James Doohan

James Montgomery Doohan (March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Irish-Canadian character and voice actor best known for his portrayal of Scotty in the television and movie series Star Trek. His characterization made him one of the most popular characters in the Star Trek franchise universe.

Star Trek

Doohan always had a gift for using foreign accents. Auditioning for the role of Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise, before Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek), Doohan did several different accents. Roddenberry asked which he preferred, and Doohan reportedly replied "If you're going to have an engineer, you'd better make him Scottish" (or "All the world's best engineers have been Scottish"). In later years he would revisit this casting process at Star Trek conventions, demonstrating a variety of possible voices and characters. When Roddenberry produced ' in the early 1970s, Doohan's ability to perform different voices was utilized by having him perform most "guest star" male roles in the series, including Robert April, conjectured first captain of the Enterprise.

Related Topics:
USS ''Enterprise'' - Gene Roddenberry - Scottish - Robert April

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The Scott character, as conceived, would have been a semi-regular, but just as fellow cast members Leonard Nimoy, as the alien science officer Spock, and DeForest Kelley, as the irascible medical officer Dr. McCoy, were elevated in importance to leads alongside William Shatner's Capt. James T. Kirk, it was made clear that Lt. Cmdr. Scott was the third-in-command of the Enterprise and at times the ship was left in his care. Scott was frequently used in subplots regarding disabled ship components (such as the dilithium crystals which powered the warp drive, the transporter teleportation device, or just fiddling in the Jefferies tubes) and as a foil for Kirk's ambitious tactical approaches, which were said to strain the propulsion and defenses of the starship. In the end, many fans saw the Enterprise itself as the show's star, leaving Scott in an enviable position as her defender.

Related Topics:
Leonard Nimoy - Spock - DeForest Kelley - Dr. McCoy - William Shatner - James T. Kirk - Dilithium crystals - Warp drive - Transporter - Jefferies tube

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Using his considerable vocal skills, Doohan devised the Vulcan and Klingon language dialogue heard in '. Later, professional linguists, particularly Marc Okrand, expanded Klingon into a fully constructed language with a working grammar.

Related Topics:
Vulcan - Klingon - Marc Okrand - Constructed language

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After the series ended, Doohan found himself typecast and had a hard time getting other acting roles. After a conversation with his dentist, he realized that he would "always be Scotty", and he was able to support himself with income from personal appearances. Otherwise, he had minor, fleeting parts, often trading on his Trek fame, such as the Captain in the short-lived Saturday morning live-action kids' show, Jason of Star Command, or a cameo in the made-for-TV movie Knight Rider 2000 as "Jimmy Doohan, the guy who played Scotty on Star Trek". When the Star Trek franchise was revived, Doohan reprised his role of Scotty in seven Star Trek films and made a guest appearance on ', all of which left him financially comfortable. Even so, he would never return to the busy, versatile career he once had.

Related Topics:
Typecast - Dentist - Cameo - Knight Rider 2000

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Doohan had a well known distaste for William Shatner. He openly despised Shatner, making public statements on radio shows, especially the Howard Stern Show. He based his contempt on Shatner's alleged on-set behavior during the filming of the Star Trek TV series and movies. Doohan accused Shatner of showboating, stealing lines, and trying to keep other actors (including Doohan) in the background. George Takei makes similar statements.

Related Topics:
William Shatner - George Takei

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