Leonard Nimoy

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Birthday:

26 March 1931, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Birth Name:

Leonard Simon Nimoy

Height:

183 cm

Leonard Simon Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dora (Spinner) and Max Nimoy, who owned a barbershop. His parents were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants. Raised in a tenement and acting in community theaters since age eight, Nimoy did not make his Hollywood debut until he was 20, with a bit part in Queen for a Day (1951) and another as a ballplayer in the perennial Rhubarb (1951). After two years in the United States Army, he was still getting small, often uncredited parts, like an Army telex operator in Them! (1954). His part as Narab, a Martian finally friendly to Earth, in the closing scene in the corny Republic serial Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952), somewhat foreshadowed the role which would make him a household name: Mr. Spock, the half-human/half-Vulcan science officer on Star Trek (1966) one of television's all-time most successful series. His performance won him three Emmy nominations and launched his career as a writer and director, notably of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), the story of a humpback whale rescue that proved the most successful of the Star Trek movies. Stage credits have included "Fiddler on the Roof", "Oliver", "Camelot" and "Equus". He has hosted the well-known television series In Search of... (1976) and Ancient Mysteries (1994), authored several volumes of poetry and guest-starred on two episodes of The Simpsons (1989). In the latter years of his career, he played Mustafa Mond in NBC's telling of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1998), voiced Sentinel Prime in the blockbuster Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), and played Spock again in two new Star Trek films, Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).Leonard Nimoy died on February 27, 2015 in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 83. Show less «

[on working with William Shatner on the original Star Trek (1966) series] Bill was very passionate about the work. Unfortunately, Bill was p...Show more »

[on working with William Shatner on the original Star Trek (1966) series] Bill was very passionate about the work. Unfortunately, Bill was passionate about everything. Show less «

Spock is definitely one of my best friends. When I put on those ears, it's not like just another day. When I become Spock, that day becomes ...Show more »

Spock is definitely one of my best friends. When I put on those ears, it's not like just another day. When I become Spock, that day becomes something special. Show less «

[on being asked to executive-produce the proposed sequel series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)] I thanked him and wished him well wit...Show more »

[on being asked to executive-produce the proposed sequel series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)] I thanked him and wished him well with the project, but explained it simply couldn't work. I felt the original Star Trek (1966)'s success was due to many factors: the themes, the characters, the chemistry between the actors, the timing (the future-embracing 1960s)... There was simply no way, I told him, that anyone could duplicate all those things and be successful with a second Star Trek show. And so I opted out... While my argument sounded perfectly rational at the time, my ego was certainly involved. When I said to Frank Mancuso and the assembled execs, "How can you hope to capture lightning in a bottle again?", part of me was *really* saying, "How can you ever hope to do it without *us*?"... You know, crow isn't so bad. It tastes like chicken. Show less «

My folks came to the US as immigrants, aliens, and became citizens. I was born in Boston, a citizen, went to Hollywood and became an alien.

[on the death of Spock] I thought everything was managed in excellent taste. I feel proud. When it was first suggested to me that Spock woul...Show more »

[on the death of Spock] I thought everything was managed in excellent taste. I feel proud. When it was first suggested to me that Spock would die, I was hesitant. It seemed exploitative. But now that I've seen how it was accomplished, I think it was a very good idea. Show less «

Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.

That is the exploration that awaits you! Not mapping stars and studying nebula, but charting the unknown possibilities of existence.

The miracle is this: the more we share the more we have.

I think about myself as like an ocean liner that's been going full speed for a long distance, and the captain pulls the throttle back all th...Show more »

I think about myself as like an ocean liner that's been going full speed for a long distance, and the captain pulls the throttle back all the way to 'stop', but the ship doesn't stop immediately, does it? It has its own momentum and it keeps on going, and I'm very flattered that people are still finding me useful. Show less «

I think it's my adventure, my trip, my journey, and I guess my attitude is, let the chips fall where they may.

Which is probably the reason why I work exclusively in black and white... to highlight that contrast.

But if you're talking about fine art work, then I think you have to ask yourself some pretty deep questions about why it is you want to take...Show more »

But if you're talking about fine art work, then I think you have to ask yourself some pretty deep questions about why it is you want to take pictures and what it is you want to say. Show less «

Other times, you're doing some piece of work and suddenly you get feedback that tells you that you have touched something that is very alive...Show more »

Other times, you're doing some piece of work and suddenly you get feedback that tells you that you have touched something that is very alive in the cosmos. Show less «

My wife and I are affiliated with a temple here in Los Angeles. We feel very close to the congregation and to the rabbi, who happens to be m...Show more »

My wife and I are affiliated with a temple here in Los Angeles. We feel very close to the congregation and to the rabbi, who happens to be my wife's cousin and who I admire greatly. I talk to him regularly but I consider myself more spiritual than religious. Show less «

I did not move into developing or processing color. I stayed with black and white. I still think to this day that I prefer to work in black ...Show more »

I did not move into developing or processing color. I stayed with black and white. I still think to this day that I prefer to work in black and white if it has to do with poetry or anything other than specific reality. I have worked in color when I thought it was the appropriate way to express the thought that I was working on. Show less «

A neighborhood friend showed me how it was possible to go to a camera shop and pick up chemicals for pennies... literally... and develop you...Show more »

A neighborhood friend showed me how it was possible to go to a camera shop and pick up chemicals for pennies... literally... and develop your own film and make prints. Show less «

You know, for a long time, I have been of the opinion that artists don't necessarily know what they're doing. You don't necessarily know wha...Show more »

You know, for a long time, I have been of the opinion that artists don't necessarily know what they're doing. You don't necessarily know what kind of universal concept you're tapping into. Show less «

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

I'm attracted to images that come from a personal exploration of a subject matter. When they have a personal stamp to them, then I think it ...Show more »

I'm attracted to images that come from a personal exploration of a subject matter. When they have a personal stamp to them, then I think it becomes identifiable. Show less «

That's true, because I'm a photographer now.

For a period of time, I carried cameras with me wherever I went, and then I realized that my interest in photography was turning toward the ...Show more »

For a period of time, I carried cameras with me wherever I went, and then I realized that my interest in photography was turning toward the conceptual. So I wasn't carrying around cameras shooting stuff, I was developing concepts about what I wanted to shoot. And then I'd get the camera angle and do the job. Show less «

My dream concept is that I have a camera and I am trying to photograph what is essentially invisible. And every once in a while I get a glim...Show more »

My dream concept is that I have a camera and I am trying to photograph what is essentially invisible. And every once in a while I get a glimpse of her and I grab that picture. Show less «

I became hooked on the idea of being able to shoot an image and process it myself, and end up with a product.

What I'm exploring right now is the subject of my own mortality. It's an area that I'm curious about, and I'm researching it to see if there...Show more »

What I'm exploring right now is the subject of my own mortality. It's an area that I'm curious about, and I'm researching it to see if there's a photographic essay in it for me. If images don't start to come, I'll go to something else. Show less «

Some words having to do with the death of the people in the World Trade Center attack had been added, and when I got to it, I had this overw...Show more »

Some words having to do with the death of the people in the World Trade Center attack had been added, and when I got to it, I had this overwhelmingly emotional experience. I struggled to get through the words; tears were streaming down my cheeks. Show less «

I'm touched by the idea that when we do things that are useful and helpful - collecting these shards of spirituality - that we may be helpin...Show more »

I'm touched by the idea that when we do things that are useful and helpful - collecting these shards of spirituality - that we may be helping to bring about a healing. Show less «

You proceed from a false assumption: I have no ego to bruise.

Boston was a great city to grow up in, and it probably still is. We were surrounded by two very important elements: academia and the arts. I...Show more »

Boston was a great city to grow up in, and it probably still is. We were surrounded by two very important elements: academia and the arts. I was surrounded by theater, music, dance, museums. And I learned how to sail on the Charles River. So I had a great childhood in Boston. It was wonderful. Show less «

This time, there have been a lot of interesting discussion about the subject matter and I've had a good time talking about it. And in some o...Show more »

This time, there have been a lot of interesting discussion about the subject matter and I've had a good time talking about it. And in some of the cases, I'm not just signing books; I'm showing slides and talking about the work. Show less «

Years ago - in the '70s, for about a decade - I carried a camera every place I went. And I shot a lot of pictures that were still life and l...Show more »

Years ago - in the '70s, for about a decade - I carried a camera every place I went. And I shot a lot of pictures that were still life and landscape, using available light. Show less «

My memory of those places is better than my pictures. That's why I get much more satisfaction out of shooting thematic work that has to do w...Show more »

My memory of those places is better than my pictures. That's why I get much more satisfaction out of shooting thematic work that has to do with an idea that I'm searching for, or searching to express. Show less «

I became involved in photography when I was about thirteen years old.

I also do my own processing, so it means a big commitment in lab time.

The book tour has been really interesting and very gratifying. I have not book toured before. I've never had quite as much pleasure, as much...Show more »

The book tour has been really interesting and very gratifying. I have not book toured before. I've never had quite as much pleasure, as much satisfaction. Show less «

I became enamored with photography when I was about 13 or 14 years old. I've been at it ever since. I studied seriously in the '70s.

Most of my images have been done in-studio, under very controlled lighting conditions. There have been a few that have been shot in nature, ...Show more »

Most of my images have been done in-studio, under very controlled lighting conditions. There have been a few that have been shot in nature, but even then they were shot almost exclusively at night, and again, under controlled lighting conditions. Show less «

I began working with a family camera. It was called a Kodak Autographic, which was one of those things where you flopped it open and pulled ...Show more »

I began working with a family camera. It was called a Kodak Autographic, which was one of those things where you flopped it open and pulled out the bellows. And I've been at it ever since; I've never stopped. Show less «

I'm not an equipment nut. I tend to use whatever's to hand. I have several cameras, of course, but I'm not emotional about any of them.

I deal with this spiritual issue every day - either shooting or processing or sorting or discussing or having conversations - I'm in constan...Show more »

I deal with this spiritual issue every day - either shooting or processing or sorting or discussing or having conversations - I'm in constant contact with it. Show less «

For me, it's all about personal vision; is there something about a subject that uniquely speaks to me.

I use a computer. I don't know if that qualifies me as a techie, but I'm pretty good on the computer.

I've been working with photography for many years.

That's the most difficult issue for me... to find a subject that holds my interest long enough that I'm prepared to go to work and spend the...Show more »

That's the most difficult issue for me... to find a subject that holds my interest long enough that I'm prepared to go to work and spend the time and energy to shoot the subject. Show less «

I certainly don't live in a kosher home although I was raised in a kosher environment.

I have a Master's degree in Photography as a fine art, and I would call my work primarily conceptual. I don't carry cameras with me wherever...Show more »

I have a Master's degree in Photography as a fine art, and I would call my work primarily conceptual. I don't carry cameras with me wherever I go. I get an idea of a subject matter I want to deal with and I pull out my cameras. Show less «