Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek's Spock, Dies At Age 83
Trending News: Leonard Nimoy Has Passed Away
Leonard Nimoy helped define sci-fi. He was a legend, and that's not a word we use lightly.
Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek's Spock, passed away today at the age of 83. The actor spent his last moments at home with his wife, Susan, before succumbing to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Scifi fans (and television fans in general) lost an icon this morning, as Leonard Nimoy died at his home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 83 at the time, and fell victim to end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He announced the disease last year, and attributed it to years of smoking, despite having quit 30 years ago.
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015
Nimoy is best known for playing Mr. Spock, the lone alien crewmember of the Starship Enterprise on the hit television series Star Trek. Nimoy was discovered and cast as Spock in the mid-60s, though he enjoyed many other pursuits including poetry photography and music.
Though the original Star Trek series only lasted three seasons due to (at the time) low ratings, Nimoy was involved with the franchise up to and including its latest incarnations. Nimoy directed two of the Star Trek movies, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), which he helped write. He was also the executive producer and a writer of the movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Most recently, he appeared in the 2009 and 2013 Star Trek movies directed by J.J. Adams. In each, he had cameo roles where he played an older version of Zachary Quinto's Mr. Spock.
Nimoy seemed, in some ways, at least, to revel in his attachment to the spock character. In his first autobiography, 1977's I Am Not Spock, he said "In Spock, I finally found the best of both worlds: to be widely accepted in public approval and yet be able to continue to play the insulated alien through the Vulcan character."
His second autobiography, written in 1995 was titled I Am Spock, and he had appeared to embrace the character fully. "Given the choice," he wrote, "if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock."
"I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love." -William Shatner http://t.co/U8ZN98tVYp
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) February 27, 2015
Ask The Big Question: What will be the next small-time series to transform into a cultural phenomenon?
Disrupt Your Feed: Live long and prosper, Leonard Nimoy.
Drop This Fact: Martin Landau, who later starred in Space: 1999, was first offered the role of the Mr. Spock.
It's Possible to Do the Splits Sooner Than You ThoughtRead More