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James Doohan

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James Doohan
James Doohan, 1997
Born
James Montgomery Doohan

(1920-03-03)March 3, 1920
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
DiedJuly 20, 2005(2005-07-20) (aged 85)
Redmond, Washington
Cause of deathPneumonia
Resting placePuget Sound, Washington,
Outer space
NationalityCanadian American
Alma materNeighborhood Playhouse
OccupationActor
Years active1952–2005
Known forMontgomery "Scotty" Scott
TelevisionStar Trek
Spouse(s)Janet Young (1949–1964)
Anita Yagel (1967–1972)
Wende Braunberger (1974–2005)

James Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan (/ˈduːən/ DOO-ən; March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian character and voice actor best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series Star Trek. Doohan's characterization of the Scottish Chief Engineer of the Starship Enterprise was one of the most recognizable elements in the Star Trek franchise, for which he also made several contributions behind the scenes. Many of the characterizations, mannerisms, and expressions that he established for Scotty and other Star Trek characters have become entrenched in popular culture.

Following his success with Star Trek, he supplemented his income and showed continued support for his fans by making numerous public appearances. Doohan often went to great lengths to buoy the large number of fans who have been inspired to make their own accomplishments in engineering and other fields, as a result of Doohan's work and his encouragement.[1]

Early life

Doohan was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the youngest of four children of William and Sarah Doohan, who emigrated from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. His father was a pharmacist, veterinarian, and dentist; his mother was a homemaker.[2] Doohan's father reportedly invented an early form of high-octane gasoline in 1923. Doohan's 1996 autobiography recounted his father's serious alcoholism. The family moved to Sarnia, Ontario, and Doohan attended high school at the Sarnia Collegiate Institute and Technical School (SCITS), where he excelled in mathematics and science. He enrolled in the 102nd Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps in 1938.[3]

Military service

At the beginning of the Second World War, Doohan joined the Royal Canadian Artillery. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the 13th Field Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Doohan went to England in 1940 for training. His first combat was the invasion of Normandy at Juno Beach on D-Day. Shooting two snipers, Doohan led his men to higher ground through a field of anti-tank mines, where they took defensive positions for the night. Crossing between command posts at 11:30 that night, Doohan was hit by six rounds fired from a Bren gun by a nervous Canadian sentry:[4] four in his leg, one in the chest, and one through his right middle finger. The bullet to his chest was stopped by a silver cigarette case. His right middle finger had to be amputated, something he would conceal during his career as an actor.[5]

Doohan trained as a pilot (graduating from Air Observation Pilot Course 40 with 11 other Canadian artillery officers),[6] and flew Taylorcraft Auster Mark V aircraft for 666 (AOP) Squadron, RCAF, as a Royal Canadian Artillery officer in support of 1st Army Group Royal Canadian Artillery. All three Canadian (AOP) RCAF Squadrons were manned by Artillery Officer-pilots and accompanied by non-commissioned RCA and RCAF personnel serving as observers.[7][8]

Although never actually a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Doohan was once labelled the "craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Force". A story from his flying years tells of Doohan slaloming a plane—variously cited as a Hurricane or a jet trainer—between mountainside telegraph poles to prove it could be done, which earned him a serious reprimand. (The actual feat was performed in a Mark IV Auster on the Salisbury Plain north of RAF Andover in the late spring of 1945).[9][10]

Early acting career

After the war, Doohan moved to London, Ontario for further technical education. After hearing a radio drama that he knew he could do better, he recorded his voice at the local radio station, and learned about a drama school in Toronto. There he won a two-year scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City,[11] where classmates included Leslie Nielsen, Tony Randall, and Richard Boone.

In 1946 he had several roles for CBC radio,[12] starting 12 January. For several years Doohan would shuttle between Toronto and New York as work demanded. During this period he estimated over 4,000 radio programs and 450 television programs,[13] and earned a reputation for his versatility.[14]

In the mid-1950s he appeared as forest ranger Timber Tom (the northern counterpart of Buffalo Bob) in the Canadian version of Howdy Doody. Coincidentally, fellow Star Trek cast member William Shatner appeared simultaneously as Ranger Bill in the American version. Doohan and Shatner both appeared in the 1950s Canadian science fiction series Space Command.[12]

For GM Presents, he played the lead role in the 1956 CBC TV drama Flight into Danger, then in 1960 "The Night they Killed Joe Howe".[15] (Arthur Hailey rewrote the former into the novel Runway Zero-Eight, then adapted to Terror in the Sky.)

His credits included The Twilight Zone, GE True, The Outer Limits, Bewitched, Fantasy Island, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and Bonanza. In the Bonanza episode, "Gift of Water" (1962), he co-starred with actress Majel Barrett, Star Trek's Nurse Chapel. He was an assistant to the United States president in two episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. He had an uncredited role in The Satan Bug (1965). The movie "Man in the Wilderness" was filmed in Spain with Richard Harris in 1971.[13]

Star Trek

The handprints of James Doohan in front of Hollywood Hills Amphitheater at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

Doohan developed a talent for accents as a child.[10] Auditioning for the role of Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise, before Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek), Doohan did several different accents. Roddenberry asked which he preferred, and Doohan replied "Well, if you want an engineer, he better be a Scotsman because, in my experience, all the world's best engineers have been Scottish".[16][17] He chose the name "Montgomery Scott" after his grandfather.[16]

In later years Doohan would revisit this casting process at Star Trek conventions, demonstrating a variety of possible voices and characters.[16] When Roddenberry produced Star Trek: The Animated Series in the early 1970s, Doohan's ability to perform different voices was used by having him perform most "guest star" male roles in the series, including Robert April, which the show cited as the Enterprise's first captain. Doohan was the alien navigator Lieutenant Arex,[18] and did seven different voices for a record episode.[19]

The Scott character, as conceived, would have been a semi-regular, but with fellow cast members Leonard Nimoy (Spock) and DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), was elevated in importance to leads alongside William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk. It was made clear that, owing to his high technological orientation, Lt. Cmdr. Scott was the third-in-command of the Enterprise, and at times the ship was left in his care. Scott was frequently used in subplots regarding disabled ship components (such as the dilithium crystals which regulated the warp drive, the transporter teleportation device, or just fiddling in the Jefferies tubes) and as a foil for Kirk's ambitious tactical approaches, which were said to strain the propulsion and/or defenses of the starship ("I can't push it any faster, Captain!" or " I cannot guarantee that she'll hold up!"). In this capacity, Scott proved to be as much of a tinkerer, or improvisational engineer, as a high-tech specialist, often apparently holding the Enterprise together with little more than baling wire and his own spittle. In the end, many fans saw the Enterprise itself as the show's star, leaving Scott in an enviable position as her defender. For example, in "The Trouble With Tribbles", Scott stands idly by and even keeps Chekov from starting any trouble as a Klingon insults Kirk; however, Scott is finally provoked into violence when the Klingon insults the Enterprise herself.

Doohan was quoted as saying, "Scotty is ninety-nine percent James Doohan and one percent accent."[13][20] Using his considerable vocal skills, Doohan devised the Vulcan and Klingon language dialogue heard in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Later, professional linguists, particularly Marc Okrand, expanded Klingon into a fully constructed language with a working grammar. In addition to playing Scotty, he also did many guest voices on Star Trek including:

After Star Trek

Doohan (left) visiting NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center with pilot Bruce Peterson 13 April 1967 in front of the Northrop M2-F2.

Doohan hoped that Star Trek would benefit his acting career.[10] After the series ended, however, he found himself typecast and had a hard time getting other roles. After his dentist reminded him he would "always be Scotty", he supported his family with income from personal appearances.[21]

Unlike some other members of the cast, Doohan relished meeting fans and was always ready to entertain with a story or a song. Most parts depended on his Trek fame and engineer reputation. He was Captain in the short-lived Saturday morning live-action kids' show, Jason of Star Command, and had a cameo in the made-for-TV movie Knight Rider 2000 as "Jimmy Doohan, the guy who played Scotty on Star Trek". In the TV series Homeboys in Outer Space, he was Pippen, a pun on Scotty and basketball star Scottie Pippen.

Other parts were not as plentiful. He was himself in an episode of The Ben Stiller Show. He played Damon Warwick, father of James Warwick, on the daytime soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful.[22] After knowing about cold fusion since 1989 from technical journals, he narrated for the video "Cold Fusion: Fire From Water", about the physics behind cold fusion.[11] His last role was Clive Chives in the 1999 British film The Duke.

When the Star Trek franchise was revived, Doohan reprised his role of Scotty in seven Star Trek films and made a guest appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation's 130th episode "Relics", all of which left him financially comfortable. Many of Doohan's film appearances did centre on the role of Scotty, such as a cameo in National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, where he plays a policeman who tells his superior officer "I am giving it all she has got, Captain!" in the same accent he used in Star Trek. However, he refused to contribute to the Futurama episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" or allow his image to be used in it, and was "replaced" in the episode by the created character "Welshie" who was ultimately given the redshirt treatment.[23]

Although he continued to work with William Shatner in the Star Trek movies, in private life Doohan didn't care for him, and was once quoted as saying, "I like Captain Kirk, but I can't say that I'm very fond of Bill",[21] declining to be interviewed by Shatner for Shatner's first Star Trek: Memories book about the show. However, Doohan consented to be interviewed for William Shatner's second book, Star Trek: Movie Memories.[24] At Doohan's final August 2004 convention appearance, Doohan and Shatner appeared to have mended their relationship.[25]

Inspiration

Many fans told Doohan over the years that it was he who inspired them to choose engineering as a profession. Astronaut Neil Armstrong, an engineer before he participated in NASA's Apollo program, personally told Doohan on stage at Doohan's last public appearance, "From one old engineer to another, thanks, mate."[26] In a later interview, this time for the first Trekkies film, Doohan related the story of a young fan who was contemplating suicide; Doohan says that he convinced her to attend his next convention appearance, and later found out that his encouragement and kind words had not only saved her life, but also inspired her to go back to school and become an electronics engineer.[27]

Death

Doohan suffered from Parkinson's disease, diabetes mellitus, and pulmonary fibrosis in later life. In 2004 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.[28]

Wikinews has related news:

On July 20, 2005, at 5:30 in the morning, Doohan died at his home in Redmond, Washington, with his wife Wende and long-time friend and agent, Steve Stevens, at his side. His agent identified the cause as pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease.[29]

His ashes, 1/4 ounce (7 grams), were scheduled the following fall for a Memorial Flight to space with 100 others, including Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper.[30][31] Launch on the SpaceLoft XL rocket was delayed to April 28, 2007, when the rocket briefly entered outer space in a four-minute suborbital flight before parachuting to earth, as planned, with the ashes still inside.[32] The ashes were subsequently launched on a Falcon 1 rocket, on August 3, 2008, into what was intended to be a low Earth orbit, however the rocket failed two minutes after launch.[33] The rest of his ashes were scattered over Puget Sound in Washington.[34][35] On May 22, 2012, a small urn containing some of Doohan's remains in ash form was flown into space aboard the Falcon 9 rocket as part of COTS Demo Flight 2.[36]

Legacy

Doohan's star on Hollywood Blvd after his death.

Scotty's exploits as the redoubtable Chief Engineer aboard the Enterprise inspired many students to pursue a career in engineering. Because of this, the Milwaukee School of Engineering granted Doohan an honorary degree in engineering.[37] He was immortalized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 31, 2004. Despite ill health, he was present at the ceremony, which proved to be his final public appearance.[38]

Montgomery Scott was claimed by Linlithgow, Scotland in 2007 by a commemorative plaque from the West Lothian Council for Doohan's importance.[39] His birthplace is also attributed to Aberdeen[40] where Doohan learned the accent,[41] or Elgin.[42] Scotty's accent chosen by Doohan implies most formative years spent at or near Edinburgh,[42] also per possible original script notes.[43]

Personal life

Doohan was married three times. He had four children—Larkin, Deirdre, and twins Christopher and Montgomery—with first wife Janet Young (in a Catholic ceremony)before a 1964 divorce. His marriage to Anita Yagel from 1967 to 1972 produced no children. In early 1974, he was introduced to 17-year-old fan Wende Braunberger at a theatre performance, later marrying that same year when she was 18 and he 54, on October 12, 1974, creating a media scandal with Star Trek actor William Campbell serving as best man.She was pregnant at that time.[44][45] Doohan and Braunberger had three children: Eric, Thomas, and Sarah in 2000(using a sperm donor due to his health problems), around his 80th birthday.[46]In July 2004, Doohan announced that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in addition to his existing Parkinson's disease and diabetes, and would be withdrawing from public life.

His son, Christopher, appeared in Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979 and in the J. J. Abrams reboot Star Trek 2009.[47] Simon Pegg was Scotty, and invited the Doohans to the premiere.[48] For Star Trek Into Darkness in 2012, fans campaigned for Christopher Doohan[49] gaining him a cameo in the transporter room.[50] Chris Doohan finally plays Scotty in the 2013 web series "Star Trek Continues", for three vignettes, a first episode "Pilgrim of Eternity", and more planned.[48]

Bibliography

Autobiography

  • Doohan, James (1996). Beam Me Up, Scotty: Star Trek's "Scotty" in his own words. ISBN 0-671-52056-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

Science fiction novels (The Flight Engineer series):

References

  1. ^ "Obituary: James Doohan". BBC News. 2005-07-20. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  2. ^ James Doohan profile at Film Reference.com
  3. ^ "#102 Cadet Corps". The Official History Website of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets. Army Cadet League of Canada. Retrieved 15 May 2013. C/Maj James Doohan (1938-40)
  4. ^ Graves, Donald E. (2005). Century of Service. New York: Midpoint Trade Books Inc. p. 244. ISBN 1-896941-43-5.
  5. ^ Despite his efforts, the injured hand can be seen in several Star Trek episodes: "The Trouble With Tribbles", "Tomorrow Is Yesterday", "The Enemy Within", "The Ultimate Computer" and "Catspaw", as well as in The Search for Spock when giving parts from the USS Excelsior to Dr. Leonard McCoy, in The Final Frontier when Nyota Uhura brings him dinner on the bridge of the USS Enterprise-A, and in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", when the missing finger is clearly apparent as Scotty offers Captain Jean-Luc Picard a drink while on a re-creation of the original Enterprise bridge.
  6. ^ Knight, Darrell (2010). Artillery Flyers at War. Bennington: Merriam Press. p. 482. ISBN 978-0-557-32964-9.
  7. ^ Battle History 666. Calgary: Abel Book Company. 2006.
  8. ^ Fromow, D. L. (2002). Canada's Flying Gunners: A History of the Air Observation Post of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. Air O.P. Pilot's Association. ISBN 0-9730055-0-5.
  9. ^ Whitfield, Stephen E. (1968). The Making of Star Trek. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 245. ISBN 0-345-24691-8.
  10. ^ a b c "'Star Trek' Ace Is Former Pilot". Beaver County Times. Beaver, Pennsylvania. United Press International. 1969-04-21. pp. B12. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  11. ^ a b Koolstra, Jeffrey D. (1999). "An Interview with James "Scotty" Doohan". Infinite Energy (26). Retrieved 15 May 2013. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  12. ^ a b "James Doohan: Giving it all he's got - CBC 75th Anniversary". CBC.ca. CBC/Radio-Canada. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  13. ^ a b c "James Doohan - Interview". Sci-fi Online. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  14. ^ "Star Trek Doohan, James". Star Trek.com. CBS Studios Inc.
  15. ^ "Joseph Howe Subject of Show". The Montreal Gazette. 1 October 1960. p. 26.
  16. ^ a b c Scott D. Pierce (16 April 1993). "`SCOTTY' HAS ACCENTED VERSATILE ACTOR'S CAREER". Deseret News. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  17. ^ Hayward, Anthony (2005-07-22). "Obituary: James Doohan". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
  18. ^ "Behind The Voice Actors - James Doohan". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  19. ^ "James Doohan". NNDB. Soylent Communications. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  20. ^ Dillard, J.M. (1996). Star Trek: Where no-one has gone before (Second Revised ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 17. ISBN 978-0671002060. Retrieved 15 May 2013. The character is ninety-nine percent James Doohan and one percent accent {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  21. ^ a b "Actor James Doohan, 85; Played Scotty on 'Star Trek'". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 21 July 2005. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  22. ^ "Ian on "The Bold and the Beautiful"". Ian Buchanan ONLINE. Retrieved 15 May 2013. James Doohan... guest-starred for several appearances as James` dad Damon
  23. ^ "Where No Fan Has Gone Before". The Infosphere, the Futurama Wiki. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  24. ^ Shatner, William, Star Trek: Movie Memories. Harper Collins: New York, 1994
  25. ^ Anthony Pascale (9 December 2010). "George Takei: William Shatner Refused To Appear On-Stage With James Doohan At Farewell Con". TrekMovie.com. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  26. ^ "R.I.P. James Doohan 1920-2005". Soul of Star Trek. 20 July 2005.
  27. ^ Doohan tells the anecdote in the 1997 documentary Trekkies, directed by Roger Nygard
  28. ^ "Star Trek Scotty has Alzheimer's". BBC News. 2004-07-07. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  29. ^ Biography for James Doohan at IMDb
  30. ^ "L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. - Participant on board The Legacy Flight". Space Services Inc.
  31. ^ Korte, Tim (26 July 2006). "'Star Trek's' Scotty Sending Ashes to Space". Associated Press. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  32. ^ CNN, 'Scotty's' 'beamed up' ashes fall in New Mexico, May 19, 2007.
  33. ^ NASASpaceflight.com – SpaceX Falcon I FAILS during first stage flight
  34. ^ Lane, Frederick (2007-04-03). "Ashes of Star Trek's 'Scotty' Headed to Space". Sci-Tech Today. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
  35. ^ CNN News: 'Star Trek' actor's ashes heading to space this month
  36. ^ Moskowitz, Clara (2012-05-22). "Ashes of Star Trek's 'Scotty' Ride Private Rocket Into Space". Space.com. New York. Archived from the original on 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  37. ^ James Doohan. James Doohan on engineering students.
  38. ^ "Last Appearance". American Cowboy: 14. 2004. Retrieved 15 May 2013. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  39. ^ Doohan us proud
  40. ^ Underwood, Alva (2008). Star Trek: The Reader's Reference to the Novels 1988-1989. Vol. Volume 7. Kobo. p. 333. ISBN 1434350304. Retrieved 15 May 2013. born on the 3rd of March 222 (sd 1269.5) to Kathleen and William Donald Scott in Aberdeen, Scotland. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
  41. ^ "Aberdeen Accent". Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  42. ^ a b "Where was Scotty born?". Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  43. ^ "Aberdeen claims Scotty". Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  44. ^ "Wende and James Doohan Marriage Profile". Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  45. ^ "Wende Braunberger Doohan". IMDb. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  46. ^ "Sarah's dad age 80". Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  47. ^ "Chris photos in Trek films". Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  48. ^ a b "Chris Doohan Cameo on Into Darkness, Web series Star Trek Continues". Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  49. ^ Star Trek Fans (January 17, 2012). "Bring Back Christopher Doohan for "Star Trek XII"". Variety. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
  50. ^ "Chris cameo Into Darkness". Retrieved 15 May 2013.
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