'Star Trek's' Scotty, James Doohan, dead at 85

Actor James Doohan is seen in his Star Trek uniform in this 1960s publicity photo.

LOS ANGELES - Actor James Doohan, best known as Scotty, the feisty, Scottish-accented chief engineer on television's original "Star Trek" series, died yesterday at his home in Redmond, Washington, his manager said. He was 85.

Doohan, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease last year, died of complications from that degenerative illness and pneumonia, Steve Stevens told Reuters.

A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Doohan was a prolific voice actor on Canadian radio before making his move into television in the 1950s.

But he will be remembered for playing Lt. Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, the can-do chief engineer aboard the starship USS Enterprise on the original "Star Trek" series, which ran from 1966-69 on NBC. He reprised the role for several big-screen "Star Trek" features.

One of his character's chief functions on the show was to operate the transporter used to "beam" crew members to and from the Enterprise - often in response to an order that entered the pop culture as the catch phrase "Beam me up Scotty."

Doohan's last public appearance was in October, when he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

- REUTERS/VNU