Original Star Trek Cast: Where Are They Now? 3
What would the original Star Trek television series been like without the likes of Mr. Spock or Lt. Commander Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott? Leonard Nimoy donned the pointy ears to play Mr. Spock, while James Doohan gained fame from the saying “Beam me up, Scotty.” This article takes a look at background details of each actor, as well as what they are doing today.
Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock)
If it weren’t for Martin Landau declining the role of Spock, we would have never encountered the actor we have grown to love as the Vulcan sidekick of Captain Kirk. Leonard Nimoy was the only actor in the original series of Star Trek to appear in every single episode. He was also known for uttering those famous farewell words “Live long and prosper.” In an August 2005 issue of TV Guide, this saying was ranked #5 in the list of TV’s Top 20 Catchphrases.
Nimoy has done a bit of directing, as well as writing for the Star Trek series. He is also the one who came up with the concept for the “Vulcan nerve pinch,” which was his answer to demonstrating why Spock could defeat his enemies without using violent tactics. Before he landed his role as Spock, he starred in movies, such as Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952) and Old Overland Trail (1953). His TV series appearances before Star Trek included “Dragnet,” “Rawhide” and “Bonanza.” After Star Trek, Nimoy did several different voiceover projects, as well as narration gigs. In 2002, Nimoy announced his retirement from the screen, but in 2005, lent his voice as narrator to Civilizations IV (a video game).
James Doohan (Lt. Commander Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott)
James Doohan was a master of voices while working on the original Star Trek television series. He is responsible for supplying the voices of a radio announcer in “A Piece of the Action.” Providers 2 and 3 in “the Gamesters of Triskelion,” the M-5 and Commodore Enwright in “the Ultimate Computer,” as well as a NASA technician in “Assignment: Earth.” But one of the most popular phrases associated with Doohan’s character was the words: “Bean me up, Scotty.” Actually, avid fans know that Captain Kirk (in any of the television episodes) never uttered this famous phrase.
Before Doohan took on his role as ”˜Scotty,’ he started his acting career in a 1952 TV series called “Tales of Tomorrow.” He then went on to act in television series, such as “Gunsmoke,” “Hazel” and “The Twilight Zone.” After the original Star Trek series was cancelled, Doohan continued to participate in several Star-Trek related projects, as well as act in a variety of TV shows and movies. His final appearance on the silver screen was in 2005 when he played Judge Peterson in the video: “Skinwalker: Curse of the Shaman.” Unfortunately, Doohan passed away on July 20th, 2005 from pneumonia, as well as complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
DeForest Kelley (Lt. Commander Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy, M.D)
Another original Star Trek member no longer with us is the man who brought to life the character of Bones. Kelley passed away on June 11th, 1999 from stomach cancer. Kelley possessed a long list of movie and television appearances that date back to the late 1940s. After the cancellation of Star Trek, he continued to work on several Star Trek-related projects. The last piece of work that Kelley was part of was called The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars, where he furnished the voice of Viking 1. After the release of William Shatner’s Star Trek memoirs, it was stated that Deforest Kelley was the first to be offered the role of Spock.