James-Doohan-Obituary

James Doohan

Obituary

LOS ANGELES (AP) - James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" TV series and movies who responded to the command "Beam me up, Scotty," died Wednesday. He was 85.

Doohan died at 5:30 a.m. at his Redmond, Wash., home with his wife of 28 years, Wende, at his side, Los Angeles agent and longtime friend Steve Stevens said. The cause of death was pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease, he said.

Doohan had said farewell to public life in August 2004, a few months after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

The Canadian-born Doohan was enjoying a busy career as a character actor when he auditioned for a role as an engineer in a new space adventure on NBC in 1966. A master of dialects from his early years in radio, he tried seven different accents.

"The producers asked me which one I preferred," Doohan recalled 30 years later. "I believed the Scot voice was the most commanding. So I told them, 'If this character is going to be an engineer, you'd better make him a Scotsman."'

The series, which starred William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as the enigmatic Mr. Spock, attracted an enthusiastic following of science fiction fans, especially among teenagers and children, but not enough ratings power. NBC canceled it after three seasons.

When the series ended in 1969, Doohan found himself typecast as Montgomery Scott, the canny engineer with a burr in his voice. 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," said Doohan, "and since then everything's been just lovely."
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press


Guest Book

Not sure what to say?

Even with so many years having passed, we continue to remember and honor this wonderful man and his service. You are missed!

Peace.

"You will always be Montgomery Scott on star trek. "

"You will always be Montgomery Scott on star trek."

Peace.

I has the pleasure of meeting Jimmy at a Star Trek convention in NY. As he was signing autographs he stood up and reached across the table to shake my hand, something I'll always remember. I shook the hand of a "Miracle Worker". He made the chief engineer one of the most important people on the Enterprise. Thanks for your service to Starfleet and in real life (WWll-Omaha Beach). Beam me up, Scotty!

Thank you for sharing a part of your life with us. Thank you for your service on the Enterprise and in real life.

Thank you for Scotty, who showed us the meaning of dignity, class, and courage. Thank you for your service on the Enterprise, and in real life.

im giving it all i got captain
you will be missed by all scotty