Canadian character actor James Doohan was born on March 3, 1920 in Vancouver, British Columbia. He passed away on July 20, 2005 from a bout with pneumonia, at the age of 85. Doohan was most famous for playing Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in the classic science fiction television series Star Trek, as well as its subsequent film franchise. After attending the Sarnia Collegiate Institute, he joined the Royal Canadian Artillery during the outbreak of World War II, and also served as a pilot for the Canadian Air Force. After the war, he pursued a career in acting on radio and television, in productions such as The Twilight Zone, Bewitched, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Montgomery “Scotty” Scott was portrayed by James Doohan in the cult classic sci-fi TV show Star Trek. Born in Linlithgow, Scotland, he speaks with a thick Lowland Scottish accent and holds the rank of lieutenant commander onboard the USS Enterprise. As the chief engineer, Scotty has a vaunted reputation as a ‘miracle worker’ of unparalleled technical skill, ingenuity, and often unconventional solutions to machine crises. Aside from his skill as an engineer, he is also a competent officer, often taking charge when both Kirk and Spock are unavailable. He is famous for the catchphrase that the other crew members use, “Beam me up, Scotty.”
(Image courtesy of DCThornton.com)
Vancouver, British Columbia
-Jimmy was among many WWII veterans to publically thank Steven Spielberg for not holding back on the intensity of the Normandy Invasion scene in Saving Private Ryan (1998).
-Jimmy was given an honorary Degree in Engineering by the Milwaukee School of Engineering where apparently half of the students polled said they were inspired to study engineering by his role in Star Trek (1966).
-James was able to affect several different accents. Gene Roddenberry asked which he preferred, and Doohan reportedly replied "If you're going to have an engineer, you'd better make him Scottish."
-Due to his missing middle finger, James' right hand was rarely in shot on "Star Trek" without it being clenched in a fist. The only two episodes in which the audience can see that his middle finger is missing are "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "Catspaw". In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), his hand can be seen when Scotty is handing McCoy the parts from the Trans-Warp Drive, as well as in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) when Scotty is holding the dinner given to him by Uhura while he was working on the repairing the systems on the bridge.
-1987 nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
-2004 Star on the Walk of Fame
1954
Howdy Doody
1963
The Wheeler Dealers
1964
36 Hours
1965
Bus Riley's Back in Town
The Satan Bug
1966
One of Our Spies Is Missing
1966-1968
Star Trek
1967
Scalplock
1968
Jigsaw
1971
Man in the Wilderness
Pretty Maids All in a Row
1979
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Danny
1982
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
1984
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
1986
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
1989
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
1991
Double Trouble
Knight Rider 2000
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
1993
Amore!
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1
1994
Star Trek: Generations
1995
Storybook
1996
Through Dead Eyes
1997
Trekkies
UFOs: Above and Beyond
1998
Bug Buster
1999
The Duke
2005
Cold Fusion: Fire from Water
-Montgomery Scott: I can't change the laws of physics. I've got to have 30 minutes.
-Montgomery Scott: I checked the engines. The warp drive, that's a hopeless pile of junk.
-Montgomery Scott: Maneuver? Aye, we can wallow like a garbage scow against a warp-driven starship.
-Montgomery Scott: If I push these impulse engines too hard in the condition they're in they'll blow apart!
-James T. Kirk: Another technical journal, Scotty?
-Montgomery Scott: Aye.
-James T. Kirk: Don't you ever relax?
-Montgomery Scott: I am relaxing.
-Montgomery Scott: They called the Enterprise a garbage scow! Sir.
-James T. Kirk: I see. And... that's when you hit the Klingon.
-Montgomery Scott: [Obviously proud of himself] Yes, sir.
-Montgomery Scott: Diplomats! The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank.