DeForest Kelley Bio
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:39 pm
DeForest Kelley
Born on 20 January 1920 in Atlanta, Georgia and passed (stomach cancer) on 11 June 1999 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California at the age of 79.
His full name was Jackson DeForest Kelley, and to his friends and loyal fans, he was known as "De".
Born on 20 January 1920 in Atlanta, Georgia and passed (stomach cancer) on 11 June 1999 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California at the age of 79.
His full name was Jackson DeForest Kelley, and to his friends and loyal fans, he was known as "De".
DeForest graduated from high school at 16 and went on to sing at the Baptist church where his father was a minister. At age 17, he made his first trip outside the state to visit an uncle in Long Beach, California - he intended to stay for two weeks but ended up staying for a full year. When he finally returned home, he told his parents he was moving to California to become an actor - a career that his mother encouraged but his father did not.
Tracycap
In California, Kelley was spotted by a Paramount talent scout while working on a US Navy training film. He became a reliable character actor, often in westerns, playing mostly villains.
Tracycap from Apache Uprising
Tracycap from Apache Uprising
His big break came in 1966 when he was offered the role of McCoy in the sci-fi classic series Star Trek - a role that spanned 25 years of television and motion pictures, ending with his role in Star Trek VI:The Undiscovered Country in 1991.
Tracycap from Star Trek
Tracycap from The Undiscovered Country in 1991
Tracycap from Star Trek
Tracycap from The Undiscovered Country in 1991
Deforest was married to Carolyn Dowling for 54 years!
He was famous for his catchphrase, "I'm a Doctor, not a..." a phrase McCoy used whenever he was forced to do something he was unfamiliar to him.
Shortly before his death, he won the "Golden Cowboy Boot" award, honoring his earlier work in westerns, and though he was a writer of poetry, De was the only original Star Trek cast member never to write an autobiography.
He told close friends that he always felt more comfortable in westerns then he did in science fiction, and in 1956, in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, one of his lines was, "This man is dead, Captain" - a foreshadowing to another famous Dr. McCoy line that repeated throughout the series and movies, "He's dead, Jim!"
He was famous for his catchphrase, "I'm a Doctor, not a..." a phrase McCoy used whenever he was forced to do something he was unfamiliar to him.
Shortly before his death, he won the "Golden Cowboy Boot" award, honoring his earlier work in westerns, and though he was a writer of poetry, De was the only original Star Trek cast member never to write an autobiography.
He told close friends that he always felt more comfortable in westerns then he did in science fiction, and in 1956, in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, one of his lines was, "This man is dead, Captain" - a foreshadowing to another famous Dr. McCoy line that repeated throughout the series and movies, "He's dead, Jim!"
His personal favorite episode of Star Trek was The Empath and the guest star he worked closely with on this episode was Kathryn Hays, Prudence Jessup in the Bonanza episode, The Wild Ones.
Tracycap from The Empath
Tracycap from The Empath
Personal Quote:
I'd wanted to become a doctor and couldn't ~ yet became the best known doctor in the galaxy.
Tracycap - Deforest at a Star Trek Convention in 1992
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.
De guest starred in many television shows and movies, including: The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Science Fiction Theater, The Rough Riders, Trackdown, Wanted:Dead or Alive, Zane Grey Theater, Lawman, Bat Masterson, Route 66, Have Gun-Will Travel, Laramie, The Virginian, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.
I'd wanted to become a doctor and couldn't ~ yet became the best known doctor in the galaxy.
Tracycap - Deforest at a Star Trek Convention in 1992
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.
De guest starred in many television shows and movies, including: The Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Science Fiction Theater, The Rough Riders, Trackdown, Wanted:Dead or Alive, Zane Grey Theater, Lawman, Bat Masterson, Route 66, Have Gun-Will Travel, Laramie, The Virginian, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.
The Decision
Tracycap from The Decision
Tracycap from The Decision
The Honor Of Cochise
Tracycap from The Honor of Cochise
Tracycap from The Honor of Cochise
Ride the Wind: Part 1 & 2
Tracycap from Ride The Wind
Tracycap from Ride The Wind
A quote DeForest made from his death bed to William Shatner ~ ~ Let's make just one more "Star Trek" movie! I sure miss making those movies!