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DeFroest was 5'10" tall.
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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".
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DeForest is the only one of the original
Star Trek cast members never to write an autobiography.
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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.
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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.
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His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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For his marriage he bought two Indian rings for 25 cents.
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He was the first member of the original
Star Trek cast to pass away.
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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.
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His nickname among his friends was "Dee".
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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.
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Shortly before his death, Kelley won the "Golden Cowboy Boot" award, honoring his earlier work in westerns.
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His ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.