Leonard Nimoy Bio

[Tracy]

Leonard Simon Nimoy was born to Ukrainian Jewish immigrants on March 26, 1931 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Raised in a Boston tenement, Leonard began acting in community theaters at the age of eight.
He attended Antioch University, where he earned a Master of Education degree.


He made his Hollywood debut in 1951 at the age of 20 in Queen For A Day



and later that same year, in the film Rhubarb

After two years in the United States Army, he was still getting small parts, including his role in 1960’s Bonanza episode titled “The Ape”.

cap by Calamity

In 1962, Leonard starred in Gunsmoke, "The Search"


Leonard in 1963 in The Balcony

Here he is in 1964 in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

When money was short in the 1960s, Leonard opened a pet store in Canoga Park, California.

It was in 1966, when Leonard was cast as the half-human/half-Vulcan science officer aboard the starship Enterprise, that he became a household word.

His performance as Spock won him three Emmy nominations.

He is the only actor to appear in every episode of the original Star Trek series.

The "Vulcan nerve pinch" concept on Star Trek was invented by Nimoy when he and the show's writers were trying to figure out how an unarmed Spock could overpower an adversary without resorting to violence.

From 1969-1971, Leonard starred as Paris on the long running show Mission: Impossible.

In 1979, the Star Trek phenomenon exploded onto the big screen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979.
Leonard starred in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock in 1984, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier in 1989, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 1991, and Star Trek in 2009.

Star Trek The Wrath Of Khan


Star Trek The Undiscovered Country


Star Trek

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home were written by Leonard.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home were directed by Leonard.

He also directed the 1984 The Bangles video: "Going Down to Liverpool".

In 1995, Leonard reconnected with the Bonanza legacy, starring in Bonanza Under Attack.

Over the years, Leonard’s stage credits include: "Fiddler on the Roof", "Oliver", "Camelot" and "Equus", shown below.

He hosted the well-known television series In Search of... (1976) and Ancient Mysteries (1994)

In 1995, Leonard released his book, "I Am Spock".

In 1995, Leonard released of his book of photographs, "The Full Body Project".

l977, Leonard released another book - "I Am Not Spock".


Since 2009, Leonard has had a recurring role on the TV series Fringe as "Dr. William Bell".

Leonard has married twice, his first to Sandra Zober (from 1954-1987) and his second to Susan Bay (1989 - present)

He is the father of Adam Nimoy and Julie Nimoy, and has five grandchildren.

Leonard is an accomplished photographer (specializing in black and white images), and has given exhibitions of his works.

He suffers from tinnitus (ringing in the ears), along with Star Trek co-star, William Shatner. Both actors' hearing was damaged during the filming of the episode, Star Trek: Arena (1967), when they were both close to a special effects explosion.

As a non-commissioned officer in the army, Leonard was in charge of a platoon that included a Ken Berry. Berry later said in an interview that he confided to Leonard his ambitions to be a dancer and performer and Leonard encouraged him to go to California at the end of his enlistment.

Leonard is fluent in Hebrew and Yiddish, and is quoted as saying, "My folks came to US as immigrants, aliens, and became citizens. I was born in Boston, a citizen, went to Hollywood and became an alien."

Leonard Nimoy passed away on Friday, February 27, 2015.

Live long, and prosper, Mr. Nimoy.