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<html> <head> <title>Leonard Nimoy</title> <meta name="googlebot" content="noodp"> <meta name="robots" content="noodp"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="/silly-nndb-icon.png" /><style type="text/css">  </style></head> <body bgcolor=#ffffff> <center> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr><td valign=top><table width=550 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td bgcolor=white><table width="100%" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" background="/nndb.gif"> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="left" valign="top"><a href="http://www.nndb.com/"><img src="/title.gif" width="260" height="50" border=0 alt="NNDB"></a></td> <td><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6"> <tr align="center"> <td width="25%" nowrap>This is a beta version of NNDB</td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" valign="middle"> <form action="http://search.nndb.com/search/nndb.cgi" method="get"> <input type="hidden" name="nndb" value="1"></input> Search: <select name="omenu"> <option value="unspecified" selected>All Names</option> <option value="living">Living people</option> <option value="dead">Dead people</option> <option value="bands">Band Names</option> <option value="books">Book Titles</option> <option value="movies">Movie Titles</option> <option value="fulltext">Full Text</option> </select> for <input name="query" value="" size=24 maxlength=96> <input type=submit value="Search"> </form></td> </tr> </table>        </td></tr><tr><td bgcolor=red height=2></td></tr><map name=fool><area coords="102,0,240,14" href="/people/629/000022563/bibliography/" alt="bibliography"></map><tr bgcolor=F0F0F0><td bgcolor=F0F0F0 style="padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px;"><img src="/red-profile-2.gif" align="right" height=15 width=240 border=0 usemap=#fool> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width=100%><tr><td bgcolor=F0F0F0>Leonard Nimoy<img src="i-am-spock-med.jpg" height=345 width=224 align=right hspace=10 vspace=10 alt="Leonard Nimoy">AKA Leonard Simon NimoyBorn: <a href="/lists/603/000106285/" class=proflink>26-Mar</a>-<a href="/lists/930/000105615/" class=proflink>1931</a> Birthplace: <a href="/geo/430/000069223/" class=proflink>Boston, MA</a> Died: <a href="/lists/941/000106623/" class=proflink>27-Feb</a>-<a href="/lists/085/000387918/" class=proflink>2015</a> Location of death: Bel Air, CA Cause of death: <a href="/lists/345/000069138/" class=proflink>Respiratory failure</a> Remains: Buried, <a href="/cemetery/677/000208053/" class="proflink">Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, Culver City, CA</a> Gender: Male Religion: <a href="/lists/875/000071662/" class=proflink>Jewish</a> Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Actor, <a href="/lists/166/000068959/" class=proflink>Film Director</a> Party Affiliation: DemocraticNationality: United States Executive summary: Commander Spock on Star TrekMilitary service: US Army (1953-55, Sgt.)Leonard Nimoy was raised in a Boston tenement, and decided to be an actor when he saw <a href="/people/884/000042758/">Charles Laughton</a> in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Laughton made young Nimoy cry, and he yearned to perform, to have that kind of an impact on strangers. In college he took drama courses, and after time in the Army he moved to Los Angeles and worked for in a Yiddish theatre group. Nimoy's first film was Queen for A Day with <a href="/people/722/000025647/">Darren McGavin</a> in 1951, and his first leading role was a pretty good low-budget boxing drama called Kid Monk Baroni. He had a bit part in the science fiction classic Them! with <a href="/people/954/000022888/">James Arness</a>. But it was his portrayal of Star Trek's Mr. Spock, of course, that made Nimoy famous. Mr. Spock was the half-alien, half-Earthling Science Officer on Star Trek's original Enterprise. Raised on a planet that shunned emotion, Spock was the epitome of cool -- unflappable, and unattainable. After a few shaky, almost emotional early episodes, he played it perfectly. By keeping his emotions suppressed, Spock became the emotional center of Star Trek, and within weeks it became obvious that Spock was the most popular character on the show. The original series lasted three seasons. All three years, Nimoy was nominated for Emmys as Best Supporting Actor. One episode called for Spock to incapacitate an adversary by striking him over the head with the butt end of his phaser. Nimoy thought that wasn't "futuristic" enough for Star Trek, and instead he came up with the idea that Vulcans know exactly where to pinch humans on the neck to instantly induce unconsciousness. Another script called for a traditional greeting between two Vulcans, and Nimoy borrowed a hand gesture ("fingers split, the four fingers in two pairs and the thumb outstretched") he had seen years earlier in a Jewish ceremony. To this day, Trekkers greet each other with this "Live long and prosper" gesture. After Star Trek was canceled in 1969, Nimoy jumped to Mission: Impossible, where he played Paris, the perpetual master of disguise. He voiced Spock in the Star Trek cartoon show, and hosted the offbeat science show In Search Of .... On the big screen, he played a psychiatrist in the best of the several films based on <a href="/people/836/000044704/">Jack Finney</a>'s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the one with <a href="/people/531/000023462/">Donald Sutherland</a> and <a href="/people/258/000025183/">Jeff Goldblum</a>). He also toured extensively in stage performances, starring on Broadway with <a href="/people/796/000024724/">Peter Weller</a> in a revival of <a href="/people/456/000026378/">Otto Preminger</a>'s Full Circle, and in the lead of Equus toward the end of its long run, succeeding <a href="/people/005/000023933/">Anthony Hopkins</a> and <a href="/people/260/000032164/">Richard Burton</a> in the role. Nimoy released a few albums of what purports to be music, including The Touch of Leonard Nimoy and Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock's Music From Outer Space. He wrote two autobiographies: I Am Not Spock, a few years after the original series was cancelled, and I Am Spock, written two decades later, after playing the character of Spock in six movies had made Nimoy a millionaire. He was intimately involved in the plotting of Star Trek III, IV, and VI, and argued behind the scenes against the generally poor Star Trek V story line. He had a brief second career as a movie director, helming Star Trek III and IV, and Three Men and A Baby with <a href="/people/677/000023608/">Tom Selleck</a>, <a href="/people/552/000023483/">Steve Guttenberg</a>, and <a href="/people/690/000022624/">Ted Danson</a>, all of which did well at the box office. He then directed three colossal flops -- The Good Mother with <a href="/people/879/000022813/">Diane Keaton</a> and <a href="/people/667/000023598/">Liam Neeson</a>, Funny About Love with <a href="/people/852/000023783/">Gene Wilder</a>, and Holy Matrimony with <a href="/people/207/000026129/">Patricia Arquette</a> marrying a young <a href="/people/609/000086351/">Joseph Gordon-Levitt</a>. Nimoy directed no major films after that. He lent his voice to a few Star Trek video games and numerous cartoons, and made occasional TV appearances. In semi-retirement, he wrote poetry and published two books of his photography, one featuring women wearing scripture-laden leather and Jewish symbols and not much else, and the second featuring Reubenesque women in erotic poses. Nimoy played "old Spock" one last time, alongside <a href="/people/085/000159605/">Zachary Quinto</a> as "young Spock", in <a href="/people/797/000141374/">J. J. Abrams</a>' 2009 re-boot of the Star Trek movie franchise. He died in 2015. His wife, actress Susan Bay, is a cousin of film director <a href="/people/965/000025890/">Michael Bay</a>.Father: Max Nimoy (barber, b. 1900, d. 1987) Mother: Dora Spinner (housewife, b. 1905) Brother: Melvin Nimoy Wife: Sandra Zober (actress, m. 1954, div. 1987, one daughter, one son) Daughter: Julie Nimoy Schwartz (rabbi, b. 1955) Son: Adam Nimoy (TV director, b. 9-Aug-1956) Wife: Susan Bay (actress, ex-wife of <a href="/people/920/000050770/">John Schuck</a>, m. 1989, until his death) Son: Aaron Bay Schuck (stepson)     High School: Boston English High School, Boston, MA     University: <a href="/edu/314/000082068/">Boston College (dropped out)</a>     University: <a href="/edu/471/000068267/">University of California at Los Angeles</a>     University: <a href="/edu/928/000098634/">MA Education, Antioch College</a>     Endorsement of <a href="/company/224/000117870/">Audi</a> May-2013     Endorsement of <a href="/company/411/000126033/">Western Airlines</a> 1985     <a href="/org/379/000167875/">Al Franken for Senate</a>     <a href="/org/105/000172586/">Bill Bradley for President</a>     <a href="/org/685/000168181/">Dean for America</a>     <a href="/org/674/000171161/">Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee</a>     <a href="/org/291/000173769/">Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee</a>     <a href="/org/610/000354545/">George McGovern for President, 1972</a>     <a href="/org/805/000167304/">John Kerry for President</a>     <a href="/org/674/000051521/">MoveOn.org</a>     <a href="/org/684/000167183/">Obama for America</a>     <a href="/honors/312/000044180/">Hollywood Walk of Fame</a> 6651 Hollywood Blvd     <a href="/lists/919/000095634/">Asteroid Namesake</a> 2309 Mr. Spock     <a href="/lists/919/000095634/">Asteroid Namesake</a> 4864 Nimoy     <a href="/detox/492/000042366/">unknown detox facility</a>     <a href="/lists/676/000044544/">Ukrainian Ancestry</a>     <a href="/lists/481/000045346/">Jewish Ancestry</a>     Risk Factors: <a href="/lists/782/000064590/">Vegetarian</a>, <a href="/lists/862/000128478/">Former Smoker</a>, <a href="/lists/780/000064588/">Alcoholism</a>, <a href="/lists/829/000092553/">Emphysema</a>     TELEVISION     <a href="/tv/779/000206161/">Fringe</a> Dr. William Bell (2009-12)     <a href="/tv/772/000049625/">In Search Of...</a> Narrator (1976-82)     <a href="/tv/659/000049512/">Mission: Impossible</a> Paris (1969-71)     <a href="/tv/759/000049612/">Star Trek</a> Spock (1966-69)     <a href="/tv/137/000048990/">General Hospital</a> Bernie (1963)     FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR     <a href="/films/988/000041865/">Holy Matrimony (8-Apr-1994)</a>     <a href="/films/387/000036279/">Funny About Love (21-Sep-1990)</a>     <a href="/films/352/000033253/">The Good Mother (4-Nov-1988)</a>     <a href="/films/497/000033398/">Three Men and a Baby (25-Nov-1987)</a>     <a href="/films/263/000038149/">Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (26-Nov-1986)</a>     <a href="/films/267/000038153/">Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1-Jun-1984)</a>     FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR     <a href="/films/332/000402123/">For the Love of Spock (16-Apr-2016)</a> · Himself     <a href="/films/197/000384042/">To Be Takei (18-Jan-2014)</a> · Himself     <a href="/films/172/000377038/">Hava Nagila: The Movie (19-Jul-2012)</a> · Himself     <a href="/films/346/000368239/">Zambezia (5-Jun-2012)</a> [VOICE]     <a href="/films/949/000275124/">Transformers: Dark of the Moon (23-Jun-2011)</a> [VOICE]     <a href="/films/973/000205358/">Land of the Lost (5-Jun-2009)</a> · The Zarn [VOICE]     <a href="/films/907/000204295/">Star Trek (6-Apr-2009)</a> · Spock Prime     <a href="/films/189/000040069/">Atlantis: The Lost Empire (3-Jun-2001)</a> [VOICE]     <a href="/films/070/000216419/">Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists (3-Feb-2000)</a> [VOICE]     <a href="/films/620/000088356/">Brave New World (19-Apr-1998)</a>     <a href="/films/449/000063260/">Trekkies (18-Oct-1997)</a> · Himself     <a href="/films/494/000244759/">David (23-Mar-1997)</a>     <a href="/films/449/000385291/">Titanica (Apr-1995)</a> · Himself     <a href="/films/940/000250190/">Bonanza: Under Attack (15-Jan-1995)</a> · Frank James     <a href="/films/479/000063290/">The Pagemaster (23-Nov-1994)</a> · Dr. Jekyll [VOICE]     <a href="/films/390/000132991/">The Halloween Tree (1993)</a> [VOICE]     <a href="/films/324/000042198/">Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (6-Dec-1991)</a> · Spock     <a href="/films/265/000038151/">Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (9-Jun-1989)</a> · Spock     <a href="/films/263/000038149/">Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (26-Nov-1986)</a> · Spock     <a href="/films/882/000036774/">The Transformers: The Movie (8-Aug-1986)</a> [VOICE]     <a href="/films/267/000038153/">Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1-Jun-1984)</a> · Spock     <a href="/films/084/000033982/">Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (4-Jun-1982)</a> · Spock     <a href="/films/940/000119583/">A Woman Called Golda (26-Apr-1982)</a>     <a href="/films/323/000042197/">Star Trek: The Motion Picture (7-Dec-1979)</a>     <a href="/films/674/000033575/">Invasion of the Body Snatchers (20-Dec-1978)</a> · Dr. David Kibner     <a href="/films/109/000237395/">Baffled (30-Jan-1973)</a>     <a href="/films/086/000083834/">Catlow (1-Oct-1971)</a>     <a href="/films/137/000245399/">Assault on the Wayne (12-Jan-1971)</a>     <a href="/films/604/000270791/">Valley of Mystery (21-Apr-1967)</a>     <a href="/films/648/000268841/">Deathwatch (Mar-1966)</a>     <a href="/films/950/000038836/">The Balcony (21-Mar-1963)</a> · Roger     <a href="/films/798/000091525/">The Brain Eaters (Sep-1958)</a>     <a href="/films/103/000178566/">Zombies of the Stratosphere (16-Jul-1952)</a>     <a href="/films/831/000278994/">Kid Monk Baroni (1-May-1952)</a> Official Website: <a href="http://www.leonardnimoyphotography.com/" target=_blank>http://www.leonardnimoyphotography.com/</a> Author of books: I Am Not Spock (<tt>1975</tt>, memoir) I Am Spock (<tt>1995</tt>, memoir) <table> <tr> <td align=right valign=middle style="padding-right: 5px;">New! <a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/" class="fotmlink" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; color: #dd0000;">NNDB MAPPER</a></td> <td valign=middle align=right style="border-left: 1px solid #bbb; padding-left: 5px;">Create a map starting with</td> <td valign=middle align=right><a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/start/?id=22563"><img src="/man.gif" border=0 style="padding: 2px;"></a></td> <td align=left valign=middle> <a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/start/?id=22563">Leonard Nimoy</a></td> </tr> </table> Requires Flash 7+ and Javascript. 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