Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)

Actor, director, author, and photographer Leonard Nimoy, 83, died February 27, 2015 at home in Bel Air CA of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Nimoy is best known for playing the half-Vulcan science officer Spock in both the TV and film incarnations of Star Trek, beginning in 1966 and making a final appearance as the character in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness. Nimoy wrote two autobiographies that centered on his identification with the character, I Am Not Spock (1977) and I Am Spock (1995). Nimoy appeared in many TV shows, films, and on stage, and directed films, including two installments in the Star Trek franchise. He was also a prolific poet and a noted photographer. From 1977-82 he hosted In Search Of…, a syndicated TV show about unexplained mysteries.

Leonard Simon Nimoy was born March 26, 1931 in Boston MA. He began acting at age eight, and moved to Hollywood in 1949, appearing in his first minor film roles in 1951. He spent two years in the Army, where he oversaw stage plays for the Special Services division, before begin discharged in 1955. Upon returning to Hollywood his career gained momentum, with appearances on many TV shows in the late ’50s and early ’60s. After establishing himself as an actor he returned to college, earning a Master’s in Spanish from Antioch University Austin in 1978; his alma mater later gave him an honorary doctorate.

Nimoy is survived by his second wife Susan Bay Nimoy, two children, a stepson, six grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.