Leonard Nimoy

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Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Leonard Nimoy in 2011
Born Leonard Simon Nimoy
(1931-03-26) March 26, 1931 (age 82)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Residence Los Angeles, California
Occupation Actor, film director, poet, photographer, singer, songwriter
Years active 1951–present[1]
Home town Boston, Massachusetts
Television Star Trek
Spouse(s) Sandra Zober (1954–1987; divorced)
Susan Bay (to present)
Children Adam Nimoy
Julie Nimoy

Leonard Simon Nimoy (/ˈniːmɔɪ/ NEE-moy; born March 26, 1931) is an American actor, film director, poet, singer and photographer. Nimoy is best known for his role of Spock in the original Star Trek series (1966–1969), and in multiple film, television, and video game sequels.

Nimoy began his career in his early twenties, teaching acting classes in Hollywood and making minor film and television appearances through the 1950s, as well as playing the title role in Kid Monk Baroni. In 1953, he served in the United States Army. In 1965, he made his first appearance in the rejected Star Trek pilot, "The Cage," and would go on to play the character of Mr. Spock until 1969, followed by seven feature films and guest slots in the various spin-off series. His character of Spock has had a significant cultural impact and garnered Nimoy three Emmy Award nominations; TV Guide named Spock one of the 50 greatest TV characters.[2][3] After the original Star Trek series, Nimoy starred in Mission: Impossible for two seasons, hosted the documentary series In Search of..., and narrated Civilization IV, as well as making several well-received stage appearances. More recently, he also had a recurring role in the science fiction series Fringe.

Nimoy's fame as Spock is such that both of his autobiographies, I Am Not Spock (1975) and I Am Spock (1995), were written from the viewpoint of sharing his existence with the character.[4][5]

Early life[edit]

Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts in the West End,[6] to Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Iziaslav, Soviet Union (now Ukraine). Nimoy is four days younger than his Star Trek co-star, William Shatner.[7][8][9] His father, Max Nimoy, owned a barbershop in the Mattapan section of the city. His mother, Dora Nimoy (née Spinner), was a homemaker.[10][11] Nimoy began acting at the age of eight in children's and neighborhood theater. His parents wanted him to attend college and pursue a stable career, or even learn to play the accordion—with which, his father advised, Nimoy could always make a living—but his grandfather encouraged him to become an actor.[12] His first major role was at 17, as Ralphie in an amateur production of Clifford Odets' Awake and Sing![9] Nimoy took drama classes at Boston College in 1953 but failed to complete his studies,[13] and in the 1970s studied photography at the University of California, Los Angeles.[12] He has an MA in Education from Antioch College, an honorary doctorate from Antioch University in Ohio,[14] and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Boston University.[15]

Nimoy served as a sergeant in the United States Army from 1953 through 1955,[16] alongside fellow actor Ken Berry and architect Frank Gehry.

Career[edit]

Before and during Star Trek[edit]

Nimoy's film and television acting career began in 1951, but after receiving the title role in the 1952 film Kid Monk Baroni, a story about a street punk turned professional boxer, he played more than 50 small parts in B movies, television series such as Perry Mason[17] and Dragnet, and serials such as Republic Pictures' Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952). To support his family, he often did other work, such as delivering newspapers.[18]

He played an Army sergeant in the 1954 science fiction thriller Them! and a professor in the 1958 science fiction movie The Brain Eaters, and had a role in The Balcony (1963), a film adaptation of the Jean Genet play. With Vic Morrow, he produced a 1966 version of Deathwatch, an English-language film version of Genet's play Haute Surveillance, adapted and directed by Morrow and starring Nimoy.

On television, Nimoy appeared as "Sonarman" in two episodes of the 1957–1958 syndicated military drama The Silent Service, based on actual events of the submarine section of the United States Navy. He had guest roles in the Sea Hunt series from 1958 to 1960 and a minor role in the 1961 The Twilight Zone episode "A Quality of Mercy." He also appeared in the syndicated Highway Patrol starring Broderick Crawford.

In 1959, Nimoy was cast as Luke Reid in the "Night of Decision" episode of the ABC/Warner Bros. western series Colt .45, starring Wayde Preston and directed by Leslie H. Martinson.[19]

Nimoy appeared four times in ethnic roles on NBC's Wagon Train, the No. 1 program of 1962. He portrayed Bernabe Zamora in "The Estaban Zamora Story" (1959), "Cherokee Ned" in "The Maggie Hamilton Story" (1960), Joaquin Delgado in "The Tiburcio Mendez Story" (1961), and Emeterio Vasquez in "The Baylor Crowfoot Story" (1962).

Nimoy appeared in Bonanza (1960), The Rebel (1960), Two Faces West (1961), Rawhide (1961), The Untouchables (1962), The Eleventh Hour (1962), Perry Mason (1963; playing murderer Pete Chennery in "The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe," episode 13 of season 6), Combat! (1963, 1965), Daniel Boone, The Outer Limits (1964), The Virginian (1963-1965; first working with Star Trek co-star DeForest Kelley in "Man of Violence", episode 14 of season 2, in 1963), Get Smart (1966) and Mission: Impossible (1969-1971). He appeared again in the 1995 Outer Limits series. He appeared in Gunsmoke in 1966 as John Walking Fox.

Nimoy as Spock with William Shatner as Kirk, 1968

Nimoy and Star Trek co-star William Shatner first worked together on an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., "The Project Strigas Affair" (1964). Their characters were from opposite sides of the Iron Curtain, though with his saturnine looks, Nimoy was predictably[opinion] the villain, with Shatner playing a reluctant U.N.C.L.E. recruit.

On the stage, Nimoy played the lead role in a short run of Gore Vidal's Visit to a Small Planet in 1968 (shortly before the end of the Star Trek series) at the Pheasant Run Playhouse in St. Charles, Illinois (now closed).[20]

Star Trek[edit]

“ For the first time I had a job that lasted longer than two weeks and a dressing room with my name painted on the door and not chalked on. ”

—Nimoy, on being cast as Spock[21]

Nimoy's greatest prominence came from his role in the original Star Trek series. As the half-Vulcan, half-human Spock—a role he chose instead of one on the soap opera Peyton Place—Nimoy became a star, and the press predicted that he would "have his choice of movies or television series."[18] He formed a long-standing friendship with Shatner, who portrayed his commanding officer, saying of their relationship, "We were like brothers."[22] Star Trek was broadcast from 1966 to 1969. Nimoy earned three Emmy Award nominations for his work on the program.

He went on to reprise the Spock character in Star Trek: The Animated Series and two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The first six Star Trek movies feature the original Star Trek cast including Nimoy, who also directed two of the films. He played the elder Spock in the 2009 Star Trek movie and reprised the role in a brief appearance in the 2013 sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, both directed by J. J. Abrams.

Nimoy giving the Vulcan salute in 2011

Spock's Vulcan salute became a recognized symbol of the show and was identified with him. Nimoy created the sign himself from his childhood memories of the way kohanim (Jewish priests) held their hand when giving blessings. During an interview, he translated the Priestly Blessing which accompanied the sign[23] and described it during a public lecture:[24]

May the Lord bless and keep you and may the Lord cause his countenance to shine upon you. May the Lord be gracious unto you and grant you peace. The accompanying spoken blessing, "Live long and prosper."

After Star Trek[edit]

Following Star Trek in 1969, Nimoy immediately joined the cast of the spy series Mission: Impossible, which was seeking a replacement for Martin Landau. Nimoy was cast in the role of Paris, an IMF agent who was an ex-magician and make-up expert 'The Great Paris.' He played the role during the fourth and fifth seasons of the show from 1969 to 1971.

Nimoy in 1972

He co-starred with Yul Brynner and Richard Crenna in the Western movie Catlow (1971). He also had roles in two episodes of Rod Serling's Night Gallery (1972 and 1973) and Columbo (1973) where he played a murderous doctor who was one of the few criminals with whom Columbo became angry. Nimoy appeared in various made for television films such as Assault on the Wayne (1970), Baffled (1972), The Alpha Caper (1973), The Missing Are Deadly (1974), Seizure: The Story Of Kathy Morris (1980), and Marco Polo (1982). He received an Emmy Award nomination for best supporting actor for the television film A Woman Called Golda (1982).

In 1975, Leonard Nimoy filmed an opening introduction to Ripley's World of the Unexplained museum located at Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Fisherman's Wharf at San Francisco, California. In the late 1970s, he hosted and narrated the television series In Search of..., which investigated paranormal or unexplained events or subjects. He also has a memorable character part as a psychiatrist in Philip Kaufman's remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

During this time, Nimoy also won acclaim for a series of stage roles. He appeared in such plays as Vincent (1981), Fiddler on the Roof, The Man in the Glass Booth, Oliver!, 6 Rms Riv Vu, Full Circle, Camelot, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The King and I, Caligula, The Four Poster, Twelfth Night, Sherlock Holmes, Equus and My Fair Lady.

Star Trek films[edit]

Nimoy signing autographs at a Star Trek convention, c. 1980

When a new Star Trek series was planned in the late 1970s, Nimoy was to be in only two out of eleven episodes, but when the show was elevated to a feature film, he agreed to reprise his role. After directing a few television show episodes, Nimoy started film directing in 1984 with the third installment of the film series. Nimoy would go on to direct the second most successful film (critically and financially) in the franchise after the 2009 Star Trek film, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), and Three Men and a Baby, the highest grossing film of 1987, made him a star director.[21] At a press conference promoting the 2009 Star Trek movie, Nimoy made it clear that he had no further plans or ambition to direct:

No. No, I'm done with all that, thank you. I never set out to be a director. After Spock had died, sort of, in Star Trek II, they brought me in for a meeting and asked if I'd like to be involved in Star Trek III, in the making of it, and I had been told that I should be directing. I took it as an insult because I thought, "what's wrong with my acting?" But I thought maybe now I should do that and I said I'd like to direct the movie, and I suddenly found myself with a directing career which I had enjoyed and I had enough of it. I directed I think five or six films – I had a good time.[25]

Other work after Star Trek[edit]

In 1978, Nimoy played Dr. David Kibner in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He also did occasional work as a voice actor in animated feature films, including the character of Galvatron in The Transformers: The Movie in 1986.

Nimoy was featured as the voice-over narrator for the CBS paranormal series Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories in 1991.

In 1991, Nimoy teamed up with Robert B. Radnitz to produce a movie for TNT about a pro bono publico lawsuit brought by public interest attorney William John Cox on behalf of Mel Mermelstein, an Auschwitz survivor, against a group of organizations engaged in Holocaust denial. Nimoy also played the Mermelstein role and believes: "If every project brought me the same sense of fulfillment that Never Forget did, I would truly be in paradise."[26]

Nimoy lent his voice as narrator to the 1994 IMAX documentary film, Destiny in Space, showcasing film-footage of space from nine Space Shuttle missions over four years time.

In 1994, Nimoy performed as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in The Pagemaster. In 1998, he had a leading role as Mustapha Mond in the made-for-television production of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

Together with John de Lancie, another ex-actor from the Star Trek series, Nimoy created Alien Voices, an audio-production venture that specializes in audio dramatizations. Among the works jointly narrated by the pair are The Time Machine, A Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Lost World, The Invisible Man and The First Men in the Moon, as well as several television specials for the Sci-Fi Channel. In an interview published on the official Star Trek website, Nimoy said that Alien Voices was discontinued because the series did not sell well enough to recoup costs.

From 1994 until 1998, Nimoy narrated the Ancient Mysteries series on A&E including "The Sacred Water of Lourdes" and "Secrets of the Romanovs." He also appeared in advertising in the United Kingdom for the computer company Time Computers in the late 1990s. In 1997, Nimoy played the prophet Samuel, alongside Nathaniel Parker, in The Bible Collection movie David. He had a central role in Brave New World, a 1998 TV-movie version of Aldous Huxley's novel where he played a character reminiscent of Spock in his philosophical balancing of unpredictable human qualities with the need for control. Nimoy has also appeared in several popular television series—including Futurama and The Simpsons—as both himself and Spock.

Nimoy appeared in Hearts of Space program number 142 – "Whales Alive."

In 1999, he voiced the narration of the English version of the Sega Dreamcast game Seaman and promoted Y2K educational films.[27]

In 2000, he provided on-camera hosting and introductions for 45 half-hour episodes of an anthology series entitled Our 20th Century on the AEN TV Network. The series covers world news, sports, entertainment, technology, and fashion using original archive news clips from 1930 to 1975 from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and other private archival sources.

In 2001, Nimoy voiced the role of the King of Alantis in the Disney animated feature Atlantis: The Lost Empire, which featured Michael J. Fox voicing the lead role.

In 2003, he announced his retirement from acting to concentrate on photography, but subsequently appeared in several television commercials with William Shatner for Priceline.com. He appeared in a commercial for Aleve, an arthritis pain medication, which aired during the 2006 Super Bowl.

Nimoy provided a comprehensive series of voice-overs for the 2005 computer game Civilization IV. He did the television series Next Wave where he interviewed people about technology. He is the host in the documentary film The Once and Future Griffith Observatory, currently running in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California. Nimoy and his wife, Susan Bay-Nimoy, were major supporters of the Observatory's historic 2002–2004 expansion.[28]

In 2007, he produced the play, Shakespeare's Will by Canadian Playwright Vern Thiessen. The one-woman show starred Jeanmarie Simpson as Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway. The production was directed by Nimoy's wife, Susan Bay.[29][30][31]

Nimoy was given casting approval over who would play the young Spock in the 2009 Star Trek film.[25]

On January 6, 2009, he was interviewed by William Shatner on The Biography Channel's Shatner's Raw Nerve.[12]

In May 2009, he made an appearance as the mysterious Dr. William Bell in the season finale of Fringe, which explores the existence of a parallel universe. Nimoy returned as Dr. Bell in the autumn for an extended arc, and according to Roberto Orci, co-creator of Fringe, Bell will be "the beginning of the answers to even bigger questions."[32][33] This choice led one reviewer to question if Fringe's plot might be a homage to the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror," which featured an alternate reality "Mirror Universe" concept and an evil version of Spock distinguished by a goatee.[34]

The handprints of Leonard Nimoy in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park

On the May 9, 2009 episode of Saturday Night Live, Nimoy appeared as a surprise guest on the skit "Weekend Update." During a mock interview, Nimoy called old Trekkies who did not like the new movie "dickheads." In the 2009 Star Trek movie, he plays the older Spock from the original Star Trek timeline; Zachary Quinto portrays the young Spock.

Starring with Will Ferrell in the television-based movie Land of the Lost in June 2009, he voiced the part of "The Zarn," an Altrusian.

Nimoy is also a frequent and popular reader for "Selected Shorts," an ongoing series of programs at Symphony Space in New York City (that also tours around the country) which features actors, and sometimes authors, reading works of short fiction. The programs are broadcast on radio and available on websites through Public Radio International, National Public Radio and WNYC radio. Nimoy was honored by Symphony Space with the renaming of the Thalia Theater as the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater.

Nimoy has also provided voiceovers for the Star Trek Online massively multiplayer online game, released in February 2010,[35] as well as Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep as Master Xehanort, the series' leading villain. Tetsuya Nomura, the director of Birth by Sleep, stated that he chose Nimoy for the role specifically because of his role as Spock.

Retirement[edit]

In April 2010, Leonard Nimoy announced that he was retiring from playing the signature character of Star Trek's Spock, citing both his advanced age and the desire to give Zachary Quinto the opportunity to enjoy full media attention with the Spock character.[36] Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep was to be his final performance. However, in February 2011, he announced his definite plan to return to Fringe and reprise his role as William Bell.[37] His retirement from acting has not included voice acting, as his appearance in the third season of Fringe includes his voice (his character appears only in animated scenes), and he provided the voice of Sentinel Prime in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. In May 2011, Nimoy starred in the alternate version music video of Bruno Mars' "The Lazy Song." Aaron Bay-Schuck, the Atlantic Records executive who signed Bruno Mars to the label, is Nimoy's stepson.[38] Nimoy provided the voice of Spock as a guest star in a Season 5 episode of the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. The episode is titled "The Transporter Malfunction" and aired on March 29, 2012,[39] and is frequently mentioned by several of the main characters (especially Sheldon Cooper, who idolizes Nimoy). In Spring 2012, Nimoy reprised his role of William Bell in Fringe, in the fourth season episodes "Letters of Transit" and "Brave New World" parts 1 & 2.[40] Nimoy reprised his role as Master Xehanort in the recent title Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. On August 30, 2012, Nimoy narrated a satirical segment about Mitt Romney's life on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In 2013, Nimoy reprised his role as Spock Prime in a cameo appearance in the film Star Trek Into Darkness.

Photography[edit]

Nimoy's interest in photography began in childhood; he still owns a camera that he rebuilt at the age of 13. His photography studies at UCLA occurred after Star Trek and Mission: Impossible, when Nimoy seriously considered changing careers. His work has been exhibited at the R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, Massachusetts[12] and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Directing[edit]

Nimoy made his directorial debut in 1973, directing the "Death On A Barge" segment for an episode of Night Gallery during its final season. It wouldn't be until the early 1980s that Nimoy resumed directing at a consistent basis, ranging from television shows to motion pictures. His final directorial credit was in 1995 for the episode "Killshot," the pilot from the TV series Deadly Games.

Writing[edit]

Nimoy has written two volumes of autobiography. The first was called I Am Not Spock (1975) and was controversial, as many fans incorrectly assumed that Nimoy was distancing himself from the Spock character. In the book, Nimoy conducts dialogues between himself and Spock. The contents of this first autobiography also touched on a self-proclaimed "identity crisis" that seemed to haunt Nimoy throughout his career. It also related to an apparent love/hate relationship with the character of Spock and the Trek franchise.

I went through a definite identity crisis. The question was whether to embrace Mr. Spock or to fight the onslaught of public interest. I realize now that I really had no choice in the matter. Spock and Star Trek were very much alive and there wasn’t anything that I could do to change that.[41]

The second volume, I Am Spock (1995), saw Nimoy communicating that he finally realized his years of portraying the Spock character had led to a much greater identification between the fictional character and himself. Nimoy had much input into how Spock would act in certain situations, and conversely, Nimoy's contemplation of how Spock acted gave him cause to think about things in a way that he never would have thought if he had not portrayed the character. As such, in this autobiography Nimoy maintains that in some meaningful sense he has merged with Spock while at the same time maintaining the distance between fact and fiction.

Nimoy has also written several volumes of poetry, some published along with a number of his photographs. His latest effort is titled A Lifetime of Love: Poems on the Passages of Life (2002). His poetry can be found in the Contemporary Poets index of The HyperTexts.[42] Nimoy adapted and starred in the one-man play Vincent (1981), based on the play Van Gogh (1979) by Phillip Stephens.

In 1995, Nimoy was involved in the production of Primortals, a comic book series published by Tekno Comix about first contact with aliens, which had arisen from a discussion he had with Isaac Asimov. There was a novelization by Steve Perry.

Music[edit]

During and following Star Trek, Nimoy also released five albums of musical vocal recordings on Dot Records.[43] On his first album Mr. Spock's Music from Outer Space, and half of his second album Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy, science fiction-themed songs are featured where Nimoy sings as Spock. On his final three albums, he sings popular folk songs of the era and cover versions of popular songs, such as "Proud Mary" and Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line." There are also several songs on the later albums that are written or co-written by Nimoy. He has described how his recording career got started:

"Charles Grean of Dot Records had arranged with the studio to do an album of space music based on music from Star Trek, and he has a teenage daughter who's a fan of the show and a fan of Mr. Spock. She said, 'Well, if you're going to do an album of music from Star Trek, then Mr. Spock should be on the album.' So Dot contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in either speaking or singing on the record. I said I was very interested in doing both. ...That was the first album we did, which was called Mr. Spock's Music from Outer Space. It was very well received and successful enough that Dot then approached me and asked me to sign a long-term contract."[44]

The albums were popular and resulted in numerous live appearances and promotional record signings that attracted crowds of fans in the thousands. The early recordings were produced by Charles Grean, who may be best known for his version of "Quentin's Theme" from the mid-sixties goth soap opera Dark Shadows. Some listeners regard these recordings as unintentionally camp, but some have praised them as quality 1960s folk music. His tongue-in-cheek performance of "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" received a fair amount of airplay when Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films were released.

In addition to his own music career he directed a 1985 music video for The Bangles' "Going Down to Liverpool." He makes a brief cameo appearance in the video as their driver. This came about because his son Adam Nimoy (now a frequent television director) was a friend of Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs from college.

Nimoy's voice appeared in sampled form on a song by the pop band Information Society in the late Eighties. The song, "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)" (released in 1988), reached No. 3 on the US Pop charts, and No. 1 on Dance charts. The group's self-titled LP contains several other samples from the original Star Trek television series.

Nimoy also appears in the alternate music video for the song "Lazy Song" by pop artist Bruno Mars.[38]

Personal life[edit]

Nimoy in September 2012

Nimoy has long been active in the Jewish community, and he can speak and read Yiddish. In 1997, he narrated the documentary A Life Apart: Hasidism in America, about the various sects of Hasidic Orthodox Jews. In October 2002, Nimoy published The Shekhina Project, a photographic study exploring the feminine aspect of God's presence, inspired by Kabbalah. Reactions have varied from enthusiastic support to open condemnation.[45] Nimoy claims that objections to Shekhina do not bother or surprise him, but he smarts at the stridency of the Orthodox protests, and is "saddened at the attempt to control thought."[45]

Nimoy has been married twice. In 1954, he married actress Sandra Zober (1927–2011), whom he divorced in 1987.[12] He married actress Susan Bay, who is a cousin of director Michael Bay.

In a 2001 DVD,[46] Nimoy revealed that he became an alcoholic while working on Star Trek and ended up in rehab.[47] William Shatner, in his 2008 book Up Till Now: The Autobiography, speaks about how later in their lives Nimoy tried to help Shatner's alcoholic wife.

Nimoy still has the last pair of Spock's ears he wore on the series, as a memento. He has said that the character of Spock, which he played twelve to fourteen hours a day, five days a week, influenced his personality in private life. Each weekend during the original run of the series, he would be in character throughout Saturday and into Sunday, behaving more like Spock than himself: more logical, more rational, more thoughtful, less emotional and finding a calm in every situation. It was only on Sunday in the early afternoon that Spock's influence on his behavior would fade off and he would feel more himself again – only to start the cycle over Monday morning.[48]

Nimoy also introduced the Vulcan nerve pinch in an early Star Trek episode "The Enemy Within."[49] Initially, Spock was supposed to knock out an evil Kirk in the Engineering room by striking him on the back of the head. Nimoy felt that the action was not in keeping with the nature of Spock's character, so he suggested the "pinch" as a non-violent alternative, suggesting that Vulcans have the ability to emit energy from their fingertips, which, if applied to the correct nerve cluster, could render a human unconscious.[49] Nimoy explained this to the episode's director and, according to Nimoy, the director had no idea what he was talking about. However, Nimoy would express relief in later interviews and appearances that when he explained the concept to William Shatner, he understood it immediately, and Nimoy credits Shatner's reaction to the nerve pinch in the episode as what really sold it. In early scripts for Star Trek, the nerve pinch was referred to as the "F.S.N.P.", which stood for "Famous Spock Neck Pinch."[50][51]

He has remained good friends with co-star William Shatner (also of Ukrainian Jewish descent) and was best man at Shatner's third marriage in 1997. He also remained good friends with DeForest Kelley until Kelley's death in 1999.

Nimoy is a private pilot and has owned his own airplane.[52] The Space Foundation named Nimoy as the recipient of the 2010 Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award[53] for creating a positive role model that inspired untold numbers of viewers to learn more about the universe.

In 2009, Nimoy was honored by his childhood hometown when the Office of Mayor Thomas Menino proclaimed the date of November 14, 2009, as Leonard Nimoy Day in the City of Boston.[54]

Shortly after he was photographed in a wheelchair and using an oxygen mask, Nimoy revealed in February 2014 that he has been diagnosed with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. On Twitter, he said: 'I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP (Live Long and Prosper)'.[55]

Filmography[edit]

1950s[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1951 Rhubarb Young Ball Player
1952 Kid Monk Baroni Paul 'Monk' Baroni
1952 Zombies of the Stratosphere Narab
1952 Francis Goes to West Point Football player Uncredited
1953 Old Overland Trail Chief Black Hawk
1954 Them! Army Staff Sergeant
1954 Dragnet Julius Carver (TV series, 1 episode: "The Big Boys")
1956 The West Point Story Tom Kennedy (TV series, 1 episode: "His Brother's Fist")
(TV series, 1 episode: "Conquistador")
1958 The Brain Eaters Professor Cole
1958 Highway Patrol Ray (TV series, 1 episode: "Bloody Money")
1958 Mackenzie's Raiders Kansas (TV series, 1 episode: "The Imposter")
1958-1960 Sea Hunt Indio (TV series, 6 episodes)
1959 Dragnet Karlo Rozwadowski (TV series, 1 episode: "The Big Name")
1959-1962 Wagon Train Bernabe Zamora, et al. (TV series, 4 episodes: the Estaban Zamora, Maggie Hamilton, Tiburcio Mendez, Baylor Crowfoot stories)

1960s[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1960 Bonanza Freddy (NBC-TV series, 1 episode: "The Ape")
1960 M Squad Bob Nash (NBC-TV series, 1 episode: "Badge for a Coward")
1960 The Rebel Jim Colburn (ABC-TV, 1 episode: "The Hunted")
1960-1961 The Tall Man Deputy Sheriff Johnny Swift (NBC-TV, 2 episodes: "A Bounty for Billy" and "A Gun Is for Killing")
1961 The Twilight Zone Hansen (CBS-TV series, 1 episode: "A Quality of Mercy")
1961 Rawhide Anko (CBS-TV series, 1 episode: "Incident Before Black Pass")
1961 87th Precinct Barrow
1963 Perry Mason Pete Chennery (CBS-TV series, 1 episode: "The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe")
1963 The Balcony Roger
1963 Gunsmoke Holt (TV series, 1 episode: "I Call Him Wonder")
1963 The Virginian Lt. Beldon M.D. (TV series, 1 episode: "Man of Violence")
1964 The Outer Limits Konig (TV series, 1 episode: "Production and Decay of Strange Particles")
1964 The Outer Limits Judson Ellis (TV series, 1 episode: "I, Robot")
1964 The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Vladeck (TV series, 1 episode: "The Project Strigas Affair")
1966 Get Smart Stryker (TV series, 1 episode: "The Dead Spy Scrawls")
1966 Gunsmoke John Walking Fox (TV series, 1 episode: "Treasure of John Walking Fox")
1966 Daniel Boone Oontah (TV series, 1 episode: "Seminole Territory")
1966 Deathwatch Jules Lefranc
1966-1969 Star Trek Mr. Spock (TV series, 79 episodes)
Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (1967, 1968, 1969)
1969-1971 Mission: Impossible Paris (TV series, 49 episodes)

1970s[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1971 Assault on the Wayne Commander Phil Kettenring
1971 Catlow Miller
1973 Baffled! Tom Kovack
1973 Columbo Dr. Barry Mayfield (NBC-TV series, 1 episode: "A Stitch in Crime")
1973-1974 Star Trek: The Animated Series Mr. Spock (TV series, 22 episodes) (Voice)
1974 Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love Mick
1976-1982 In Search of... Narrator (TV series, 145 episodes, host)
1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers Dr. David Kibner Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1979 Star Trek: The Motion Picture Mr. Spock Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor

1980s[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1981 Vincent Theo van Gogh
1982 A Woman Called Golda Morris Meyerson Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
1982 Marco Polo Achmet (TV mini-series)
1982 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Captain Spock
1983 T.J. Hooker Paul McGuire (TV series, 1 episode: "Vengeance is Mine")
1984 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Captain Spock Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Director
1984 The Sun Also Rises Count Mippipopolous
1986 The Transformers: The Movie Galvatron (Voice)
1986 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Captain Spock Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Actor
Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Director
1986 Faerie Tale Theatre The Evil Moroccan Magician (TV series, 1 episode: "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp")
1989 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Captain Spock

1990s[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1991 Never Forget Mel Mermelstein
1991 Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories Narrator
1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation Ambassador Spock (TV series, 2 episodes)
1991 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Captain Spock
1993 The Simpsons Himself (Voice) (TV Series, 2 episodes: "Marge vs. the Monorail," "The Springfield Files")
1993 The Halloween Tree Mr. Moundshroud (Voice)
1994 The Pagemaster Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde (Voice)
1995 Bonanza: Under Attack Frank James
1995 The Outer Limits Thomas Cutler (TV series, 1 episode: "I, Robot")
1995 Titanica Narrator (Documentary)
1995 Ancient Mysteries Narrator (TV Series/Documentary, 1 episode: "The Hidden City of Petra")
1997 "A Life Apart: Hasidism in America" Narrator (Documentary)[56]
1997 David Samuel
1998 The Harryhausen Chronicles Narrator (Documentary)
1998 Brave New World Mustapha Mond
1999 Seaman (video game) Narrator (Video game), (Voice)
1999, 2002 Futurama Himself (Voice) (TV series, 2 episodes: "Space Pilot 3000," "Where No Fan Has Gone Before")

2000s[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists Akron/Baraka/King Chandra (Voice)
2001 Becker Professor Emmett Fowler (TV series, 1 episode: "The TorMentor")
2001 Atlantis: The Lost Empire King Kashekim Nedakh (Voice)
2005 Civilization IV Narrator (Video game), (Voice)
2009 Star Trek Spock Prime Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Nominated—Critics' Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble
Nominated—Scream Award for Best Ensemble
2009 Land of the Lost The Zarn (Voice)
2009-2012 Fringe Dr. William Bell (TV series, 11 episodes)
Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television

2010s[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Star Trek Online Mr. Spock (Narrator) (Video game), (Voice)
2010 Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Master Xehanort[57] (video game), (voice)[58]
2011 Transformers: Dark of the Moon Sentinel Prime (Voice)[59]
Nominated-Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Ensemble (shared with the entire cast)
2012 The Big Bang Theory Action Figure Spock (Voice)[60]
2012 Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Master Xehanort (Video game), (Voice)[61]
2012 Zambezia Sekhuru (Voice)
2013 Star Trek Into Darkness Spock Prime (Cameo)

Director[edit]

Videography[edit]

Music videos[edit]

Writer[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

Poetry[edit]

Discography[edit]

See also: Leonard Nimoy discography (includes compilations and re-issues)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Nimoy glad to be back with 'Fringe'". UPI.com (New York: News World Communications). United Press International. May 12, 2012. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  2. ^ "Leonard Nimoy: Biography". TVGuide.com. San Francisco, CA: CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2009-02-03. 
  3. ^ Jensen, K. Thor (November 20, 2008). "Spock". UGO.com. San Francisco, CA: IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved 2009-02-03. 
  4. ^ Nimoy (1975), pp. 1–6
  5. ^ Nimoy (1995), pp. 2–17
  6. ^ Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell (1998). Boston's West End. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 0-7524-1257-4. LCCN 98087140. OCLC 40670283. 
  7. ^ "Biography". The Official Leonard Nimoy Fan Club. Coventry, England: Maggy Edwards. Retrieved 2010-06-22. 
  8. ^ "Leonard Simon Nimoy". Genealogy of Lucks, Kai and Related Families. Columbia, MD: Michael Lucks. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  9. ^ a b Ellin, Abby (May 13, 2007). "Girth and Nudity, a Pictorial Mission". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  10. ^ "Leonard Nimoy Biography (1931–)". Film Reference. Hinsdale, IL: Advameg, Inc. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  11. ^ "Leonard Nimoy". Yahoo! Movies. Sunnyvale, CA: Yahoo!. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  12. ^ a b c d e Shatner, William (host) (January 6, 2009). "Leonard Nimoy". Shatner's Raw Nerve. Season 1. Episode 7. The Biography Channel. http://www.biography.com/tv/shatners-raw-nerve/episodes/07-leonard-nimoy.
  13. ^ "Story Book: Legends from the Heights". Boston College Magazine (Chestnut Hill, MA: Office of Communications). Spring 2005. ISSN 0885-2049. Retrieved 2010-08-02.  Adapted from Legends of Boston College (2004); Boston, MA: New Legends Press. ISBN 978-0-975-55070-0. OCLC 57510969.
  14. ^ "Dr. Leonard Nimoy" (PDF). Alumni News (Yellow Springs, OH: Antioch University McGregor). November 2000. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  15. ^ Laskowski, Amy (May 22, 2012). "Leonard Nimoy Urges CFA Grads to 'Live Long and Prosper'". BU Today. Boston, MA: Marketing & Communications. Retrieved 2012-06-14. 
  16. ^ "Leonard Nimoy". Notable Names Database. Mountain View, CA: Soylent Communications. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 
  17. ^ "The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe" at the Internet Movie Database
  18. ^ a b Kleiner, Dick (December 4, 1967). "Mr. Spock's Trek To Stardom". Warsaw Times-Union (Warsaw, IN: Reub Williams & Sons, Inc.). Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 7. Retrieved 2011-05-07. 
  19. ^ "Night of Decision". Colt .45. Season 2. Episode 13. June 28, 1959. ABC. http://ctva.biz/US/Western/Colt45_02_%281958-59%29.htm. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  20. ^ "Stage". Beyond Spock - A Leonard Nimoy Fan Page. Hamburg, Germany: Christine Mau. Retrieved 2011-07-12. 
  21. ^ a b Harmetz, Aljean (October 30, 1988). "Leonard Nimoy at the Controls". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-05-24. 
  22. ^ "Science Fiction". Pioneers of Television. Season 2. Episode 1. January 18, 2011. PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-programs/science-fiction/. Retrieved 2013-11-01. "People: Leonard Nimoy".
  23. ^ Pogrebin, Abigail (2007) [Originally published 2005]. Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish. New York: Broadway Books. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-7679-1613-4. LCCN 2005042141. OCLC 153581202. 
  24. ^ "Leonard Nimoy: The Origin of Spock's Greeting - Greater Talent Network - YouTube" on YouTube
  25. ^ a b Nimoy, Leonard; Quinto, Zachary (May 1, 2009). Interview with Nicole Powers. "Leonard Nimoy And Zachary Quinto: The Two Faces Of Spock". SuicideGirls (Los Angeles: Sg Services, Inc.). https://suicidegirls.com/girls/nicole_powers/blog/2680122/leonard-nimoy-and-zachary-quinto-the-two-faces-of-spock/. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
  26. ^ Nimoy (1995)
  27. ^ "Y2K" on YouTube (excerpt). Bisley, Donnie (Director); Nimoy, Leonard (Host, Narrator) (1998). The Y2K Family Survival Guide. La Vergne, TN: Monarch Home Video (Distributor). OCLC 41107104. 
  28. ^ "Leonard and Susan Nimoy Donate $1 Million to Griffith Observatory Renovation" (Press release). Los Angeles: Griffith Observatory. March 19, 2001. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  29. ^ Simpson, Jeanmarie (October 5, 2011). Interview with Dylan Brody. "Jeanmarie Simpson -- Artivist in the Modern Landscape (Part 2)". The Huffington Post (New York: AOL). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dylan-brody/jeanmarie-simpson_b_994437.html. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  30. ^ Nimoy, Leonard (June 2007). Interview with Margitta. "Exclusive Interview with Leonard Nimoy". Thanks to Leonard Nimoy (Margitta). http://www.leonardnimoy.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1445:exclusive-interview-with-leonard-nimoy-&catid=23:articles-and-quotes&Itemid=11. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
  31. ^ Kadosh, Dikla (June 28, 2007). "Youngest Torme, Shakespeare, photography, poetry, enamelwork". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles (Los Angeles: TRIBE Media Corp.). Retrieved 2012-06-14. 
  32. ^ T'Bonz (April 9, 2009). "Nimoy Joins Fringe". TrekToday. Utrecht, Netherlands: Christian Höhne Sparborth. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  33. ^ O'Connor, Mickey (April 8, 2009). "Fringe: Meet Dr. William Bell". TVGuide.com. San Francisco, CA: CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2009-04-09. 
  34. ^ Parker, Emerson (May 6, 2009). "TV Review: FRINGE - SEASON ONE - 'The Road Not Taken'". iFMagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  35. ^ Snider, Mike (December 22, 2009). "Leonard Nimoy joins 'Star Trek Online' crew". USA Today (Tysons Corner, VA: Gannett Company). Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  36. ^ "Mr. Spock Set to Hang Up His Pointy Ears". MSN Entertainment News (Redmond, WA: Microsoft). WENN. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  37. ^ "Leonard Nimoy Confirms Return To Fringe". TrekMovie.com. SciFanatic Network. February 25, 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  38. ^ a b "Watch: Leonard Nimoy Gets 'Lazy' In Bruno Mars Music Video [UPDATED]". TrekMovie.com. SciFanatic Network. May 26, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-03. 
  39. ^ "Listings - BIG BANG THEORY, THE". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2012-06-14. 
  40. ^ Wyman, Joel (April 20, 2012). "JWFRINGE: @naddycat #FringeLiveTweet We did.". Twitter. Retrieved 2012-05-05. "We did." 
  41. ^ B., Jared (May 24, 2007). "Leonard Nimoy's Love/Hate Relationship with Mr. Spock". Trekdom - Star Trek Fanzine (Blog). Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  42. ^ "The HyperTexts". Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  43. ^ "Two Sides Of Leonard Nimoy". The Musical Touch of Leonard Nimoy. Maidenwine.com. Retrieved 2011-05-29. 
  44. ^ "The Musical Touch of Leonard Nimoy". The Musical Touch of Leonard Nimoy. Maidenwine.com. Retrieved 2011-05-29. 
  45. ^ a b Snider, John C. (2002). "Leonard Nimoy: Shedding Light on Shekhina". SciFiDimensions. Atlanta, GA: John Snider. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  46. ^ Jaysen, Peter (Director) (2001). Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime. Creative Light Video. ISBN 1931394156. OCLC 49221637. 
  47. ^ "Star Trek 'drove Nimoy to drink'". BBC News (London: BBC). October 31, 2001. Retrieved 2010-08-02. 
  48. ^ "Bring Back...Star Trek". Bring Back.... May 9, 2009. Channel 4. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/bring-back/episode-guide. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  49. ^ a b Nimoy, Leonard (May 13, 1999). Interview with STARTREK.COM. "Leonard Nimoy ("Spock" - TOS)". StarTrek.com (New York: CBS Studios Inc.). Archived from the original on 2009-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20090714071731/http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/community/chat/archive/transcript/1080.html. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  50. ^ Berman, Gary (Executive Producer); Malin, Adam (Executive Producer) (1992). The 25-Year Mission. Glendale, CA: Creation Entertainment. OCLC 48676938. 
  51. ^ Kevin Curtis (Director) (1983). Leonard Nimoy: Star Trek Memories (Television production). Paramount Pictures. 
  52. ^ "An interview of Leonard Nimoy-SuperstarSuperfans part2/2" on YouTube. Interview with Bob Wilkins from the mid-1970s.
  53. ^ Hively, Carol (January 12, 2010). "Space Foundation Recognizes Leonard Nimoy with Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award" (Press release). Colorado Springs, CO: Space Foundation. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  54. ^ Clark, Shaula (November 14, 2009). "Hardly Illogical: Leonard Nimoy Day, November 14". Boston Phoenix (Blog). Retrieved 2012-03-31. 
  55. ^ "BBC News - Leonard Nimoy reveals he has lung disease". BBC News (London). 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014. 
  56. ^ Daum, Menachem (Producer, Director); Rudavsky, Oren (Producer, Director) (1997). A Life Apart: Hasidism In America (Motion picture). New York: First Run Features. OCLC 47827649. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  57. ^ Dengeki PlayStation 474. 
  58. ^ "Return to the Magical Realm of Kingdom Hearts on September 7, 2010" (Press release). Los Angeles: Square Enix; Disney Interactive Studios. May 17, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-02. 
  59. ^ Breznican, Anthony (March 31, 2011). "Leonard Nimoy joins 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' voice cast -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly (New York: Time division of Time Warner). Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  60. ^ Ausiello, Michael (February 29, 2012). "Big Bang Theory Exclusive: Leonard Nimoy Finally Agrees to Cameo – But There's a Twist!". TVLine. PMC. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 
  61. ^ rad-Monkey (May 31, 2012). "The Voice Talent of KINGDOM HEARTS 3D" (Blog). Square Enix. Retrieved 2013-11-01. 

External links[edit]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Leonard Nimoy
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leonard Nimoy.

Media[edit]

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