Leonard Nimoy | |
|---|---|
Leonard Nimoy in May | |
| Born | Leonard Simon Nimoy ()March 26, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | February 27, () (aged&#;83) Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause&#;of death | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, Culver City, California[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, film director, poet, photographer, singer, songwriter |
| Years&#;active | –[2][3] |
| Television | Star Trek |
| Spouse(s) | Sandra Zober (m. , divorced) Susan Bay (m. , his death) |
| Children | |
| Website | |
Leonard Simon Nimoy (March 26, &#;&#; February 27, )[4] was an Americanactor, movie director, poet, musician and photographer. He was famous for playing the character of Spock on Star Trek, an American television series that was made for three years in the late s.
Nimoy was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were immigrants from Ukraine. They were Dora Spinner and Max Nimoy. He took acting classes at Boston College and the Pasadena Playhouse.
Nimoy began his career in his early twenties, teaching acting classes in Hollywood and making minor movie and television appearances through the s, as well as playing the title role in Kid Monk Baroni.
In , he made his first appearance in the rejected Star Trek pilot "The Cage", and went on to play the character of Spock until He followed his role of Spock by eight feature movie and guest slots in the various spin-off series. The character has had a significant cultural impact and earned Nimoy three Emmy Award nominations; TV Guide named Spock one of the 50 greatest TV characters.[5][6] After the original Star Trek series, Nimoy starred in Mission: Impossible for two seasons, hosted the documentary series In Search of, narrated Civilization IV, and made several well-received stage appearances. He also had a recurring role in the science fiction series Fringe.
Nimoy's fame as Spock was such that both of his autobiographies, I Am Not Spock () and I Am Spock (), were written from the viewpoint of sharing his existence with the character.[7][8] Nimoy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[9] In , Nimoy voiced the main villain, Sentinel Prime, in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. In and in , Nimoy played Spock Prime in the J. J. Abrams Star Trek movies: Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness. He also voiced Master Xehanort in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
Nimoy was married twice. In , he married actress Sandra Zober (–), whom he divorced in On New Year's Day of , he married actress Susan Bay, cousin of director Michael Bay. Nimoy had a daughter and son by his first wife.
Shortly after he was photographed in a wheelchair and using an oxygen mask, Nimoy said in February that he had been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).[10] Little over a year later, Nimoy died from the disease on February 27, at the age of 83 in his Bel Air home.[2]
Nimoy was laid to rest in a private service in Los Angeles on March 1, at the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.[1] He was buried on a Sunday since Jewish tradition does not allow such services on a Saturday.[11]