It was 16 years ago today the world lost its space faring country doctor, DeForest Kelley, or as most new him, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. Most fans remember him as the man who was in life exactly as he appeared, a shy, somewhat out-of-time, very humble man. Here is a short list of ten things you might not have known about DeForest Kelley.

  1. He was born in a house, delivered by his uncle, a prominent physician.
  2. He served in the United State Army Air Forces from 1943 to 1946.
  3. During the first season of Star Trek, he received a pay raise bringing his salary up to roughly $2,500 per episode.
  4. He was the only original Star Trek major cast member who didn't write an autobiography.
  5. Both his first and last appearances on Star Trek showed with him standing next to Nichelle Nichols. First, in the episode "The Corbomite Maneuver" and lastly in the final shot of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country."
  6. He had originally wanted to be a doctor.
  7. During an interview in the late 1990's, he said one of his biggest fears was that his tombstone would read, "He's dead, Jim."
  8. Years before Star Trek, he appeared In the 1956 movie "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit," during which one of his lines was "This man's dead, Captain."
  9. He was generally regarded as the most "well liked" of the original cast.
  10. He was married to Carolyn Dowling on September 7, 1945, until his death in 1999. DeForest took great pride in being the only member of the Star Trek "trio" including William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy to stay married to the same woman.

I'm very grateful for the career that I've had. And I'm very grateful for the experiences that "Star Trek" has afforded me along with my past background. When I look back and think how fortunate I've been to work with some wonderful people and had some marvelous experiences, then I can look at "Star Trek" and think it's almost like the cream on the coffee. I don't approach it as anything but a magnificent plus. "- DeForest Kelley

 

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