From Sawdust to Stardust

In a 50-year screen career which began in 1947 and ended in 1997 with his final appearance, as himself, in the seminal Star Trek documentary, Trekkies, DeForest Kelley (his real name) notched up 41 film credits and 104 television appearances. Best known for his portrayal of the irascible Dr Leonard McCoy in the original Star Trek, he first made his name playing cowboys - most of them bad guys - in the heyday of the Hollywood western. He was Morgan Earp in Gunfight at the OK Corral and appeared alongside Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda and Anthony Quinn in the legendary psychological western, Warlock. Apart from his central role in Star Trek his television guest appearances included episodes of such classic series as Ironside, The Fugitive, 77 Sunset Strip, The Virginian, Bonanza, Perry Mason and The Lone Ranger. Terry Lee Rioux's extensive and well-researched portrayal of DeForest Kelley's life takes readers into the story of his tragedies as well as his triumphs and sheds new light on a remarkable individual.