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IMDbPro

DeForest Kelley(1920-1999)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
DeForest Kelley in Star Trek (1966)
Announcement Trailer
Play trailer0:43
Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova (2022)
30 Videos
99+ Photos
Jackson DeForest Kelley was born in Toccoa, Georgia, to Clora (Casey) and Ernest David Kelley.

He graduated from high school at age 16 and went on to sing at the Baptist church where his father was a minister. At age 17, he made his first trip outside the state to visit an uncle in Long Beach, California. He intended to stay for two weeks but ended up staying a year. Upon returning home, he told his parents he was moving to California to become an actor. His mother encouraged him but the idea did not go over well with his father.

In California, Kelley was spotted by a Paramount talent scout while working on a United States Navy training film. He became a reliable character actor (often in Westerns in which he often played the villain), but hit the big time when he was offered the role of the somewhat irascible Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy on the television series Star Trek (1966). He later reprised his role for a string of successful Star Trek films: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991).

DeForest Kelley died at age 79 of stomach cancer in his home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles on June 11, 1999.
BornJanuary 20, 1920
DiedJune 11, 1999(79)
BornJanuary 20, 1920
DiedJune 11, 1999(79)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 3 wins & 1 nomination total

Photos192

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Known for

Star Trek (1966)
Star Trek
8.4
TV Series
  • Dr. Leonard McCoy
  • Dr. McCoy
Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
5.5
  • McCoy
  • 1989
Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and DeForest Kelley in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
7.2
  • McCoy
  • 1991
Kirstie Alley, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and Ricardo Montalban in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
7.7
  • McCoy
  • 1982

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor



  • The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998)
    The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars
    5.5
    Video
    • Viking 1 (voice)
    • 1998
  • William Shatner, James Doohan, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek: Judgment Rites (1993)
    Star Trek: Judgment Rites
    8.1
    Video Game
    • Dr. McCoy (voice)
    • 1993
  • Star Trek 25th Anniversary (1992)
    Star Trek 25th Anniversary
    7.7
    Video Game
    • Dr. Leonard McCoy (voice)
    • 1992
  • Star Trek Adventure
    6.9
    Short
    • Dr. McCoy
    • 1991
  • Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and DeForest Kelley in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
    Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
    7.2
    • McCoy
    • 1991
  • Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
    Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
    5.5
    • McCoy
    • 1989
  • Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation
    8.7
    TV Series
    • Adm. Leonard McCoy
    • 1987
  • Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
    Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
    7.3
    • McCoy
    • 1986
  • Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Merritt Butrick, and Robin Curtis in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
    Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
    6.6
    • McCoy
    • 1984
  • Kirstie Alley, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and Ricardo Montalban in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
    Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
    7.7
    • McCoy
    • 1982
  • The Littlest Hobo (1979)
    The Littlest Hobo
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Prof. Hal Schaffer
    • 1981
  • Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, and Persis Khambatta in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
    Star Trek: The Motion Picture
    6.4
    • Dr. McCoy
    • 1979
  • Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, James Doohan, and DeForest Kelley in Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973)
    Star Trek: The Animated Series
    7.2
    TV Series
    • Dr. McCoy (voice)
    • 1973–1974
  • Robert Carradine, Mitch Brown, Jim Davis, Diana Douglas, Moses Gunn, Clint Howard, Sean Kelly, Kerry MacLane, A Martinez, and Clay O'Brien in The Cowboys (1974)
    The Cowboys
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Jack Potter
    • 1974
  • The ABC Afternoon Playbreak (1972)
    The ABC Afternoon Playbreak
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Dr. Goldstone
    • 1973

Soundtrack



  • Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
    Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
    5.5
    • performer: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" (uncredited)
    • 1989
  • Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn, Richard Widmark, Dorothy Malone, and Dolores Michaels in Warlock (1959)
    Warlock
    7.1
    • performer: "Cindy"
    • 1959

Videos30

The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series
Clip 1:11
The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series
The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series
Clip 1:21
The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series
The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series
Clip 1:21
The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series
The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series
Clip 1:02
The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:24
Official Trailer
Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova
Trailer 0:43
Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova
Night of the Lepus
Trailer 1:43
Night of the Lepus

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • De Forest Kelley
  • Height
    • 5′ 10½″ (1.79 m)
  • Born
    • January 20, 1920
    • Toccoa, Georgia, USA
  • Died
    • June 11, 1999
    • Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA(stomach cancer)
  • Spouse
    • Carolyn DowlingSeptember 7, 1945 - June 11, 1999 (his death)
  • Children
    • No Children
  • Parents
      Ernest David Kelley
  • Relatives
      Calvert DeForest(Cousin)
  • Other works
    (mid-1970s) Album: Appears on Gene Roddenberry's LP "Inside Star Trek" on which he is interviewed by Roddenberry.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 9 Interviews
    • 3 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 6 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He was the most well-liked of the Star Trek (1966) cast and the only one that no one had a feud with at any point.
  • Quotes
    [on why he chose to play Dr. McCoy instead of Mr. Spock on Star Trek (1966)] I wouldn't have been anywhere near Leonard Nimoy. He's marvelous.
  • Trademarks
      Catchphrase: "I'm a Doctor, not a..." said whenever McCoy was forced to do something he was unfamiliar with.
  • Nicknames
    • De
    • Bones
  • Salary
    • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
      (1991)
      $1,000,000

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did DeForest Kelley die?
    June 11, 1999
  • How did DeForest Kelley die?
    Stomach cancer
  • How old was DeForest Kelley when he died?
    79 years old
  • Where did DeForest Kelley die?
    Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA
  • When was DeForest Kelley born?
    January 20, 1920

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