Biography for
DeForest Kelley More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

20 January 1920, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Date of Death

11 June 1999, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA (stomach cancer)

Birth Name

Jackson DeForest Kelley

Nickname

De

Height

5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

DeForest Kelley was born in Atlanta Georgia January 20, 1920. He graduated from highschool at 16 and went on to sing at the church where his father was a baptist minister.At seventeen he made his first trip outside the state to visit an uncle in Long Beach California, he intended to stay for 2 weeks but ended up staying a year. Upon returning home he told his parents he was moving to California to become an actor . His mother encouraged him but the idea didn't go over well with his father. In California Kelley was spotted by a Paramount scout while doing a Navy Training film. He went on acting in many westerns and eventually played the role of Dr. Leonard McCoy which changed his life forever.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Sarah Kilroy

Spouse

Carolyn Dowling

(7 September 1945 - 11 June 1999) (his death)

Trivia

Before landing the role of Dr. McCoy, he was offered the choice to play Mr. Spock. Years later, he ironically plays both for "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984).

Is one of only 32 actors or actresses to have starred in both the original Star Trek up to and including Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) and then in one of the spin offs.

He was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

Made both his first (Episode "The Corbomite Manoeuvre") and last (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)) Star Trek appearances with Nichelle Nichols.

Shortly before his death he won the "Golden Cowboy Boot" award, honoring his earlier work in westerns.

Played one of the Earp brothers in the film Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) and faced the Earps in an episode of Star Trek. Also played Ike Clanton in episode "The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" on "You Are There" (1953).

Was the only original "Star Trek" (1966) cast member never to write an autobiography.

The "Enterprise" (2001) character, Admiral Maxwell Forrest played by Vaughn Armstrong, is named after him.

Of the four main "Star Trek" (1966) cast members (the others being William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan), he is the only one who never appeared in "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1964) or "The Outer Limits" (1963).

Reportedly disliked doing the animated "Star Trek" (1973) series because he was never recording his lines at the same time as William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Kelley did not like this because he never got to interact with them and develop any rapport, which made reading his lines all the more difficult.

He told close friends that he always felt more comfortable in westerns then he did in science fiction.

Was the first primary cast member from "Star Trek" (1966) to pass away.

A veteran of television and film Westerns, Kelley has portrayed two different participants in the legendary 1881 OK Corral gunfight between the Earps and the Clantons. In 1955, he played Ike Clanton in an episode of the TV show "You Are There" (1953), and in 1957, he played Morgan Earp in the film Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). On Star Trek (1966) the USS Enterprise away team beam onto a planet and DeForest Kelly again finds himself at the OK Corral playing Tom McClaury.

Shortly after Mr. Kelley's passing, "He's dead, Jim" was forever memorialized by being added in tribute to Dr. McCoy for two 1999 video games: StarCraft Expansion Set: Brood War (1998) (VG) and Shatner-oids, a spoof of the classic Atari game "Asteroids".

The tagline "I'm a doctor, not a..." has been quoted in almost every incarnation of Star Trek on film and television.

Had a great love of poetry, both reading and writing it. Later in life, he used to charm Star Trek convention audiences with three poems about Gene Roddenberry ("The Great Bird of the Galaxy") and the Star Trek franchise. They were called "The Big Bird's Dream," "The Dream Goes On," and "The Dream Forever.".

Inspired many fans to take up medicine. One of which he and his wife visited after graduating from med school, after receiving such a letter.

He plays a medic in "The Man In The Grey Flannel Suit" (1956). Foreshadowing things to come, His character's says "This man is dead, Captain".

Often mistakenly billed as Kelly de Forrest.

His personal favorite episode of "Star Trek" (1966) was "The Empath".

Graduated from Decatur High School in Decatur, Georgia when he was only 16 years old.

Personal Quotes

"I wouldn't have been anywhere near Leonard Nimoy. He's marvelous." - on why he chose to play Dr. McCoy instead of Spock.

[on his life] I'd wanted to become a doctor and couldn't ~ yet became the best known doctor in the galaxy.

[on Star Trek fans] They're the most devoted group of people and contrary to what people think, they don't have antennae coming out of their heads.

I'm very grateful for the career that I've had. And I'm very grateful for the experiences that "Star Trek" has afforded me along with my past background. When I look back and think how fortunate I've been to work with some wonderful people and had some marvelous experiences, then I can look at "Star Trek" and think it's almost like the cream on the coffee. I don't approach it as anything but a magnificent plus.

I thoroughly enjoyed those years. I liked Westerns for two reasons: First, it took the actor outside. They were all very physical at that time and not limited to a stage. Second, they paid my rent an awful lot.

(to William Shatner, on his deathbed) Let's make just one more Star Trek movie! I sure miss making those movies!

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