Star Trek Cast: Where Are They Now?

2. DeForest Kelley

Star Trek Doctor McCoy
CBS Media Ventures

DeForest Kelley was, by all accounts, one of the nicest people ever cast in Star Trek. He is frequently cited as the only member of the Original Series crew who never had a feud with any of the others. He was initially closest to both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, despite his frustration at the extra attention that the two of them received from the fans.

Before Star Trek, he had been most known for his appearances in Westerns, often as a villain. He also appeared in Star Trek as Doc Holliday, one of the combatants at the OK Corral. After Star Trek, he was typecast as McCoy, which affected his career. He was cast in the horror film Night of the Lepus (giant killer rabbits - it is a must see!), after which he effectively only played McCoy until his retirement.

He made most of his post-Trek money from fan conventions, appearing at dozens throughout the years. He was also present at the Christening of the Space Shuttle Enterprise and also appeared in the pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

He passed away in 1999 from stomach cancer and the first line of his obituary reads: 'We're not even going to try and resist: He's dead, Jim.'

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"