This Star Trek actor was offered the role of Spock before Leonard Nimoy

The Spock that almost was...

CBS Television Distribution

You're either an optimist, or you're a pessimist who is secretly jealous of all those optimists out there. Be honest with yourself: those who tend to look on the bright side of things will always have a better time than those determined to think the worst. Things will work out eventually, even if you can't see how.

Take, for example, the casting of Leonard Nimoy as Spock in Star Trek. This was an iconic character that's hard to picture without Nimoy's influence. However, in order for that door to open for Nimoy, another door had to be closed for none other than DeForest Kelley.

William Shatner's memoir, Star Trek Memories, gives a thorough rundown of the process taken to bring Star Trek from script to screen. According to the book, Kelley was offered the role of Spock over lunch by Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek.

"I had lunch with Gene one day [they had just done their television pilot]," said Kelley. "He said to me, 'De, I have two new properties that I'm working on. One is based on High Noon, and the other is this science fiction thing, and there's a character in there who's an alien, and he's going to have pointed ears and green color.'"

Whether it was the character or the lengthy amount of time sure to be spent sitting in the makeup chair, Kelley refused. "So of course I said, 'Aw, geez! What are you kidding? Get outta here! No way! Forget it! Call me when you do High Noon.' He was talking to me about Spock."

Of course, while Kelley turned down an excellent character when he refused to play Spock, he obviously became an integral part of the Star Trek universe when he was cast as Dr. Leonard McCoy. Furthermore, Kelley didn't hold any regret in his decision, ultimately accepting that everything worked out for the best. "The right guy got it," said Kelley. "Leonard really was a wonderful choice."

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13 Comments

Patrick643 27 days ago
Just a couple of things: first, the doctor in "The Menagerie", Philip Boyce, wasn't played by Paul Fix, but instead by veteran actor John Hoyt. Fix did, however, play the ship's doctor, Mark Piper, in "Where No Man Has Gone Before", and I think he was much more of a cardboard cutout than Hoyt's Boyce. Boyce was very much more a McCoy type: cantankerous but wise, etc. DeForest Kelley as Spock? Oh, no, I don't see that at all...but what might've been far more interesting, to say the very least would have been Martin Landau as Spock. I almost can't even envision it, since all I see is him as John Koenig (not to mention Rollin Hand), but then again he couldn't envision it either: https://screenrant.com/star-trek-spock-martin-landau/
Tresix Patrick643 26 days ago
And when Landau left “Mission: Impossible”, who was his replacement? Nimoy again, as Paris the magician.
Sooner 27 days ago
I suspect the whole show would have been a flop if he had taken that role. They were both perfect where they ended up.
Snickers 29 days ago
Have to agree with Kelly, Nimoy was the right choice.
Runeshaper 29 days ago
That's very interesting. Glad both actors made it in the final cut.
MrsPhilHarris 29 days ago
Did he make the High Noon show?
texasluva MrsPhilHarris 29 days ago
If you are speaking of High Noon (1950)no, nor High Noon: 2 in 1980. TV movie 2000 High Noon he had passed away a year earlier. He did play a doctor in the 1949-1953 tv series The Lone Ranger. He was in lots of Westerns Including Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957); Warlock (1959) also The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) (medic) and many others movies and tv appearances. So when Star Trek came along he had a long career in the series and later in the ST movies. He was just joking to the guy about High Noon. Got the Bones Doctor's part and the rest is history.
MrsPhilHarris texasluva 29 days ago
🤭 I thought he meant he was making a High Noon tv show.
rory49 texasluva 27 days ago
DeForest wasn't even the first choice for the ship's doctor - remember in the The Menagerie (the original pilot with Captain Pike that was turned into the 2-part episode), there was a different doctor. I think even after that original concept of Star Trek was re-cast, it took a couple of episodes for McCoy to emerge.
boomerdragon61 rory49 27 days ago
That doctor was played by Paul Fix, another fine character actor who was in many Westerns like the Rifleman.
John Hoyt was the doctor in the pilot The Cage. Paul Fix was the doctor in the pilot Where No Man Has Gone Before.
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