VideoDetective.com

James Doohan

James Doohan
James Doohan
Born: Mar 03, 1920 in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Died: Jul 20, 2005 in Redmond, Washington
Occupation: Actor
Active: '60s-'90s
Major Genres: Science Fiction, Comedy
Career Highlights: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
First Major Screen Credit: Howdy Doody (1954)
11 Videos for James Doohan
Bug Buster (1998) National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Storybook (1995) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek Generations (1994) Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Amore! (1993) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Photos


There are currently no photos.

Biography:

Canadian-born actor James Doohan trained for his career at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse and built much of his reputation upon his uncanny skill at foreign dialects. It was director James Goldstone who in 1965 suggested that Doohan audition for the supporting role of chief engineer of the U.S.S.

Enterprise on Star Trek. After trying out a variety of accents during the audition, Doohan latched onto a Scottish brogue which tickled the fancy of Trek producer Gene Roddenberry. Thus, the chief engineer was dubbed Scotty -- or, more formally, Lt. Montgomery Scott (Montgomery happened to be Doohan's middle name).

The actor remained in the role until Star Trek's cancellation in 1969, subsequently reviving the character for the 1974 cartoon series and the many theatrical films. Though he most assuredly had a career outside of Scotty (among many other projects, he was one of the stars of the 1979 Saturday-morning TV series Jason of Star Command), Doohan has frequently been called upon to play variations of the character in film and TV projects ranging from National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 to Knight Rider 2000.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide.