'Scotty' beams up for the last time

'Star Trek' actor James Doohan has died following a lengthy illness.

Jul 21 2005

'Star Trek' actor James Doohan died at his home in Redmond, Washington State, yesterday after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and pneumonia. He was 85.

The Canadian-born actor, who was a D-Day survivor, turned to acting after the end of the war and became a household name when he landed the role of Montgomery Scott in the TV series 'Star Trek' in 1966.

The chief engineer aboard the Starship Enterprise, 'Scotty' (as he was known to his crew), was a tough, no-nonsense Scotsman, yet the character could so easily have been French.

Doohan apparently tried out seven different accents when auditioning for the part, before he and creator Gene Rodenberry decided that the commanding Scottish lilt was the way forward.

The show then ran for three seasons before being cancelled, leaving many of the actors typecast in their roles.

However, as the years passed, the 'Star Trek' phenomenon built and Doohan carved out a living making public appearances and visiting conventions.

Indeed, his character and the phrase 'Beam me up Scotty!' became something of a cult, being uttered by fans the length and breadth of the world, in spite of the fact that it was never actually said in the show.

His career was then rejuvenated by 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' in 1979, which was followed by many successful sequels and spin-offs throughout the 1980s and '90s, before Doohan fell ill in the last few years.

'A long and storied career is over' said co-star and friend William Shatner. '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.'

Fittingly, and in accordance with his own wishes, Doohan's ashes will be blasted into space.

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