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Chris Doohan

Christopher Doohan (born June 28, 1959) is a Canadian actor and producer best known for his recurring roles in the Star Trek franchise as the son of the late James Doohan, who originated the character of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott. Born in Toronto, Ontario, to James Doohan and his first wife, Janet Young, Doohan is one of seven children and the twin brother of actor Montgomery Doohan. His early exposure to acting came from visiting the sets of Star Trek: The Original Series with his father during childhood, which sparked his lifelong fandom despite initially struggling to separate his father's persona from the character. Doohan's acting career began with an uncredited appearance as an extra alongside his twin in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), marking his debut in the franchise at age 19. He later secured credited cameo roles in J.J. Abrams' reboot films, portraying a transporter officer in Star Trek (2009) and Scotty's assistant in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), both scenes set in the transporter room to honor his father's legacy. In voice acting, Doohan reprised Scotty for the massively multiplayer online game Star Trek Online (2016) and provided voices for animated episodes of the fan series Starship Farragut. A highlight of his career came in 2013 when he was cast as the lead Scotty in the award-winning fan production (2013–2017), a series that bridged the narrative gap between Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture, earning praise for its faithful recreation of the classic era. Beyond Star Trek, Doohan has appeared in other films and television projects, and continues to attend conventions where he shares stories from his father's career and engages with fans. As a , he has contributed to fan films and maintains an active presence in the Star Trek community, often reflecting on his father's enduring influence on .

Early life and education

Family background

Christopher Barrett Doohan was born on June 28, 1959, in , , . He is the son of Canadian actor , renowned for his portrayal of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the Star Trek franchise, and James's first wife, Janet "Judy" Young Doohan, whom James married in 1949 and divorced in 1964. Doohan is one of twin sons born to his parents, sharing his birthday with his brother Montgomery Doohan. He has two older full siblings, Larkin Doohan and Deirdre Doohan, making him part of the four children from his parents' . James Doohan's subsequent marriages produced additional children, resulting in a total of seven siblings for Doohan across three unions. His father's second marriage to Anita Yagel produced , while the third marriage to Wende Braunberger Doohan produced younger half-siblings Eric, Thomas, and . Doohan's early family life was shaped by the demands of his father's burgeoning acting career, which included relocations tied to professional opportunities in the United States following James Doohan's casting in in 1966. This environment provided Doohan with early exposure to film sets through family visits to Star Trek productions, immersing him in the entertainment industry from a young age.

Education and early career

Doohan was born on June 28, 1959, in , , , where he spent his early years attending local schools before his family relocated to the due to his father's career. Specific details about his formal education and training in are not publicly documented.

Acting career

Entry into acting

In the late , while working as a vascular technician, Chris Doohan began dipping into through non-acting pursuits that showcased his performative talents, including fronting the rock band The Muddflaps. He appeared on the syndicated talent competition Your in 1999, impersonating his father James Doohan's character "Scotty" Scott to impress the audience and judges. By 2005, The Muddflaps featured prominently in both seasons of the reality series Breaking Bonaduce, where Doohan made two appearances as Mr. Scott, marking his initial forays into on-screen work outside of uncredited childhood cameos. Around the early 2000s, Doohan scaled back his vascular technician duties to prioritize acting ambitions, drawing on his lifelong immersion in the Star Trek fandom through family ties and fan communities. This shift positioned him for professional opportunities, including a 2007 audition for a minor speaking part in J.J. Abrams' (2009), fueled by a lighthearted grassroots fan campaign he launched on urging to cast him as Scotty—a role ultimately given to , whom Doohan publicly supported. Though the speaking part eluded him, Doohan landed an uncredited role as a transporter officer aiding Scotty in beaming the away team to the , a nod to his father's legacy that marked a pivotal breakthrough. Doohan has reflected on the dual pressures of limited prior experience and the weight of succeeding his father's iconic portrayal, motivating him to build skills via talent showcases and persistent networking within sci-fi circles. In a , he described the pursuit as a "shot in the dark" but emphasized his desire to contribute to the in any capacity as a , highlighting how fan encouragement helped secure his audition and early visibility.

Roles in the Star Trek franchise

Chris Doohan's involvement in the Star Trek franchise began early in his career with an uncredited cameo as an Enterprise crewmember in the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture, where he appeared among the background personnel aboard the starship. He continued this tradition in the 2009 reboot film Star Trek, portraying an uncredited Starfleet officer in the transporter room, positioned alongside Simon Pegg's Montgomery "Scotty" Scott during a key scene. Doohan received his first credited role in the franchise with Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), playing a lieutenant commander serving as transport officer; in this capacity, he interacted directly with Pegg's Scotty, assisting in transporter operations across multiple scenes, including delivering lines that highlighted the character's technical expertise. Beyond the theatrical films, Doohan took on the lead role of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the fan-produced Star Trek Continues, which aired from 2013 to 2017 and aimed to bridge the narrative gap between the original series and : The Motion Picture. He appeared as Scotty in all 11 episodes of the series, embodying the engineer's resourceful and Scottish-accented persona in stories set during the final years of the USS Enterprise's five-year mission, such as "" and "Emissary, Part II." Doohan also featured in supplementary vignettes tied to the production, further exploring Scotty's character in short-form content. In video games, Doohan provided the voice for Scotty in , a launched in 2010 and ongoing as of 2025, where players engage in missions across the universe. His portrayal gained prominence in the 2016 expansion "Agents of Yesterday," which centered on temporal agents combating a temporal incursion by the Tholians, featuring Scotty in pivotal advisory and engineering roles alongside other original series characters like Chekov, voiced by . Doohan has maintained ties to the through attendance at conventions and events, where he honors his James Doohan's as the original Scotty, sharing anecdotes and participating in panels that celebrate the series' enduring impact. As of 2025, he has not appeared in recent animated series such as , where any Scotty references, if present, have been handled by other voice actors or omitted entirely. Doohan's performances have been praised for faithfully capturing the spirit of his father's iconic portrayal, fostering fan appreciation for the familial continuity in the role and reinforcing Scotty's status as a beloved figure in the Star Trek canon.

Other acting credits

Chris Doohan's acting portfolio outside the Star Trek franchise is limited. His non-Star Trek credits include appearances as Mr. Scott in the VH1 reality series Breaking Bonaduce (2005), a performance impersonating Scotty on the talent competition Your Big Break (1999), and voice roles such as Thelin in the animated episodes of the fan series Starship Farragut (2009). While he has contributed as additional crew to non-acting projects like the Australian sports comedy series The Footy Show (1994), his on-screen and voice performances outside Star Trek remain selective, underscoring a focus on legacy-related roles rather than broader diversification into other genres.

Personal life

Marriage and children

Chris Doohan is married and the father of two grown daughters, with the family residing in . Details about his wife remain private, as Doohan maintains a low public profile on his personal relationships, sharing only occasional insights through professional announcements and creative works. One of his daughters, Haley, inspired the 2024 single "Haley's Song", in which Doohan recounts her birth amid the chaos of the , while his wife was in labor at a hospital. The lyrics describe the earthquake's disruption, initial medical complications for the newborn, and the eventual relief and joy of her survival, highlighting themes of family resilience.

Career outside entertainment

In addition to his acting pursuits, Chris Doohan maintains a primary career in the medical field as a Vascular Technologist, where he specializes in performing vascular ultrasounds and diagnostic procedures to assess blood flow and detect conditions such as blockages or aneurysms. This role provides him with professional stability, allowing him to selectively accept acting opportunities without financial pressure, as he has described in interviews emphasizing the importance of a reliable day job to support his creative endeavors. Doohan actively engages with the Star Trek community through non-acting channels, frequently appearing as a guest speaker and panelist at conventions worldwide, where he shares personal anecdotes about his father, , and the franchise's legacy to connect with fans. He also supports fan-produced content by promoting involvement in fan films, encouraging aspiring creators to participate in the community's grassroots storytelling efforts. Beyond public engagements, Doohan explores and writing as creative outlets. He released the "Haley's Song" in 2024, a heartfelt track inspired by the birth of his daughter during the , reflecting themes of family resilience and emotional depth. In 2023, he published the novel The Shimmering, following a young astrophysicist on an intergalactic adventure. He balances these pursuits while prioritizing his medical work and ties to the fandom.

Filmography

Film roles

Chris Doohan's on-screen film appearances are limited primarily to the franchise, where he has portrayed minor supporting roles across three feature films, all characterized by brief, uncredited or small credited parts as personnel. His film debut came in (1979), directed by , in which he appeared uncredited as an crewmember alongside his father, , who reprised his iconic role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott. This early involvement marked a familial connection to the series, with Chris's role consisting of background presence during key shipboard scenes. Doohan returned to the franchise in J.J. Abrams's (2009), uncredited, playing a transporter officer in a non-speaking capacity in the transporter room scene. His appearance underscored the continuity of the rebooted timeline while maintaining his tradition of subtle, ensemble contributions. In (2013), also directed by Abrams, Doohan received his most prominent credit to date as the Transport Officer, delivering a few lines in a pivotal transporter room scene that echoed his father's legacy. This role, though supporting and limited to under two minutes of screen time, highlighted his growing association with the transporter motif in the series. Beyond these Star Trek entries, Doohan's additional film role includes Engineer Scootie Montgomery in the sci-fi parody *Unbelievable!!!!! * (2020).

Television appearances

Doohan's television work has primarily consisted of guest and recurring roles in science fiction series, with a focus on fan-produced content rather than major network productions. As of 2025, he has not secured leading roles in established broadcast or streaming series. Doohan's early television credit includes appearing as a Garth Brooks impersonator on the talent competition series Your Big Break (1999). Doohan's television appearances are centered on his portrayal of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the fan-produced web series Star Trek Continues (2013–2017), a series that bridged the narrative gap between Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In this series, he reprised his father's iconic role across all 11 episodes, contributing to the production's effort to extend the original Star Trek five-year mission. He also provided voice work for animated episodes of the fan series Starship Farragut (2009), including roles such as Thelin. Additionally, Doohan appeared as Scotty in Star Trek Continues: The Vignettes, a companion series of short promotional and supplementary segments released starting in 2012. These vignettes, totaling several installments, featured character-focused stories and behind-the-scenes elements. Doohan's contributions to television remain tied to fan-driven projects within the Star Trek universe, with no credited roles in official franchise television series such as Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Video game voice work

Chris Doohan has provided voice work for video games, primarily within the genre, where he portrays characters in interactive narratives. His most prominent role is as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the Star Trek Online, which launched in February 2010 and continues to receive updates as of 2025. In this capacity, Doohan delivers dialogue for Scotty across various missions, story arcs, and expansions, bringing the engineer's characteristic Scottish brogue and technical expertise to life in player-driven scenarios. Doohan's involvement expanded notably in the 2016 expansion pack Agents of Yesterday, where Scotty features prominently as a key character in a storyline set in the 23rd century, involving time-travel elements and interactions with other original cast members' voices. This role involves pure to support interactive gameplay, including mission briefings, combat sequences, and narrative cutscenes, without . As of 2025, remains Doohan's sole major voice credit, highlighting his niche focus on franchise-based .

References

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