Jackson DeForest Kelly was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia. His father, Ernest D. Kelley was a Baptist minister and raised him with those values. His mother, Clara Casey Kelley, was a housewife and tended to the family. After graduating high school at 16, he had gotten a
…moreDeFroest was 5'10" tall.
Kelley played a medic in the movie The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit and unbeknownst to him coined his famous catch phrase "He's dead Captain".
DeForest is the only one of the original Star Trek cast members never to write an autobiography.
In May of 2009, ten years after his passing, Kristine M Smith, DeForest Kelley's former personal assistant released the book "A Harvest of Memories" which celebrates the late actor's enduring legacy.
Prior to his passing in 1999, he had insisted that his immortal catch phrase of "He's dead, Jim" NOT be written on his tombstone.
His passing was memorialized during the 51st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards "In Memoriam" tribute.
His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.
Although DeForest was best known for playing Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy on Star Trek, he had played in a considerable number of westerns on television and the silver screen for over 20 years before boarding the USS Enterprise.
He appeared in smaller, uncredited roles in several films throughout the 1950s, most notably The Men (1950), House of Bamboo (1955, with Biff Elliot), and The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956, with John Crawford and Kenneth Tobey).
He had auditioned for the role of baby-faced killer Philip Raven in This Gun for Hire and was convinced that after 13 takes, he had the role. The role ended up going to Alan Ladd.
For his marriage he bought two Indian rings for 25 cents.
He was the first member of the original Star Trek cast to pass away.
He served in the Second World War as an enlisted member of the US Army Air Corps in New Mexico between March 10 1943 and January 28 1946.
His nickname among his friends was "Dee".
Before landing the role of Dr. McCoy, he was offered the choice to play Mr. Spock in Star Trek (1966), but chose to play the more emotional and oft times hot tempered doctor because it seemed like it would be more fun.
The Star Trek: Enterprise character, Admiral Maxwell Forrest (played by Vaughn Armstrong), was so named in honor of DeForest.
Shortly before his death, Kelley won the "Golden Cowboy Boot" award, honoring his earlier work in westerns.
DeForest played two different members of the Clanton Gang from the battle at the O.K. Corral on the small screen. He played Ike Clanton in the You Are There episode "The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" and played Tom McLowery in the Star Trek episode "Spectre of the Gun"
His ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
DeForest Kelley: Gene (Roddenberry) changed the course of everyday life in the cast, and he's also changed the lives of God-knows-how-many thousands of other people who view what he's done. I think that will continue to happen for some time to come.
DeForest Kelley: (On his early career.) I liked Westerns for two reasons: First, it took the actor outside. They were all very physical at that time and not limited to a stage. Second, they paid my rent an awful lot.
DeForest Kelley: Star Trek fans are the most devoted group of people and contrary to what people think, they don't have antennae coming out of their heads.
DeForest Kelley: I'd wanted to become a doctor and couldn't and yet I became the best-known doctor in the galaxy.
DeForest Kelley: The most important influence in my childhood was my father.
DeForest Kelley: I value friendship very highly, and I am affected to a greater extent than most by any betrayals along those lines.
DeForest Kelley: I have deep feelings for the welfare and comfort of others.
DeForest Kelley: I have no aspiration whatsoever to be the next great leading man.
DeForest Kelley: (Speaking of his childhood) It was a perfectly average well-adjusted childhood, not a bit unlike that of millions of other individuals.
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