Fans of the good doctor have not been well served with biographical material on the man, mainly because DeForest Kelley was not prone to self publicity, nor was he the type that led a life of Hollywood excess that lends itself to books of this type. For starters, De was married to the same woman, Carolyn, throughout a career that encompassed time in the military, followed by his steady acting work, much of it at Paramount Pictures. The good news is that "From Sawdust to Stardust," by Terry Lee Rioux, goes a long way to redressing this obvious need of a biography for De Kelley, who was the last member of the original cast to have a life story published.

With a foreward by Star Trek movie producer Harve Bennett, the book follows Kelley's whole life, from his southern upbring to his theatrical life and the romancing of his wife, to the time he first entered the Paramount lot in 1946 following his discharge from the Army. It was here that he began his life as a contract player at the studio, a life that eventually brought DeForest to the attention of Gene Roddenberry and, ultimately, Star Trek history. The story of De's life isn't full of much gossip, other than tidbits on the leading ladies in his films, but you get a great sense of the man and the respect he earned. For those lucky enough to have known him, you would be hard pressed to find one of them with a bad word to say about Kelley, the man behind Dr. McCoy. He was truly admired by all around him, and an inspiration to millions more through TV and film.