Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / ENTERTAINMENT
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Entertainment Contents:  Arts & Culture

Wednesday, 20 July, 2005, 17:07 GMT 18:07 UK

Star Trek's Scotty dies aged 85

James Doohan Actor James Doohan, who played the chief engineer Montgomery Scott in Star Trek, has died at the age of 85.

Doohan, whose role was immortalised in the line "Beam me up, Scotty", had been suffering from pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease, his agent said.

His wife of 31 years, Wende, was by his side, Steve Stevens added.

Doohan was a popular character actor when he auditioned for the part in 1966. When the series ended in 1969, he found himself typecast in the role.

The Canadian-born actor was a master of dialect, developed during his years on radio.

James Doohan and William Shatner in Star Trek

When asked what accent he thought his Star Trek character should have, he said: "I believed the Scot voice was the most commanding."

'Go with the flow'

Doohan's character Scotty manned the Starship enterprise with Captain James T Kirk, played by William Shatner, and Mr Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy.

They starred together for three seasons before US network NBC cancelled it because of weak ratings.

But the team was reassembled when the franchise hit the big screen. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released in cinemas in 1979.

Doohan appeared in seven big screen episodes of Star Trek, and continued to voice the franchise's video games into the late 1990s.

Although Doohan became synonymous with the line "Beam me up, Scotty", it was never actually said in the series.

The closest Captain Kirk came to saying it was in the fourth Star Trek movie, when he said "Scotty, beam me up".

Initially he was concerned about being typecast as Scotty.

HAVE YOUR SAY
"May you continue to boldly go where no man has gone before"
Joe Doody, Glasgow

Send us your tributes

In 1973, he complained to his dentist, who advised him: "Jimmy, you're going to be Scotty long after you're dead. If I were you, I'd go with the flow.

"I took his advice and since then everything's been just lovely."

He came to embrace his Scotty character and attended Star Trek fan conventions into his 80s, before falling ill.

Doohan became a father again at the age of 80, when his wife Wende gave birth to daughter Sarah.

His last public appearance was in October 2004 when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.



E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Star Trek's Scotty: Your tributes (20 Jul 05 |  Have Your Say )
Obituary: James Doohan (20 Jul 05 |  Entertainment )
Scotty to beam up a baby (04 Feb 00 |  Entertainment )
Star Trek Scotty receives honour (01 Sep 04 |  Entertainment )
Star Trek's Dr McCoy dies (12 Jun 99 |  Americas )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Star Trek fan site
Star Trek UK
Startrek.com
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Entertainment Contents:  Arts & Culture

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©