Profile of DeForest Kelley on Famous Like Me

Jackson DeForest Kelley (January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999) was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the 1966–1969 television series Star Trek (TOS) and the first six Star Trek motion pictures. He also had a cameo role in the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Encounter at Farpoint".

He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Ernest David Kelley (a Baptist minister) and Clora Casey.

Kelley was also a veteran of the Second World War and served as an enlisted member of the Army Air Forces between March 10, 1943 and January 28, 1946. After an extended stay at Long Beach, California, he decided to relocate to the state permanently to pursue an acting career. While his mother encouraged him, his father hated the idea. In California, Kelley was spotted by a Paramount scout while doing a Navy Training film. Coincidently, Kelley originally wanted to pursue a career as a doctor.

Kelley's first movie was the low-budget film noir Fear in the Night. He went on to having a career playing minor characters, chiefly in Western movies and TV Westerns, prior to landing the part of Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.

In 1999, Kelley died of stomach cancer in Woodland Hills, California at age 79. He was the first member of the original Star Trek cast to pass away.

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