LEONARD NIMOY
Born: March 26, 1931, Boston
Education: Studied at Boston College and University of California, Los Angeles. MA in Education and honorary doctorate, Antioch University
Career: Taxi driver, salesman, theater usher until landing his first lead film role in "Kid Baroni," 1952; numerous television roles, including on "Perry Mason," "The Twighlight Zone," "Bonanza," "Mission Impossible," "In Search Of …" and, from 1966-1969, "Star Trek." Acted in and directed "Star Trek" movies and other films, wrote poetry, narrated video games and acted on stage, among other pursuits
Family: Wife, Susan Bay; son, daughter and stepson
In 1975, Leonard Nimoy published an autobiography with the defiant title, “I Am Not Spock.” Two decades later, he bowed to fate with “I Am Spock,” a revisionist sequel.
But for Trekkies and even casual “Star Trek” viewers, Nimoy was always the coolly composed science officer with the pointed ears and an unwavering belief in logic.
He played a variety of other stage and screen roles, wrote poetry and pursued photography, but Nimoy’s portrayal of Mr. Spock remained indelible and inescapable, from the 1966 premiere of the television series to the 2013 movie, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” in which his character made a final, cameo appearance.
It wasn’t just the trademark ears or the steeply arched eyebrows — which rose higher when Spock was confronted with disconcerting emotion. It was how Nimoy staunchly turned what could have been a caricature into a dignified, inspiringly intellectual and even touching figure, a half-human, half-Vulcan who was a multicultural and multiethnic touchstone, well before it was hip.
For Americans and others who witnessed 1969 U.S. moon landing, and for generations of geeks to come, Spock and “Star Trek” reinforced the power of science and space exploration.
Nimoy died Friday of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at his Los Angeles home, with family at his side, said his son, Adam. He was 83.
The reaction was swift, on Earth and in space.
“I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love,” said William Shatner, whose often-emotional Captain Kirk was balanced by the ever-composed Spock.
“Live Long and Prosper, Mr. #Spock!” tweeted Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, aboard the International Space Station.
George Takei, Mr. Sulu of “Star Trek,” called Nimoy a great man and friend.
“We return you now to the stars, Leonard. You taught us to ‘Live Long and Prosper,’ and you indeed did, friend,” Takei said.
President Barack Obama reminisced about meeting Nimoy in 2007.
“It was only logical to greet him with the Vulcan salute, the universal sign for ‘live long and prosper,’ ” the president said. “And after 83 years on this planet, and on his visits to many others, it’s clear Leonard Nimoy did just that.”
In a 2009 interview, Nimoy recalled how an early stage role left him “obsessed” with pursuing work that had a social impact.
“I’ve fulfilled that dream, including ‘Star Trek,’ for that matter,” he said. “If that’s part of the legacy, then I’m very pleased with that.”
After “Star Trek” ended, the actor immediately joined the hit adventure series “Mission Impossible” as Paris, the mission team’s master of disguises.
From 1976 to 1982, he hosted the syndicated TV series “In Search of … ,” which attempted to probe such mysteries as the legend of the Loch Ness Monster and the disappearance of aviator Amelia Earhart.
He played Israeli leader Golda Meir’s husband opposite Ingrid Bergman in the TV drama “A Woman Called Golda” and Vincent van Gogh in “Vincent,” a one-man stage show on the troubled painter’s life. He continued to work well into his 70s, playing gazillionaire genius William Bell in the Fox series “Fringe.”
He also directed several films, including the hit comedy “Three Men and a Baby” and appeared in such plays as “A Streetcar Named Desire,” ”Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” ”Fiddler on the Roof,” ”The King and I,” ”My Fair Lady” and “Equus.” He also published books of poems, children’s stories and his own photographs.
But he could never really escape the role that took him overnight from bit-part actor to TV star, reprising the Spock character in a series of “Star Trek” films. And in a 1995 interview, he sought to analyze the popularity of Spock, the green-blooded space traveler who aspired to live a life based on pure logic.
People identified with Spock because they “recognize in themselves this wish that they could be logical and avoid the pain of anger and confrontation,” Nimoy concluded. “How many times have we come away from an argument wishing we had said and done something different?”
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