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| Star Trek legend James Doohan (Montgomery Scott) passed away early this morning, aged 85. According to an Associated Press report, Doohan died at 5:30am in his home in Redmond, Washington. His wife of 28 years, Wende, was at his side. The cause of death was pneumonia and Alzheimer's Disease, according to his longtime friend and agent Steve Stevens. The Original Series actor had been ailing for a number of years. Despite this, he always continued to make an effort to keep in touch with his fans, and only last year made his farewell to the convention circuit at a "Beam Me Up, Scotty" convention in Los Angeles (story). A few days after that, a ceremony was held during which Doohan was given a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. James Doohan was born on the 3rd of March, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia. He fought in the Canadian Army during World War II and participated in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, during which he lost the middle finger of his right hand. After the war, he embarked on a career in radio, and later added roles in films, movies and plays to his resumé. He had a unique talent for mimicking many different voices and accents, which came in use when he was asked to play the role of Montgomery Scott, the Scottish chief engineer of the original Starship Enterprise. Doohan's association with the Star Trek franchise began in 1966, when Gene Roddenberry cast him in the second TOS pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." He stayed with the series for all of the original three seasons, and then returned for the animated Star Trek series, for which he also provided the voice of the alien Lt. Arex. He later returned as Montgomery Scott in seven Star Trek feature films, and became the third Original Series actor to reprise his role on Star Trek: The Next Generation, in the sixth-season episode "Relics". |
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| One to beam up. |
| QUOTE (jamiearmour @ Jul 20 2005, 08:08 PM) | ||
| This is really sad news. :tear: He leaves a loving wife of many years and a child of only five years. Many people today are engineers because of his inspiration, as a true scotsman, I was proud to adopt this "faux" Scot as a friend. He will be dearly missed as an icon and beloved friend to many. To quote a poster on the Star Trek site message boards....
It says it all really :tear: |
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| The Final Frontier revisited By William Gallagher The death of James Doohan - Scotty the engineer - has aroused fresh outpourings of affection for Star Trek. Unmistakeably a child of the 1960s, the show was a flop which rose again to become the most famous space series. The original show tried to look into the future - and eventually changed television on both sides of the camera. At its quiet start on NBC in September 1966, it seemed that the only thing that would change was the channel - as viewers and critics found Bewitched much more interesting. Then as now, science fiction had a bad press and, then as now, it generally deserved it as audiences yawned through adventures about unbelievable monsters defeated by ridiculous luck and poor dialogue. Star Trek offered all of that in brightly-coloured tunics and with the odd pointed ear. But the majority of fantasy and science fiction shows were then anthologies with not only a different monster every week but a different hero, a different setting. Crude Star Trek had the USS Enterprise which was always commanded by William Shatner (Captain Kirk), was always held together by James Doohan as Scotty, and which presented generally consistent characters that you would come to know and follow. It was crude: Mr Spock's cold logic and Doctor McCoy's warm humanity were the two sides of Kirk's personality brought out and given voices. But they were funny and they were smart where most space characters were not. The stories were optimistic about exploration instead of fatalistic about invasion. The Enterprise crew became a family and that humanised space opera. Then, while creator Gene Roddenberry kept insisting the starship was not a military vessel but a ship of exploration, he gave everyone recognisable Navy ranks and so made his futuristic universe understandable. The stories were optimistic about exploration instead of fatalistic about invasion Even today, there are very few space opera shows that do not follow this exact structure, from the military ranks to the physical layout of the ships with a bridge and a big viewscreen. The stories were simple and often full of themselves for hiding contemporary issues within a space fantasy, but they had pace and tension and ridiculously short skirts: the 23rd Century looked a lot like the 1960s. When the show was cancelled, these elements found a new and much more appreciative audience: repeats were screened every weeknight opposite the evening news and young people and especially students became addicted. HAVE YOUR SAY Warp speed to the great beyond, Scotty Brian Adams, Milton, USA Trek didn't invent what's called syndication, but it was so successful at it that many shows tried to emulate it - including Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). Hit That went straight into this syndication market, partly because none of the networks thought it would recapture the success of the original show. But with exactly the same optimism, much of the same dialogue and only slightly better roles for women this spin-off became the greatest hit in the Star Trek canon. Even today, few space opera shows do not follow this exact structure, from the military ranks to the physical layout of the ships Its follow-up, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) was the strongest series by far yet oddly also the least popular - until Enterprise (2001). By the time that final Trek began, there had been over 600 episodes or films and Star Trek perhaps became self-defeating. We knew to hail frequencies, we knew to raise shields. The last days of Enterprise overtly harked back to the 1960s original, bringing back designs, costumes and ideas, but only the most avid fans stayed watching. |
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| Scotty's ashes to hit outer space Doohan played engineer Scotty in Star Trek The ashes of Star Trek actor James Doohan, who died on Wednesday, are to be sent into space at his request. Doohan, who was 85, played engineer Scotty in the original sci-fi series. He died of pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease at his home in Washington. His agent said Doohan and his wife Wende had discussed sending his ashes into space, following those of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Star Trek co-star William Shatner has sent his condolences to the family. "A long and storied career is over," Shatner said. "I knew Jim when he started out in Canada and I knew him in his last years in America, so we go way back. My condolences go out to his family." Original crew The Space Services Inc company said Doohan's ashes could be on a Falcon 1 rocket launching from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base, tentatively scheduled for launch in September. I've never known someone so gracious with fans Steve Stevens, agent The ashes of Star Trek writer John Meredyth Lucas, who died in 2002, are also set to be on the flight. Doohan's Star Trek character Scotty manned the Starship Enterprise with Captain James T Kirk, played by Shatner, and Mr Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy. The original crew lasted for three series, starting in 1966, before the show was axed, but the team reunited for seven big screen movies. Flowers have been laid at Doohan's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Although Doohan became synonymous with the line "Beam me up, Scotty", it was never actually said in the series. The closest Captain Kirk came to saying it was in the fourth Star Trek movie, when he said "Scotty, beam me up". Canadian-born Doohan had been a successful character actor on radio and TV before landing the role in the pilot Star Trek episode. 'Terrific actor' But he quickly became typecast as the Scottish space engineer, finding it difficult to get other roles. But he learned to embrace his place in sci-fi history. "He loved being Scotty," said his agent Steve Stevens. "He loved the whole Star Trek thing. I don't think people knew what a terrific actor he was." Mr Stevens added: "James loved the idea of being in an airport and people from some obscure country, barely able to speak English, would come over to him and say, 'You're Scotty'.'" "I've never known someone so gracious with fans." Doohan became a father again at the age of 80, when his wife Wende, 48, gave birth to daughter Sarah. His last public appearance was in October 2004 when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame |
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| July 21, 2005 James Doohan March 3, 1920 - July 20, 2005 Actor who achieved immortality as Scotty in Star Trek THE actor James Doohan achieved cult status as the chief engineer “Scotty” in Star Trek, the 1960s TV series. Although the famous order, “Beam me up, Scotty”, was never given on the show, Doohan’s character, Montgomery Scott, became one of the most familiar, and most parodied, characters in TV history. Whenever the USS Enterprise was pushed to the limits, he would famously cry: “The engines canna’ take it.” Reliable to the end, however, he ensured that they actually could take it. Fearless, loyal and industrious as engineer of the USS Enterprise, Scotty was meant to be the stereotypical Scotsman. However, as a Canadian by birth and Irish by descent, Doohan elicited mockery from genuine Scots for his attempt at mimickry, and not least his unlikely phrases, such as “Have a bonny trip!” and “That’ll put the haggis in the fire!” James Montgomery Doohan was born in 1920 in Vancouver, the youngest of four children of William Doohan, a veterinarian, pharmacist and dentist. He displayed an early interest in acting, playing Robin Hood in a school production, but the outbreak of war took him to the Royal Canadian Artillery, with which he served gallantly on D-Day. On June 6, 1944, Lieutenant Doohan of the Winnipeg Rifles, 13th Field Regiment, took part in D Company’s landing on Juno beach. The company disembarked from landing craft at 7.30am, and dashed through rifle and machinegun fire to reach the shelter of the sand dunes. Doohan silenced a German machinegun post with a few shots but was wounded later that day. He was hit eight times, four times in his left leg, and one round hit him in the chest — only the cigarette case in his breast pocket saved him from a mortal wound. Otherwise, his company came off fairly lightly. The middle finger from his right hand had to be amputated, and whenever there were close-up shots of Scotty operating the transporter in Star Trek, a “stunt hand” was employed. After the war Doohan began acting in earnest. He spent two years at the Neighbourhood Playhouse in New York. He made his TV debut as a detective on the show Martin Kane, Private Eye, and went on to do many voiceovers on radio. He returned to Canada in 1953 and spent the next eight years in Toronto, appearing on television, film, stage and radio productions. In the early 1960s he moved to Hollywood and concentrated on TV w**k, appearing in such shows as Bonanza, Blue Light, The Gallant Man and The Virginian. In 1965 he auditioned for Gene Roddenberry’s intergalactic adventure, Star Trek. Being a renowned mimic, he auditioned for the part of the ship’s engineer in eight different accents. Roddenberry was particularly impressed with his Scottish brogue, and Doohan was given the part — and the luxury of choosing his character’s name. “I named him Montgomery Scott, right off the top of my head,” Doohan said, “in honour of my grandfather, my mother’s father, James Montgomery.” Star Trek first appeared on US TV screens in 1966. As the engineer from the 23rd century, Doohan appeared in 79 episodes in the TV series, and later in seven full-length films. But NBC was not satisfied with audience ratings, and Star Trek’s warp-busting, infinitive-splitting adventures were put to an end in 1969. Yet this seemed merely to increase its popularity, and when it was syndicated around the world in 1972, it became one of the world’s best-loved sci-fi series. Television audiences became fond of William Shatner’s hammy portrayal of Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy’s phlegmatic Vulcan, Mr Spock, and the USS Enterprise’s tempestuous doctor, DeForest Kelley’s “Bones” McCoy. Throughout their bold exploration of strange new worlds populated by exotic creatures who lived in unrealistic scenery, they could always rely on the man in the transporter room who, with a shake of his head and anguished look on his face, would holler through the intercom: “A’m tellin’ ya cap’n! A’ve got nay more power!” Such was the appeal of his character that when Elvis Presley once drove past him, the King leaned out of the window and said: “Beam me up, Scotty!” A meeting with Groucho Marx elicited the same words. In life Doohan was less keen on serving his screen superior. As with so many of those who worked on the original Star Trek series, he found Shatner a difficult colleague. Doohan regarded him as self-centred and condescending. “I wanted to thump him on more than one occasion,” he recalled. “He believes the world orbits him.” In 1974, when Star Trek was redone as a cartoon series, Doohan did the voiceover for Scotty and for many other of the characters. Thereafter he did other w**k in animation, before resuming his role as Montgomery Scott in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). He is also credited with devising the Klingon language that featured in that film. Although Klingon was later refined by Marc Okrand, Doohan can be credited with formulating the world’s most popular artificial language — Shakespeare and parts of the Bible have been translated into it. Doohan appeared in the subsequent five films featuring the original cast, and in the series Star Trek: The Next Generation — his hair greyer and his waistline larger on each occasion. From the 1970s he was a familiar presence at Star Trek conventions; by 1994 he was attending 35 a year, and earning £5,000 for an appearance. Ill-health — a heart attack in the 1980s, followed by Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s — prompted him to make an official farewell to his fans in September 2004 in a ceremony at which he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ravages of time did not totally wither him, however — in April 2000, at the age of 80, his seventh child was born. His autobiography, Beam Me Up, Scotty: Star Trek’s Scotty in His Own Words, was published in 1996. He married Janet Young in 1949. They had four children before they were divorced in 1964. He is survived by his second wife, Wende, whom he married in 1975, and by their two sons and a daughter. James Doohan, Star Trek actor, was born on March 3, 1920. He died on July 20, 2005, aged 85. |
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'Scotty' beamed back to Scotland James Doohan A plaque will be "beamed up" for Scotty in Linlithgow A Scottish council has revealed plans to erect a plaque in memory of the late Star Trek actor James "Scotty" Doohan. Scripts of the sci-fi series reveal that his character, Montgomery Scott, was born in Linlithgow in 2222 and that his parents still lived there. West Lothian Council plans to erect a plaque in the town in memory of the Canada-born actor who died, aged 85. Councillor Willie Dunn said a local link with Star Trek could help attract more visitors to the area. Doohan, who played an engineer in the original series, died of pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease at his home in Washington on Wednesday. The actor became synonymous with the line "Beam me up, Scotty". I think erecting a plaque is an excellent idea Willie Dunn West Lothian Council Mr Dunn said Star Trek was "a cult classic" and revealed he was one of thousands of fans across the world. "Scotty was a key character and Star Trek made James Doohan a household name," he added. "Linlithgow was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots and the town attracts thousands of people from all over the world every year. "A local link with Star Trek could help attract even more visitors to West Lothian in the future. I think erecting a plaque is an excellent idea." Ashes into space Doohan's agent said the late actor and his wife Wende had discussed sending his ashes into space, following those of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. The Space Services Inc company said Doohan's ashes could be on a Falcon 1 rocket launching from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base, tentatively scheduled for launch in September. Doohan's Star Trek character Scotty manned the Starship Enterprise with Captain James T Kirk, played by Shatner, and Mr Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy. The original crew lasted for three series, starting in 1966, before the show was axed, but the team reunited for seven big screen movies. |
| QUOTE (jamiearmour @ Jul 21 2005, 08:41 PM) |
| A plaque will be "beamed up" for Scotty in Linlithgow A Scottish council has revealed plans to erect a plaque in memory of the late Star Trek actor James "Scotty" Doohan. Scripts of the sci-fi series reveal that his character, Montgomery Scott, was born in Linlithgow in 2222 and that his parents still lived there... "Linlithgow was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots and the town attracts thousands of people from all over the world every year. "A local link with Star Trek could help attract even more visitors to West Lothian in the future. I think erecting a plaque is an excellent idea." |
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| Star Trek actor James Doohan, who played Scotty in the series, will have his final wish granted when his ashes are sent into space on 6 December. |
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| Star Trek's Scotty heads to space The ashes of James Doohan, who played Scotty in the original TV series of Star Trek, have been placed in a rocket so they can be released in space. Canadian-born Doohan died in July 2005 at the age of 85, and inspired a catchphrase - "Beam me up, Scotty" - without ever saying it himself. The rocket, launching on 28 April, will also hold the remains of 200 others. The capsules containing the ashes will be retrieved upon their return to Earth and given to each person's relatives. Families - including that of late US astronaut Gordon Cooper - have paid $495 (£250) to have a few grams of their loved one's ashes placed onboard. A decade ago, the remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry were sent into space by the same Texan company which is involved this time. Originally the firm planned to send Doohan's remains into space two years ago, but the flight was delayed by tests and then a misfire during a rehearsal. Story from BBC NEWS: |