Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy is the actor who is 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 has recorded several albums in the late 1960s. Surprisingly, he isn'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.

He has been in semi-retirement since the mid-'90s, only taking on the occasional role that really interests him. Retired from on-screen acting completely after a stint as The Ghost William Bell in Fringe, and now basically says "If you want to talk about Spock from now on, speak to my replacement." He still does voice acting, as he plays the voice of Sentinel Prime in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Otherwise he is enjoying a hobby in photography.

Other roles include:

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 Western Animation/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

Video Games

Narrated a quotation related to each discovered technology in Civilization IV, including...

"Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep."

—Sputnik I

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

Tropes associated include:

The Alcoholic - Used to be
Cool Old Guy - Especially in the Bruno Mars' Lazy Song video.
Fascinating Eyebrow - Very fascinating.
I Am Not Spock - Later he wrote a follow-up book I Am Spock.
Judaism - Nimoy considers 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's in his eighties and still looks very good.
The Power of Love: Nimoy says he has 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).