James Montgomery Doohan

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.

Early Life

Doohan was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, 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. 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.

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: 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.

Doohan trained as a pilot (graduating from Air Observation Pilot Course 40 with 11 other Canadian artillery officers),[5] 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.

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).

Personal Life

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. 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.

The character Scotty is said to have been born in Linlithgow, Scotland. In 2007, the West Lothian Council placed a commemorative plaque there in memory of Doohan. Other towns having groups claiming to be Scotty's birthplace and wishing memorials are Aberdeen, Elgin, and Edinburgh.

Death

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

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. Coincidentally, Doohan died on the anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, arguably the greatest engineering achievement in human history.

Almost two years after his death, approximately one-quarter ounce (7 grams) of Doohan's ashes were sent into space, as he had requested in his will. The ashes, along with those of Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper as well as almost two hundred others, were launched on the SpaceLoft XL rocket, on 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. 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. The rest of his ashes were scattered over Puget Sound in Washington. On May 22, 2012, a small urn containing some of Doohan's remains in ash form was flown into space aboard the Dragon spacecraft as part of COTS Demo Flight 2.

Source: Wikipedia Actor. He is best known for his role of 'Montgomery "Scotty" Scott', the Chief Engineer of the starship "Enterprise" in the seminal and immensely popular 1960's science fiction television series "Star Trek" and it's subsequent movies. Born in British Columbia, Canada, he served in the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II, and lost the middle finger on his right hand after Canadian forces stormed ashore at Juno Beach during the D-Day Normandy invasion. He appeared in a few movies in film and on television in the 1950s and early 1960s before landing his most famous part as the gruff but ever resourceful Chief Engineer Scott in 1966 as "Star Trek" was launched by creator Gene Roddenberry. From then on he was indelibly part of the "Star Trek" franchise as it rose from cult favorite to Pop Culture icon status. After the series' initial run ended after three years, he lent his voice to the early 1970s "Star Trek' cartoon series, and continued the "Scotty" role through six "Star Trek" feature films. The part was even worked into an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and into the first movie of that part of the franchise. Many of the phrases he used either used or were spoken to him during the run of "Star Trek" have entered pop culture lexicon, and have been parodied in numerous ways ("Beam me up, Scotty"). He retained enormous popularity through his career, and often appeared at "Trek" conventions to the delight of the fans. Despite declining health, he appeared in the dedication of a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star that was awarded to him in 2004. (bio by: [fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=9" target="_blank Find A Grave)]

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jul 20 2018, 19:58:48 UTC