Canadian-born actor James Doohan has died at the age of 85. Mr. Doohan is best known for his work on the United States television program Star Trek.
Born in Vancouver in March 1920, Doohan was raised in Sarnia, Ontario. Mr. Doohan was a member of Royal Canadian Artillery and participated in the invasion of Normandy at Juno Beach. During the battle he was wounded six times and lost his middle right finger. Doohan remained in the military, trained as a pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force, and flew an artillery observation plane.
After the Second World War, Doohan became an actor, beginning on radio dramas in 1946. In 1966 he was cast as Montgomery Scott chief engineer aboard the fictional USS Enterprise. It was a role that stuck with Mr. Doohan through the rest of his career. Mr Doohan was awarded an honorary doctorate in Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering for inspiring countless students into the engineering and science fields.
Mr. Doohan is survived by his wife of 28 years, Wende. A BBC tribute page, where users can submit thoughts and reminisces about the actor can be found here.
Warp 9
“All I can say is…they don’t make them like they used ta.”
— Scotty, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Re:Warp 9
Aye.
And I never noticed his missing finger.