DeForest Kelley
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
143
Gender
Male
Birthday
1920-01-20
Day of death
1999-06-11 (79 years old)
Place of Birth
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
DeForest Kelley
Biography
Jackson DeForest Kelley (January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999) was an American actor, screenwriter, poet and singer known for his iconic roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the USS Enterprise in the television and film series Star Trek. Kelley was delivered by his uncle at his parents' home in Atlanta, the son of Clora (née Casey) and Ernest David Kelley, who was a Baptist minister of Irish and Southern ancestry. DeForest was named after the pioneering electronics engineer Lee De Forest, and later named his Star Trek character's father "David" after his own. Kelley had an older brother, Ernest Casey Kelley. As a child, he often played outside for hours at a time. Kelley was immersed in his father's mission in Conyers and promised his father failure would mean "wreck and ruin". Before the end of his first year at Conyers, Kelley was introduced into the congregation to his musical talents and often sang solo in morning church services. Eventually, this led to an appearance on the radio station WSB AM in Atlanta, Georgia. As a result of his radio work, he won an engagement with Lew Forbes and his orchestra at the Paramount Theater. In 1934, the family left Conyers for the community of Decatur. He attended the Decatur Boys High School where he played on the Decatur Bantams baseball team. Kelley also played football and other sports. Before his graduation, Kelley got a job as a drugstore car hop. He spent his weekends working in the local theatres. Kelley graduated in 1938. During World War II, Kelley served as an enlisted man in the United States Army Air Forces between March 10, 1943, and January 28, 1946, assigned to the First Motion Picture Unit. After an extended stay in Long Beach, California, Kelley decided to pursue an acting career and relocate to southern California permanently, living for a time with his uncle Casey. He worked as an usher in a local theater in order to earn enough money for the move. Kelley's mother encouraged her son in his new career goal, but his father disliked the idea. While in California, Kelley was spotted by a Paramount Pictures scout while doing a United States Navy training film.
Known For
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Perry Mason
Star Trek
The Fugitive
Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
The Virginian
The Virginian
Ironside
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
The Merv Griffin Show
Have Gun, Will Travel
Rawhide
Studio One
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
Gunsmoke
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
The Donna Reed Show
Laramie
Laramie
Lawman
Lawman
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Route 66
Matinee Theater
Bat Masterson
Town Tamer
Raintree County
Star Trek
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
Warlock
Tales of Wells Fargo
Waco
Trackdown
Trackdown
Trackdown
Trackdown
M Squad
M Squad
Room 222
Cain's Hundred
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
Black Saddle
Black Spurs
77 Sunset Strip
The Millionaire
The Deputy
Malaya
Alcoa Theatre
Alcoa Theatre
State Trooper
Navy Log
Navy Log
Laredo
Studio 57
Public Defender
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
Riverboat
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Night of the Lepus
The Men
House of Bamboo
City Detective
Cavalcade of America
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
You Are There
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Stagecoach West
Johnny Midnight
The Dakotas
The Silent Service
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
The Wonderful World of Disney
The Lone Wolf
The Lone Wolf
Science Fiction Theatre
Canon City
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
Coronado 9
Coronado 9
The Gallant Men
Illegal
Waterfront
Waterfront
26 Men
The Pixar Story
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
The Man from Blackhawk
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
A Man Called Shenandoah
Virtuosity
Trekkies
Assignment: Underwater
Bonanza: Ride the Wind
Revlon Mirror Theatre
Time to Kill
Duke of Chicago
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
Speak No Evil
Taxi
Star Trek: A Captain's Log
Star Trek: The Menagerie
Marriage on the Rocks
The Law and Jake Wade
Apache Uprising
The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars
Where Love Has Gone
Public Prosecutor
40 Years of Star Trek
Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault
Gunfight at Comanche Creek
The Bull of the West
The View from Pompey's Head
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
Variety Girl
Fear in the Night
Tension at Table Rock
William Shatner's Star Trek Memories
Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond
Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies
The Making of Star Trek Deep Space Nine Trials And Tribble-ations
The Edge of Innocence
Duffy of San Quentin
William Shatner: Captain's Log
The Star Trek Dream
Beyond Our Own
Ambassador for Christ
A Conversation with DeForest Kelley
