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Leonard Nimoy:

Live Long and Prosper

by

Helen J. Lake

                                                                                      May 2, 1997

(last updated November 2001)

                                                                                                                      

            Leonard Nimoy was the second born to a Jewish family in Boston, Massachusetts on March 26, 1931. He has an older brother named Melvin. He was born during the Great Depression. Max and Dora Nimoy, his parents, had both escaped from Ukraine, his father stealing across the Polish border at night while his mother hid in a haywagon. When Nimoy was ten years old, the United States had just entered World War II. He began performing for Jewish audiences to promote war bonds. “This was the first…melding of my Jewish identity and artistic life” (Nimoy “What Being Jewish Means To Me” 1). Throughout Hitler’s persecution of the Jews, in Nimoy’s house, “Judaism was very much alive…” (Nimoy “…Jewish Means…” 1). Judaism gave him a very strong sense of “…pride, of spirituality, of connection to an extended Jewish family” (Nimoy “…Jewish Means…” 1). When Nimoy was twenty-three years old, he married Sandra Zober, who he met at the Pasadena Playhouse, in 1954. Their first child, Julie, was born in Atlanta in. Their second, Adam, was born a year later in 1956, in Los Angeles. After over 30 years of marriage, Nimoy and Sandra separated and divorced in 1986 (Schuster and Rathbone 134). Then he met and married Susan Bay. Nimoy began acting at a young age and soon became very well known. He has had numerous roles in the theater, television, and movies; however, he is best known as Mr. Spock from Star Trek.

Nimoy had several experiences with acting before landing a lead in a major network’s T.V. series. When he was a child, eight years old, the Bowdin Theater in the West End of Boston was a favorite place to go on Saturday afternoons. It was on one of these excursions that Nimoy realized the impact an actor can have on the audience. He was watching “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” featuring Maureen O’Hara as Esmeralda and Charles Laughton as Quasimodo. The pain and suffering of the outcast hunchback made him weep. Within this same year, Nimoy was standing outside a theater, singing to himself, when a man came out and asked if he knew this particular song. He told him yes, he did, and before he knew it, he was cast as the male lead in “Hansel and Gretal”.

When Nimoy was seventeen, he played the character of Ralphie in “Awake and Sing”. This was the turning point in Nimoy’s life; he decided to become an actor. He never had really wanted to make acting a career before Ralphie. He told his parents, who were grief-stricken. There was a lot of tears and yelling, until finally they delivered their ultimatum: “‘You’ll have to do it without any help from us’” (qtd. in Nimoy I am Spock 21). Finally, when Nimoy was old enough, he bought a train ticket and headed out west to California.

For many years, Nimoy worked odd jobs, walked up and knocked on any doors that said agency; he had to walk, he couldn’t afford a car. During this time, he lived in a rooming house. He worked in an ice cream parlor, jerked sodas, delivered newspapers, sold vacuum cleaners, serviced vending machines, worked in a pet shop, ushered in a movie theater, and drove a cab. While working for one of those jobs, Nimoy got his first big break. The “big shirts” of a movie network saw him act in a small part in “Queen for a Day” in 1951. They saw something in his abilities that was perfect for another movie. This movie was Kid Monk Baroni about a deformed boxer. It was released in 1952. (Online “Leonard Nimoy” 1).

Shortly after his “big break” into acting, Nimoy was drafted by the Army. He served two years, leading the Army’s acting unit. Throughout the years of the late 1950’s and the early 1960’s, Nimoy went back to work in acting. (Online “Leonard Nimoy” 1).  He appeared in many T.V. shows of the period including “Wagon Train”, “Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, Rawhide”, “Perry Mason”, and “Combat”.  While acting for “U.N.C.L.E.”, he had one scene with William Shatner.

In 1964, he guest-starred on “The Lieutenant” as a “flamboyant actor who wanted to make a movie on the Marine Corps. Base” (Nimoy I am Spock 22). The show’s producer wanted Nimoy to be on a new science fiction show as a regular job.  This producer was none other than Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry gave Nimoy a tour of Desilu studios, trying to sell the show to him. He talked of the character he had in mind for him, Spock, an alien of a new sci-fi series called Star Trek. He described it as a “Wagon Train to the stars” (Nimoy I am Spock 22). Nimoy played it cool and calmly accepted. Other actors who come up later and were on “The Lieutenant” are Gary Lockwood and Majel Barrett.

Leonard Nimoy’s portrayal of the Vulcan, Mr. Spock, is one of the most recognizable and loved characterizations in modern pop-culture. Before the actual filming of Star Trek could begin, Spock’s alien appearance had to be perfected. Roddenberry had decided that the character of Spock had to be obviously alien, distinguishable by a different skin color, hairstyle, and pointed ears. Originally, Roddenberry had thought of making Spock’s skin red and having a plate on his stomach through which he would absorb food through to eat. Instead, thinking that would appear too Satanic, he changed it to green. He wanted eyebrows that slanted upwards. Nimoy suggested that he give Spock pointed sideburns as a Vulcan trait. Instead, it became a Starfleet trend. They began the taping of the pilot entitled “The Cage” and had to get some pointed ears for Nimoy. This would have begun a long and frustrating process of 1)- making a plaster cast made from Nimoy’s own ears; 2)- making a “positive” cast from them, then building putty onto them to form a point; 3)- baking them. In the end these should fit seamlessly. However, they were on a strict deadline and had to do a “quickie” job, using paper Mache and liquid latex.

The first time he wore these poor substitutes was humiliating. The camera crew called him “overgrown jackrabbit” or “an elf with a hyperactive thyroid”. (Nimoy I am Spock 27). The ears appalled Nimoy; he wanted Roddenberry to get rid of them. The network agreed, fearing that Spock’s alien looks might scare off potential sponsors. However, Roddenberry stuck to it and assured Nimoy that if the ears weren’t a hit within 13 weeks, “I’ll arrange for you to have an ear job” (“T.V. Guide Classic Cover Gallery” Eventually, the proper ears were made and the show went on as planned.  The first pilot had Jeff Hunter as Captain Pike and Majel Barrett as Number One. After viewing it, NBC told Roddenberry to fire almost the entire cast; including Nimoy. “‘Drop the woman and the pointy eared guy’” (qtd. in Nimoy I am Spock 32). Roddenberry explained how he compromised: “‘NBC finally said that either the woman or the Martian- meaning Spock- had to go. So I kept the Vulcan and married the woman because, obviously, I couldn’t have done it the other way around…” (qtd. in Nimoy I am Spock 32). The second pilot had new Captain Kirk played by William Shatner, and new crew: James Doohan as Scott, George Takei as Sulu, Paul Fix as Dr. Piper, and Sally Kellerman and Gary Lockwood as guest-stars.

By the third episode, the Spock character was “born”. Spock’s appearance was starting to gel at this time. His skin tone was finally set as a yellowish-green. His eyebrows were slanted by shaving the ends off at the arch and reforming them with yak-hair. Nimoy got the haircut, with the pointed sideburns. Cast members were once again changed. Paul Fix was taken out and DeForest Kelley was brought in to play Dr. McCoy. Nichelle Nichols was added as Uhura.

Nimoy figured out the relationships he would have as Spock with Kirk and McCoy. The Kirk/Spock relationship was like The Lone Ranger and Tonto. However, Spock and McCoy’s relationship was closer to Martin and Lewis, Gleason and Carney, or Abbot and Castello; the latter being Nimoy’s favorite comedy team. Nimoy also began to explore his character and his mannerisms. Nimoy was a big fan of Harry Belafonte and went to see him in concert. During the first ten minutes, he stood perfectly still, with his hands on his thighs. The only movement was his mouth, throughout the applause and everything. Then during a song, he raised his right arm up, parallel to the floor. It was “‘…like a thunderclap’ Nimoy states. `He had set this serenity so that when he made that one single move, it was extraordinary’” (qtd. in “What a Long Strange Trek it’s Been” 1). This experience inspired Nimoy and “‘I discovered that if I were very passive and serene, and then raised an eyebrow in a close-up on screen, that it worked’” (qtd. in “…Strange Trek…” 1). 

Nimoy came up with the Vulcan hand salute from a Jewish gesture called the shin. The shin was done during the High Holiday service by the Kohanim (priests). They would extend their hands over the congregation with “…the thumbs outstretched and the middle and ring fingers parted so that each hand forms two vees” (Nimoy I am Spock 67). He chose this particular hand gesture because “Actors are always looking for something personal to bring to their professional lives…Maybe, in a way, I can call that salute my Vulcan shalom, my greeting of peace, my yearning for the blessing of peace—the age-old quest of the Jewish people, my people.” (Nimoy “…Jewish Means…” 1).

When Nimoy was getting ready for the first time he was to say that memorable word “fascinating”, he couldn’t quite come up with a way to state it. Joe Sargent, a director, suggested that when he delivers his line he “‘…be cool and curious, a scientist’” (Nimoy I am Spock 44). When Sargent said that, something for Nimoy clicked and illuminated what made Spock unique and different from all others on the bridge. A scientist was close to what some people have called him: an analyst. (Raben and Cohen 24).

Despite the Vulcan’s apathetic facade, many females of many races find Spock unbelievably attractive. When Nimoy was in full Spock regalia for the first time, a woman on the set saw him, and reacted. He was wearing his uniform and the newly perfected ears. The woman approached him saying: “‘Oh,’ she breathed, lifting a hand to my- excuse me, to Spock’s ears. ‘May I touch them? They’re so attractive…’” (Nimoy I am Spock 29).

The late Isaac Asimov, renowned science fiction author, wrote an article about Spock’s appeal to women. His daughter, when she was twelve, was watching Star Trek and exclaimed “‘Mr. Spock is dreamy’” (qtd. in “T.V. Guide: Star Trek: 30 Years” 94). Asimov now claims that he understands what women find attractive: intelligence. He had believed it to be “bruteness”-stupid and strong. He wrote “For years and years, I have done my best to be a stupid husband…But it hadn’t occurred to me that Mr. Spock was sexy…that girls palpitate over the way one eyebrow goes up a fraction; that they squeal with passion when a little smile quirks his lip. And all because he’s smart! If only I had known! If only I had known!” (“T.V. Guide: Star Trek: 30 Years” 94). When asked on how he feels about being a “Mensa pin-up boy”, Nimoy replied, “‘Well, if you have to be a sex symbol, it’s nice to be a sex symbol for smart people’” (qtd. in Kenny “Galaxy of Stars: Leonard Nimoy 30).

In the middle of Star Trek’s second season, NBC hinted at canceling the show. In response, BJo (pronounced Bee-jo) Trimble and her husband mounted a massive letter writing campaign. The estimated number of letters received range from 40,000 to one million. NBC agreed to renew Star Trek for a third season. However, NBC transferred the show to ten P.M. on Friday nights; when its young viewers were out socializing. Roddenberry threatened to leave the show if they didn’t change the time slot. They refused and called his bluff. He followed through and left, although he remained on as executive producer. To make matters worse, NBC then slashed the budget, causing the episodes of the third season to end up “sillier” (Nimoy I am Spock 116).and more action based. Finally, after only 79 episodes, NBC canceled Star Trek and failed to renew it for a fourth season.

Despite Star Trek’s cancellation, Nimoy continued to stay very involved with assorted works.  Several leading roles in the theater presented themselves to him.  Many of these plays and musicals were very famous.  He played Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof”, King Arthur in “Camelot” , Goldman in “The Man in the Glass Booth”,  Caligula in “Caligula”- in this particular play, Nimoy had to state “‘We are resolved to be logical’” (qtd. in William 1)- “Oliver”, “Vincent”- a one man play about Theo Van Gogh which he also directed and produced- “Sherlock Holmes”- in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s national tour, and on Broadway, he starred in “Equuse” and “Full Circle”.  Nimoy went on to act on to Star Trek’s neighboring set of “Mission Impossible”.  He played Paris the Great, a mastermind at disguises.  He grew bored with the show after two years. He felt that the character had no interior, no personality, a “non-character” (Nimoy I am Spock 136). It was as if he began playing the same characters again and again. He left the show at this time. 

The very first Star Trek convention was held on January 21-23, 1972. Over 3,000 fans showed up, six times the amount that was originally expected. (Hauck 251). Nowadays, a large action figure Spock with a miniature phaser, communicator, belt and tricorder can cost $30-$45 packaged and $15-$25 unpackaged. (Cornwell and Kott 29).

After leaving the “Mission Impossible” show, Nimoy was approached by Paramount to do a second Star Trek show entitled Star Trek: Phase II.  Soon, the spin-off show’s pilot episode became a full blown motion picture.  In 1979, they filmed Star Trek: The Motion Picture and in December of that year, it was released.  The incredible success of the movie began a succession of sequels.  Star Trek: II: The Wrath of Khan was a major success in 1982 in spite of the death of Spock. After filming the death scene, Nimoy began to regret the decision to let Spock be killed off. He still believed that the movie had been good at showing the relationships among the crew. He went to Paramount to see if Spock could return, with the rest of the cast in a third movie. They said yes.  Star Trek: III: The Search for Spock came out in 1984 (Shatner Star Trek Movie Memories 236).. Nimoy had asked if he could direct it beforehand and had been told an enthusiastic yes! The burden wasn’t too much; Spock didn’t return until the very end of the film. Star Trek: IV: The Voyage Home came out in 1986. Again, Nimoy was given the chance to direct. This is his favorite of the Star Trek movies. After it came out, he read articles and movie reviews that the public was startled that he could do comedy. He was surprised himself; he’d done many comedies, mostly in the theater in the seventies, and considered himself to be a very funny guy. And besides, his favorite comedy team was Abbot and Castello. Star Trek: V: The Final Frontier was directed by William Shatner and came out in midsummer of 1989. (Shatner Star Trek Memories 334-35).  Star Trek: VI: The Undiscovered Country came out in December of 1991. Nimoy was the executive producer. He and Nick Meyer wrote most of ST:VI on the Internet. Nimoy said that David Warner, the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon, was one of his favorite persons to act with: “one of the best actors”, “very understated” (“William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy” 8).

Directing Star Trek: III was not the first or last attempt at directing Nimoy made. His very first directing job was an episode of “Night Gallery” called “Death on a Barge”.  Nimoy found the transition from acting to directing to be easy and difficult.  “I found that I must balance the needs of the actors with the needs of the director’s vision and make ‘em work” (“…Shatner and …Nimoy” 8).  He went on to direct “Three Men and a Baby”, “Funny about Love”, “Holy Matrimony”, and episode of “Deadly Games”, and “The Good Mother”. 

Peter Reiher, a college student at U.C.L.A., wrote a movie review for the movie “The Good Mother”. He felt that even though Nimoy had become of the hottest directors in Hollywood, his directing is only competent, but “undistinguished”, “has no visual feel…only a well lit T.V. movie” (Reiher 1). However, Reiher did think that Nimoy did well with the actors and their abilities. “While his direction shows no brilliance, he makes no terrible mistakes” (Reiher 1). Notwithstanding, Nimoy was still proud of his work.

When it comes to directing, Nimoy states, “I feel a director’s job is to experience the joy and share it with the cast and ultimately, the audience” (Nimoy I am Spock 43). Nimoy continued to act throughout directing. He even went back to do a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation called “Unification”. He took this part because “I liked the script…I thought the story was wonderful” (Nimoy I am Spock 338). When asked how he feels about the comparisons of Spock and Data, an android on ST: TNG, he  replied “‘As for Data and Spock, Spock was constantly trying to repress his emotions, whereas Data is looking for emotions, for some humanity. Very interesting, a good idea and Brent [Spiner] played it superbly well’” (“…Strange Trek…” 1).  Nimoy also feels that if in the future the opportunity should arise, he would love to bring Spock home from Romulus, the aliens called Romulans’ homeworld.

Nimoy was very involved in the recent remake of the movie “I, Robot”. In the original, Nimoy had a secondary role. This time he plays the attorney defending the robot. As an extra bonus, Nimoy’s son, Adam, is the director. In 1991, Nimoy played a survivor of the Holocaust in “Never Forget”, which he also directed and co-produced for the TNT network. This took on the issue of neo-Nazism and Holocaust denial. This character, Mel Mermelstein, fought a successful court battle against these Holocaust deniers. This T.V. movie was nominated for a Cable ACE Award. Nimoy also co-starred with Ingrid Bergman in the T.V. movie “A Woman Called Golda”. He received an Emmy nomination for Best Actor in a Dramatic Special. As acting goes, Nimoy states “‘I’m interested in subject matter that has some issue at stake. I think entertainment is terribly important but, at the same time, there has got to be some substance to the material to keep me interested. Otherwise it just feels repetitive” (“…Strange Trek…” 3).

When Nimoy was approached to do a seventh Star Trek movie where the Next

Generation cast would star, he balked. When he read the script, he found that Spock’s part was so small, it was more of a cameo than a guest-star’s part. He turned it down. “‘I didn’t like it,’ he recalls. `I didn’t like it on screen. They asked me to direct it, but I just didn’t like the story. It didn’t interest me’” (qtd. in “…Strange Trek…” 2). He thinks Generations (ST:VII) should have had completely TNG cast members, that the original cast passed the baton in ST:VI. Nimoy also comments “‘As politically incorrect as that sounds; I hated it. It demeaned the original crew, and made us nothing more than glorified cameos to make the Next Generation cast look better’” (“…Shatner and Nimoy” 3).

Not only is Nimoy an actor and a director; he also enjoys writing. He really enjoys writing for the screen, more than for books. He sees screen-writing as more of a blending of acting and story-telling, not one over the other. He wouldn’t want to give up either. While he hasn’t written a Star Trek book yet, he has co-written for the Star Trek comic book series. In fact, he was approached by Pocket Books, the publisher of most Star Trek books, to write one. He is currently working on it.

Almost everyone has heard of the famous first autobiography that Nimoy wrote in 1975: I am Not Spock.  “‘I was not protesting when I chose that title, I was trying to be interesting.’” (qtd. in “…Strange Trek…” 1). He felt a kind of betrayal when people read the title and drew conclusions without ever reading the book. (T.V. Guide: S.T. 30). In fact, Nimoy feels “If I had to be someone else, I would be Spock. I like him. I admire him” (Infusino 52). His second autobiography, I am Spock was published in 1995. In this new book, Nimoy wrote conversations with the character Spock. Most of these are funny, some are profound.

         

Spock: Our association has been most unusual and

                      fascinating. I have … enjoyed it. Live long and    

                     prosper, Leonard.

          Nimoy: I think I’ve already done the former, Spock. And—

                       in no small part thanks to you—I’ve certainly done

                       the latter.  (Nimoy I am Spock 343).

 

Other works Nimoy has written have been well received. Thirty volumes of poetry total have been published. A story which he co-authored with the late Asimov is the basis for the new monthly comic book “Primortals”.

Nimoy has also made a few audio recordings. He has recorded ten narrative albums, some “Star Trek” books on tape. Recently, Nimoy has teamed up with John de Lancie (“Q” from ST:TNG) to create a series of audio tapes featuring some of science fiction’s greatest works ever written. The group effort, called Alien Voices Productions, has made several recordings of many classics. This audio company also created a phenomenon called “Spock vs. Q”. This wildly popular play depicts Nimoy’s character, Spock, and de Lancie’s character, Q, in a serious debate about the fate of humanity. Spock is in favor of humanity ; while Q is once again declaring their inadequacies. The original play came out in 1999, and the sequel in 2001.

Thirty years after Star Trek aired, its popularity has grown as it has for the entire cast of the original show, especially Nimoy. The cast and crew from Star Trek hold their own opinions of Leonard Nimoy and his incredible acting abilities. Gene Roddenberry referred to Nimoy as “the conscience of Star Trek” (qtd. in Online “Leonard Nimoy” 1). William Shatner states, “There’s a toughness about him I envy” (“…Shatner and…Nimoy” 2). Nichelle Nichols says, “Leonard was, and is, a thoroughly charming, ethical, and thoughtful man” (Nichols 148). George Takei had seen Nimoy act years before Star Trek in a production of “Deathwatch”. Most of the play took place in a jail cell occupied by three prisoners: a homosexual, the object of his desire, and a “detached and silently brooding cell mate” (Takei 208). The third actor, Leonard Nimoy, was, according to Takei, “good, but he seemed too intellectual, too cool, no star quality” (Takei 208). Later, at the first meeting of actors for the Star Trek show, as Nimoy walked in, Takei “spied another face, the face from the small theater production of “Deathwatch…” (Takei 229). Then when Nimoy spoke for the first time: “A voice came out of the dark. And into the light emerged not an actor, but a surreal presence…The person who stepped into full view exuded a detached, even slightly superior attitude” (Takei 230).

A common, well-known fact is that Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner are best friends. Their birthdays are exactly four days apart, with Shatner being the elder. Nimoy claims that despite their friendship, they “are as different as salt and pepper”(Nimoy I am Spock 33). He also says that Shatner is “…a very passionate guy. He plunges into stuff” (Hauck 277). Many fans already know that Shatner is a huge prankster, with Nimoy as his unwilling victim. Nimoy even goes as far as to say

   

I think it’s time the world knew the hidden ugly truth about what really went on the Star Trek set: Bill Shatner is one of the worst punsters in the world, and it soon became his `five year mission’ to try to crack me up on the set. (Nimoy I am Spock 33).

 

Another popular story is all centered around Nimoy’s bicycle. Because of the amount of make-up Spock demanded, Nimoy had a bike in order to get to the commissary for lunch and back again on time for a touch up. For some reason, Shatner fixated on this bike. His pranks started simple enough: hiding the bike on the set. He even enlisted the camera crew to hoist it up on ropes and hang it near the soundstage’s ceiling. Of course, Shatner was only getting “warmed up”. On different occasions, Nimoy found his bike chained to a fire hydrant, then in Shatner’s trailer…with Shatner’s most faithfully protective and ferocious Dobermans. In frustration, Nimoy put the bike in his Buick and parked it next to the soundstage. As a climatic counter-attack, Shatner had the Buick towed. Enduring the tricks and pranks was easy because the two have been friends since almost the very first day the series started. “We’ve been through some rough times, but our friendship has endured. I count him among my closest of friends” (“…Shatner and …Nimoy” 6).

Another famous aspect of their relationships was the Shatner/Nimoy feud. Magazines claimed that Spock’s popularity caused Shatner and Nimoy to detest each other and that they weren’t on speaking terms. Nimoy, however, states that it was more of a “sibling rivalry” (Nimoy I am Spock 110). “We were like a pair of very competitive brothers…Our deep, sincere respect for each other outweighed any conflict” (Nimoy I am Spock 110).

Nimoy feels that the entire Star Trek experience has affected him in only a positive way. Nimoy acted in an unpopular science fiction movie called “Zombies of the Stratosphere”. “‘It was not badly made…but the ideas were silly…Then Star Trek comes into the picture and deals with over-population, ecological problems, racial difficulties and pollution. Scientists were interested in the show. It opened the door for a different kind of science fiction’” (qtd. in “…Strange Trek…” 2). When the show first started, Nimoy somehow knew it would be popular. He guessed it would because of the amount of fan mail everyone received. However, no one thought it would still be around thirty years later. He described the rapid popularity of Star Trek as a “‘…cult, small and intense, but that doesn’t apply anymore…it was Star Trek which educated the programmers to the idea that there was an audience for science fiction. It used to be a low-level genre, thought of as a sub-genre in literature and films’” (qtd. in “…Strange Trek…” 2).

Referring to Shatner as a “sibling” comes from Nimoy’s feelings on how he saw the Star Trek cast. “I always saw Star Trek as a story about a family, a group of people, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and the rest, who set out to seek ideas and help solve problems and to report back with information that would be useful to mankind. And in that way, the stories could illuminate people’s lives, and through interaction of the characters, show how they treated each other with dignity and professionalism, which is terribly important” (qtd. in Nimoy “Generation after Generation” 4). He even states that he regards he and Spock as “twins, joined at the hip” (qtd. in William 2). Many people have been inspired by Nimoy, and Star Trek, to become astronauts, scientists, or actors. Responding to this, Nimoy declares that “‘It’s always a true pleasure to hear that some of our work inspires people. That’s not just a line, it’s really how I feel. That the work we do, as actors, can inspire people to enter all these remarkable professions always brings a smile to my face’” (“…Shatner and …Nimoy” 5).

Even though he has acted for ST: TNG, he feels that the three spin-off series have a politically correct agenda, while the original series was more just good sci-fi. He thinks back to earlier interviews and says “I’ve been asked if playing Spock made me a better person. I hope so” (Nimoy “Gen. After Gen. 5). When it comes to the actual Star Trek occurrences, Nimoy states “The whole experience of Star Trek has been absolutely fascinating” (Nimoy “Gen. After Gen.” 5). “Looking back on the past thirty years, I’m incredibly grateful for my involvement with the Vulcan” (qtd. in Online “Spock’s Mystery Unveiled” 3).

Leonard Nimoy has had a long and successful career acting for the theater, television, and movies. Nonetheless, the public still associates Mr. Spock from Star Trek. And rightly so. Nimoy feels that he is Spock in a way. “…he’s a part of me” (Nimoy I am Spock 345). Despite this connection, Nimoy had gone on to act for many films. “My plate is very full right now, even without Star Trek” (Nimoy I am Spock 345)  Even after his bad reaction to ST:VII, is there a possibility of seeing Spock in future Star Trek movies? “‘I doubt it, I just don’t think I’m hearing it from them” (qtd. in “…Strange Trek…” 2).

One interesting, and newly revealed fact is that, originally, Roddenberry had asked Deforest Kelley to play Spock. However, Kelley declined when he heard about the western Roddenberry was working on at the same time. Thinking about what Star Trek would be like if Nimoy hadn’t taken the role is a scary thought. Millions of fans could now be adoring some other actor, instead of the one and only Leonard Nimoy. By accepting and loving his character, Nimoy has allowed us a glimpse into the man behind the ears, Leonard Nimoy.

 

 

Works Cited

Cornwell, Sue, and Mike Kott. The Official Price Guide: Star Trek and Star Wars. New

    York: Random House, 1991.

Hauck, Dennis. Captain Quirk. New York: Pinnacle, 1995.

Infusino, Divina. “Out of Character: Leonard Nimoy.” T.V. Guide Spring 1995: 52+.

Kenny, Glenn. “Galaxy of Stars: Leonard Nimoy.” Entertainment Weekly 1994: 30.

“Leonard Nimoy.” Online 1997. <http://www.bluemountain.com/home/nimoy.html> (4

     April 1997).

Micklas, Jr., John. Leonard Nimoy: A Star’s Trek. Minneapolis: Dillon Press, 1988.

Nichols, Nichelle. Beyond Uhura. New York: Nichelle Nichols, 1994.

Nimoy, Leonard. “Generation after Generation.” Star Trek: 30 Years 1996: 4+.

Nimoy, Leonard. I am Spock. New York: Leonard Nimoy, 1995.

Nimoy, Leonard. “What being Jewish Means to Me.” Online 1997.

     <http://www.tiac.net/users/heydan/nimoy.jpg> (4 April 1997).

Raben, Richard, and Hiyaguha Cohen. Boldly Live As You’ve Never Lived Before. New

     York: Richard Raben and Hyaguha Cohen, 1995.

Radditz, Leslie. “Product of Two Worlds.” T.V. Guide March 4 1967; 1995: 88+.

Reiher, Peter. “The Good Mother Movie Review.” <http://ficus-www.cs.ucla.edu/project-

     members/reiher/reviews/good.mother.html> (4 April 1997).

Schuster, Hal, and Wendy Rathbone. Trek: The Encyclopedia. Las Vegas: Pioneer Books,

     1994.

Shatner, William, and Chris Kreski. Star Trek Memories. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.

Shatner, William, and Chris Kreski. Star Trek Movie Memories. New York:

     HarperCollins, 1994.

“Spock’s Mystery Unveiled.” Online 1997.      <http://www.loci.com/HO/events/guests/

     spock.html> (4 April 1997).

Takei, George. To the Stars. New York: George Takei, 1994.

“T.V. Guide Classic Cover Gallery.” Online 1997. <http://www.tvguide.com/tv/cover/cgi-

     bin/cover. Pl?cover=670304> (4 April 1997).

“What a Long Strange Trek it’s Been.” Online 1997. http://www.dublin.iol.ie/hotpress/     

     sub/iss25951/leonardn.htm>

William, Andie. “About Leonard Nimoy.” Online 1997. <http://lisp.com.au/~awilliam/

     nimoy.html> (4 April 1997).

“William Shatner & Leonard Nimoy.” Online 1997. <http://tos-www.tos.net/tos/romulan/

     logs/shatner.html> (4 April 1997).

 

 

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