Jon Paul Steuer, a 90s child star known for his role as a Klingon on Star Trek: The Next Generation, has died at the age of 33.
The Steuer family welcomed the New Year with heavy hearts following the death of the young musician and entrepreneur. Steuer died on Jan. 1. The cause of death is unknown or was not made public.
Steuer's death was announced on the official Facebook page of his rock band P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. In the post, the band described him as a cheerful person who brought "fun and lightheartedness" to everything that they did. He made a great impression on his bandmates and created great memories with them in the short time that he spent with the band.
Steuer, born on March 27, 1984, made his mark in Hollywood through movie and TV appearances. He portrayed a young Klingon on a 1990 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He played the role of Worf's son Alexander Rozhenko. He only appeared in one episode, although Steuer revealed in a 2015 interview that he received a call for more appearances.
However, his growth and voice did not match the specifics they wanted for the grown-up Klingon. Steuer said that he would have gone back in a heartbeat if he had only grown taller and bigger and developed a deeper voice.
"The show called me back a just a few months later to play Alexander again, but I'd only grown half an inch or something. The line of questioning was, 'How tall are you now? How much do you weigh?' Klingons are this powerful warrior race, so they wanted me to be dramatically larger. They also wanted a deeper voice out of me. But I was still 6," Steuer told the A.V. Club
Aside from his appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Steuer also appeared on the ABC TV series Grace Under Fire. He portrayed the role of Quentin Kelly from 1993 to 1996. He also landed a part in The Wonder Years and portrayed "Viper" in the comedy film Little Giants.
In 2015, the California-native opened his own restaurant called Harvest in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately, the vegan eatery is permanently closing following Steuer's death.
The Harvest will hold a gathering to honor the memory of the late Steuer on Jan. 7 at 1:00 p.m. Donations can be made to help cover memorial and funeral expenses.
