Leonard Nimoy



Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015) was an actor best known for playing Spock on Star Trek the Original Series. He was so much remembered for this role, and little else, that he went on to write an autobiography called I Am Not Spock, a reference to the fact that he didn't like being typecast and taken less seriously as an actor. The title led to a lot of confusion by fans, who assumed he resented Spock as a role, obliging him to write a second book entitled I Am Spock.

Beginning with Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, he started up a low key directing career that included Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Three Men And A Baby. As well, his distinctive voice has lead to several roles in animation and video games.

He also recorded several albums in the late 1960s. Surprisingly, he wasn't as bad as you would think -- or at least, not as campy as Shatner. Your Mileage May Vary: Nimoy appeared on many of the Golden Throats collections issued by Rhino. The earlier albums are especially great for a laugh, especially when he actually was portraying Spock.

Since the mid-'90s, he went into semi-retirement, only taking on the occasional role that really interested him. He eventually retired from on-screen acting completely after a stint as The Ghost William Bell in Fringe, and basically said "If you want to talk about Spock from now on, speak to my replacement." He would still do voice acting roles, including the voice of Sentinel Prime in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Otherwise, he enjoyed a hobby in photography.

Sadly, Mr. Nimoy was taken from us at the age of 83, when he passed away due to end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He is survived by his wife, Susan Bay Nimoy. He will be dearly missed.

Film

 * Them: Appears briefly as a telegrapher who is quickly eaten by a giant ant.
 * Deathwatch (1966)
 * Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 remake)
 * A Woman Called Golda
 * Brave New World (Made-For-TV movie adaptation)
 * Atlantis: The Lost Empire
 * Voice of Galvatron in Transformers: The Movie
 * Voice of Sentinel Prime in Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Television

 * Paris in Mission Impossible
 * He was also the narrator on In Search Of, a paranormal documentary series that came on between 1976 and 1982. Was parodied on Saturday Night Live during its eighth season (on the episode hosted by Ron Howard) with Joe Piscopo as Nimoy.
 * William Bell on Fringe.
 * Voiced himself on two episodes of The Simpsons: season four's "Marge vs. The Monorail" and season eight's "The Springfield Files" (a.k.a "the Crossover episode with Mulder and Scully from The X-Files")
 * Also voiced himself on two episodes of The Simpsons' sister show, Futurama, as one of many celebrities whose heads have been preserved in jars in the year 3000: the premiere episode "Space Pilot 3000" and the Star Trek Shout-Out episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before."

Theater

 * My Fair Lady
 * Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof
 * One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
 * Caligula
 * The King and I
 * Twelfth Night
 * Sherlock Holmes
 * Vincent
 * Equus

Video Games
""Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.""
 * Narrated a quotation related to each discovered technology in Civilization IV, including...

- Sputnik I


 * Master Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts.
 * The narrator in the Dreamcast game Seaman.
 * Spock (of course) in Star Trek Online.


 * The Alcoholic - Used to be.
 * Cool Old Guy - Especially in the Bruno Mars' Lazy Song video.
 * Fascinating Eyebrow - Very fascinating.
 * I Am Not Spock - Trope Namer. Later he wrote a follow-up book: I Am Spock.
 * Judaism - Nimoy considered himself to be Modern Orthodox.
 * In fact, he based the Vulcan 'Live Long and Prosper' salute on a hand gesture he had seen a rabbi make as part of a blessing.
 * The Mentor - To Zachary Quinto
 * Older Than They Look: He was in his eighties and looked very good all the way to the end.
 * The Power of Love: Nimoy said he had not touched a drop of alcohol since finding love with his new wife.
 * Yiddish as a Second Language: Literally and justified. He grew up in a Yiddish-speaking household (his parents were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine).