Thursday, July 21, 2005
James Doohan
So long to actor James Doohan, best known as "Scotty" on the original Star Trek TV series, beamed up for the final time on July 20 at age 85. Doohan died at his home in Redmond, Wash., with his wife of 31 years, Wende, at his side.
Doohan was born March 3, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia, the youngest of four children of William Doohan, a pharmacist, veterinarian and dentist, and his wife, Sarah. He wrote in his autobiography, "Beam Me Up, Scotty," that his father was a drunk who made life miserable for his wife and children. At 19, he escaped the turmoil at home by joining the Canadian army, where he became a lieutenant in the artillery and was among the Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. He was machinegunned, taking six hits: one that took off his middle right finger, four in his leg, and one in the chest. The chest bullet was stopped by his silver cigarette case.
After the war, Doohan enrolled in a drama class in Toronto on a whim. He showed promise and won a two-year scholarship to New York's famed Neighborhood Playhouse, where fellow students included Leslie Nielsen, Tony Randall and Richard Boone. His commanding presence and booming voice brought him steady work as a character actor in films and television in Canada and the United States. Then came "Star Trek" and fans forever screaming "Beam me up, Scotty." Married three times, Doohan was the father of nine children.
Doohan was born March 3, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia, the youngest of four children of William Doohan, a pharmacist, veterinarian and dentist, and his wife, Sarah. He wrote in his autobiography, "Beam Me Up, Scotty," that his father was a drunk who made life miserable for his wife and children. At 19, he escaped the turmoil at home by joining the Canadian army, where he became a lieutenant in the artillery and was among the Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. He was machinegunned, taking six hits: one that took off his middle right finger, four in his leg, and one in the chest. The chest bullet was stopped by his silver cigarette case.
After the war, Doohan enrolled in a drama class in Toronto on a whim. He showed promise and won a two-year scholarship to New York's famed Neighborhood Playhouse, where fellow students included Leslie Nielsen, Tony Randall and Richard Boone. His commanding presence and booming voice brought him steady work as a character actor in films and television in Canada and the United States. Then came "Star Trek" and fans forever screaming "Beam me up, Scotty." Married three times, Doohan was the father of nine children.
