Deforest Kelley is Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the science fiction adventure Star Trek.
Jackson DeForest Kelley was born Atlanta, Georgia, to Clara Casey Kelley and Rev. Ernest D. Kelley, a Baptist minister. After singing in the church choir, Kelley discovered that he enjoyed singing and was good at it. Eventually this led to solos and later performing on radio station WSB in Atlanta. As a result of his radio appearances, he won an engagement with Lew Forbes and his orchestra at the Paramount Theater. It was Kelley's first taste of being an entertainer, and he liked it.
Kelley moved to Long Beach, California and worked as an usher in a local theater, mopped floors and operated an elevator. One day, Kelley was sitting in a restaurant when Rohn Hawke, who was doing local theater, came over and asked if he had any acting experience. Hawke worked with him to smooth out his Georgia accent, wanting Kelley to appear in a play he was directing. He auditioned and won the part. During the run of the play, a talent scout caught his performance and felt he had a future in acting. In the evenings, Kelley continued to appear with the Long Beach Theater Group to gain experience, while operating an elevator and 'roughnecking' for Richfield Oil during the day. Sometime later, Kelley and some friends from the group started writing and staging plays at a local radio station. This led to other radio work for him.
He was tested for the baby-faced killer in This Gun for Hire and was assured, after thirteen takes, that he had the role. Unfortunately, it ultimately went to Alan Ladd and Kelley went back to the Theater Group.
In 1942, Kelley appeared in The Innocent Young Man with the Long Beach Theater Group where he co-starred with Carolyn Dowling. He went into the Army Air Corps during the war and married Carolyn during this time. A Paramount training scout saw Kelley in a Navy training film, which led to a three-year contract. His first starring role was in the film Fear in the Night, which established him as a respected actor.
For nine years Kelley primarily played heavies and found them interesting and challenging. He built up an impressive list of credits, alternating between television and motion pictures. Afraid of being type-cast, DeForest broke out of that mold by doing Where Love Has Gone and a television pilot called 333 Montgomery, the latter written by an ex-cop named Gene Roddenberry. A few years later, Kelley would appear in another Roddenberry pilot, Police Story. That didn't sell either, but it led to Star Trek and the unforgettable role of Dr. Leonard McCoy.
After Star Trek ended production, Kelley took a long, well-deserved vacation. He made a few movies and did some television, but primarily went into retirement. "Acting has become my hobby and my home has become my heart," Kelley was once quoted as saying.
Kelley passed away on June 11, 1999.