Actor James Doohan Dies Star Trek's Scotty was 85

James Doohan

Redmond, WA – Actor James Doohan, best known as Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, the chief engineer of the starship Enterprise on the sci-fi series Star Trek, died on Wednesday, July 20. Doohan, who was 85, passed at his home in Redmond, Washington, due to complications from pneumonia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

The inspiration for the enduring catch phrase “Beam me up, Scotty,” Doohan’s Scottish-accented character was one of the mainstays of the original Star Trek, along with William Shatner’s Capt. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock and DeForest Kelley’s Dr. McCoy.

Doohan, whom many assumed to be a Scot due to his rich burr on the series, was actually a native of Canada. He was born March 3, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in Sarnia, Ontario.

Although his exploits were earthbound rather than intergalactic, Doohan demonstrated admirable courage and experienced more than his share of danger as a soldier during World War II. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, while serving in the Royal Canadian Artillery, he landed on Juno Beach in Normandy. While crossing a minefield, he and his unit were attacked by German machine-gun fire. During the onslaught, Doohan was shot several times in the leg, the middle finger of his right hand was blown off and he survived a bullet to the chest when it struck a silver cigarette case that had been given to him by his brother. Years later, Doohan was one of many WWII veterans to publicly thank director Steven Spielberg for his unflinching depiction of the Normandy invasion in the opening sequence of the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan.

Upon his return from the war, Doohan enrolled in a drama class in Toronto and eventually earned a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he studied along with Leslie Nielsen, Tony Randall and Richard Boone. In the 1950s he began appearing on television and built a reputation as a versatile character actor with a facility for accents, a gift that led to the creation of his most memorable role.

James Doohan continues to beam us up as Scotty of the phenomenally long-running Star Trek syndicated series and film franchise.

According to his manager, Steve Stevens, Doohan auditioned for Star Trek in several European accents before the show’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, asked him what nationality he thought best suited the part. “He said, ‘It’s got to be a Scotsman,’” Stevens once recalled.

Prior to being cast on Star Trek, Doohan was a frequent TV guest star, appearing in such series as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone and Bewitched. In the years following Start Trek’s cancellation, he continued to act in television on shows such as Fantasy Island, Magnum, P.I. and MacGyver. He also appeared in several Star Trek feature films, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Start Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. His other feature films include Test Pilot and Man in the Wilderness. His last performance was in this year’s horror thriller Skinwalker: Curse of the Shaman.

Doohan, who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last year, was married three times. He and his first wife, Judy Doohan, had four children. He had two children by his second marriage to Anita Yagel. Both marriages ended in divorce. In 1974, he married Wende Braunberger, with whom he had three children—Eric, Thomas and Sarah, who was born in 2000, when Doohan was 80.

Shortly after Doohan’s passing, it was announced that his wife intended to send some of his ashes into outer space, as was done for Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry upon his death in 1991.