]
1968	I Spy	Director	1 episode
	Mannix	Director	1 episode
	The Name of the Game	Director	1 episode
1969	Then Came Bronson	Director	1 episode
1969–1970	The Bill Cosby Show	Director	4 episodes
	The Courtship of Eddie's Father	Director	6 episodes[2]
1969–1980	Insight	Director	15 episodes[2]
1970	The Interns	Director	1 episode
	Matt Lincoln	Director	1 episode
1970–1971	Nanny and the Professor	Director	6 episodes[2]
	The Partridge Family	Director	7 episodes[7]
1971	Dan August	Director	5 episodes[2]
	Getting Together	Director	3 episodes
1972	Banyon	Director	3 episodes
	Night Gallery	Director	1 episode
1972–1973	The Rookies	Director	2 episodes[4]
1973	Search	Director	1 episode
1973–1975	Barnaby Jones	Director	3 episodes[2]
1973–1978	The Waltons	Director	12 episodes[2][7]
1974	Planet of the Apes	Director	1 episode
1975	The Blue Knight	Director	1 episode[4]
	The Family Holvak	Director	2 episodes[4]
	Medical Story	Director	1 episode
	Three for the Road	Director	2 episodes
1976	City of Angels	Director	1 episode
1977	Eight Is Enough	Director	1 episode[4]
	Family	Director	1 episode
	Westside Medical	Director	1 episode
1978	James at 16	Director	1 episode
1979	How the West Was Won	Director	1 episode
	Trapper John, M.D.	Director	1 episode[4]
1979–1984	Hart to Hart	Director	7 episodes[2]
1980	Lou Grant	Director	1 episode[4]
	Young Maverick	Director	1 episode[4]
1981	Dynasty	Director	4 episodes[6]
1983	Casablanca	Director	2 episodes
1984	Paper Dolls	Director	3 episodes
1985–1986	The Paper Chase	Director	7 episodes[6]

See also

• List of centenarians (actors, filmmakers and entertainers)

References

1. Kaplan, Mike (1983). Variety International Show Business Reference, 1983. Garland Pub. p. 271. ISBN 9780824090890 – via Google Books.
2. Bartlett, Rhett (November 1, 2025). "Ralph Senensky, Director on 'Star Trek' and 'The Waltons,' Dies at 102". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
3. "Ralph Serensky Directing Little Theater Production". Globe-Gazette. Mason City, IA. January 5, 1949. p. 12. Retrieved June 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Berman, Marc (November 1, 2025). "Ralph Senensky, Prolific TV Director Behind 'Star Trek' And 'The Waltons,' Dies At 102". Forbes. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
5. Dr. Kildare: Special: First Day First Film
6. Nicklay, Deb (November 19, 2001). "Early Direction Led to Life in Show Business". Globe-Gazette. Mason City, IA. p. 3. Retrieved June 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Directing The Waltons - Ralph Senensky". www.allaboutthewaltons.com. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
8. Berman, Marc (May 1, 2023). "Celebrating 100 Years: Ralph Senensky, TV Director, Reaches The Century Mark". Forbes. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
9. "Ralph Senensky - Trivia".
10. Berman, Marc (May 1, 2024). "Legendary TV Director Ralph Senensky Turns 101". Forbes. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
11. A Dream For Christmas
12. Channing: A Hall Full Of Strangers: Filmed December 1962
13. East Side West Side: Age Of Consent: Filmed July 1963
14. The Nurses
15. Suspense Theatre
16. Chrysler Theatre: Perilous Times: Filmed February 1965
17. Judd For The Defense: The Money Farm: Filmed August 1967

Further reading

• "Ralph Senensky Directing Little Theater Production". Mason City Globe-Gazette. January 5, 1949. p. 12

External links

• Official website
• Ralph Senensky at Memory Alpha
• Ralph Senensky at IMDb
• Interview with Ralph Senensky at StarTrekHistory.com
• Ralph's Trek – personal blog
• Ralph Senensky at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television