Best known as Scotty from Star Trek, James Doohan grew up in Sarnia, Ontario, where he got his first taste of the stage in high school plays. Then World War II hit, and just like that, he swapped scripts for artillery, joining the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. The guy didn’t just serve—he became a captain, landed on D-Day, took a bullet to his right hand (lost part of his middle finger, by the way), and then pivoted to flying observation planes. Legend has it, his wild flying antics earned him a rep as the “craziest pilot” in the Royal Canadian Air Force. After the war, normal life must’ve felt a little dull, but Doohan didn’t just fade into the background. Instead, he became a major voice on CBC radio and TV, racking up thousands of appearances. In 1946, he snagged a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and later even taught there for a few years. By the early ’50s, he was back in Canada, bouncing between radio, TV, and film roles in Toronto. Hollywood came calling eventually, and Doohan popped up everywhere—Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, Bewitched, you name it. Then, in the mid-60s, the world met Montgomery Scott—Scotty—and Doohan’s spot in pop culture history was set. He passed away at 85 in 2005, but his legacy’s literally out of this world—a bit of his ashes ended up in space. Tons of engineers still say Scotty’s the reason they picked up a wrench in the first place.
You know, one of the highlights of his whole career—no contest—was that time he reached out to a fan who, honestly, was going through some seriously dark stuff. He could tell she was struggling, like…really struggling, and instead of just sending a generic autograph or something, he straight-up invited her to a convention. Not just once, either. He kept inviting her, again and again, making sure she had somewhere to go, people to talk to, something to look forward to. And then, after a while, she just sort of vanished. No word, nothing. He figured maybe she’d moved on, or maybe things just got too hard. Years passed—eight, actually—and then out of the blue, he got a letter. Turns out, she’d made it through all that pain, earned herself an engineering degree, and wanted to thank him for giving her hope when she needed it most. That’s the kind of impact that sticks with you.
So, Captain Kirk—absolutely epic, right? He’s this bold, swaggering dude flying through space, breaking every rule in the book but somehow making it work. The guy’s got charm, guts, and a weirdly magnetic way of talking his way out of trouble with Klingons or whatever alien shows up next. But Bill Shatner, the guy behind Kirk? Eh, not really my cup of tea. I mean, he’s got this over-the-top style—kind of hams it up, if you ask me. Some folks love that about him, but I just can’t get past the whole dramatic pause thing. Kirk is the hero you want in a crisis; Shatner kind of feels like he’s playing hero at a sci-fi convention. Don’t get me wrong, he brought Kirk to life, but there’s just something about Shatner that feels a little… off. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ll take Kirk any day.
March 3, 1920
5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Yes, Sarah Doohan
105 years old