leonard nimoy

Born on March 26, 1931, in Boston (Massachusetts), Leonard Simon Nimoy comes from a family of Jews who emigrated from the Ukraine. He started acting as a child, because at the age of 8 he was part of a theater company. He later studied at Boston College’s acting school. When he finished he enlisted in the army, where he earned the rank of sergeant. With a hyperactive character, to earn a living he worked as a fish tank cleaner, taxi driver or whatever it took, in the early 50s.

He made his film debut at the age of 20 with a small role in the little-known Queen for a Day . Nimoy has tended to science fiction movies and series B, from the outset, since at the beginning of his career he played, for example, a Martian who happened to be friendly, in Zombies from the stratosphere , a soldier in Mankind in Danger , already a professor in The Brain Eaters . He was especially lavished on television, as he appeared in series such as the legendary The Twilight Zone or Perry Mason .

In 1966 he was given the role that would change his life, the descendant of a Vulcan and a human Mr. Spock, rational and calm as befitted his father’s race, although he was not entirely alien to human feelings for his maternal blood. . He played him for the first time in The Cage , the pilot episode of what would later become Star Trek: The Original Series .

He was nearly scrapped, because NBC executives had concluded that his character was too cold for audiences to identify with. But Gene Roddenberry, creator of the series, defended it against all odds, arguing that it was the essence and its disappearance would take away all the charm of the product. He was absolutely right, as Spock became by far the most remembered character. His dialogues with the sarcastic Dr. McCoy, whose jokes he is unable to understand, remain to be remembered. Even his father took advantage of the phenomenon, offering the Spock-style haircut at his hairdresser. “My parents immigrated to the United States as aliens, and they became citizens. I was born in Boston, I was already a citizen, and I went to Hollywood, where I became an alien,” Nimoy said.

Paradoxically, the series was not a huge success, and it was canceled after three seasons. But then it was continually rerun on various American chains, until its fans proliferated and it became the cult series par excellence.

When the series ended, Leonard Nimoy spent time in retirement, turning down the many Mr. Spock-like roles he was offered, instead reflecting on what he would do to break free of typecasting, an impossible mission. And precisely an offer came to him to play the main role in the Mission Impossible series , after the departure of his friend, Martin Landau , who recommended him as the ideal substitute.

In cinema, he has outstanding performances in the western Nobody’s Gold , with Yul Brynner and in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers , an acceptable color remake of the classic The Invasion of the Body Snatchers .

At the end of the 70s, Leonard Nimoy published his autobiography, “I am not Mr. Spock”, where he denied the character, although years later he published “I am Spock”, where he claimed him. He began to try new paths, such as song, poetry, and black and white photography.

After the success of Star Wars , Paramount executives decide that now is a good time to remake the saga of Spock and company into a feature film made with those sophisticated special effects that had become fashionable. Although Nimoy at first said that he would not wear pointy ears again, he eventually reluctantly agreed to become one of the protagonists of Star Trek. The film , directed by veteran Robert Wise . Its success led to several sequels. For the third part, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Nimoy, who had already directed a television piece, offered himself as a director. Paramount executives thought it was a simple star whim, but they finally bet on it. Since it did well at the box office, it was repeated in Star Trek IV – Mission: Save Earth .

Nimoy also directed the comedy Three Men and a Baby , an American remake of the French Three Bachelors and a Baby Bottle , starring Tom Selleck . The tape was very successful, especially in the United States.

Divorced in 1987 from his wife, Sandra Zober, with whom he had three children, he joined actress Susan Bay , a cousin of director Michael Bay .

With the arrival of the 21st century, Nimoy practically retired. But JJ Abrams offers her to reprise one more time as his most charismatic character, in Star Trek , where his elderly Spock meets the rejuvenated version of her, played by Zachary Quinto . His connection with Abrams is so strong that Nimoy ends up becoming a producer on one of his series, Fringe , where he also plays one of the usual supporting characters, Dr. William Bell , an eccentric scientist.