Leonard Nimoy

Acting • Born 1931-03-26 – Died 2015-02-27

Acting3Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Biography

Leonard Simon Nimoy (March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series 1966–1969, multiple films, television and video game sequels. Nimoy began his career in his early twenties, teaching acting classes in Hollywood and making minor film and television appearances through the 1950s, as well as playing the title role in Kid Monk Baroni. In 1953, he served in the United States Army. In 1965, he made his first appearance in the rejected Star Trek pilot, "The Cage", and would go on to play the character of Mr. Spock until 1969, followed by seven further films and a number of guest slots in various sequels. His character of Spock generated a significant cultural impact and three Emmy Award nominations; TV Guide named Spock one of the 50 greatest TV characters. Nimoy also had a recurring role in Mission: Impossible and a narrating role in Civilization IV, as well as several well-received stage appearances. Nimoy's fame as Spock is such that both his autobiographies, I Am Not Spock (1977) and I Am Spock (1995) detail his existence as being shared between the character and himself. Nimoy was born to Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Iziaslav, Ukraine. His father, Max Nimoy, owned a barbershop in the Mattapan section of the city. His mother, Dora Nimoy (née Spinner), was a homemaker. Nimoy began acting at the age of eight in children's and neighborhood theater. His parents wanted him to attend college and pursue a stable career, or even learn to play the accordion—which, his father advised, Nimoy could always make a living with—but his grandfather encouraged him to become an actor. His first major role was at 17, as Ralphie in an amateur production of Clifford Odets' Awake and Sing!. Nimoy took Drama classes at Boston College in 1953 but failed to complete his studies, and in the 1970s studied photography at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has an MA in Education and an honorary doctorate from Antioch University in Ohio. Nimoy served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army from 1953 through 1955, alongside fellow actor Ken Berry and architect Frank Gehry.

Filmography

241 credits

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Movie • 1982

Captain Spock

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Movie • 1979

Mr. Spock

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Movie • 1984

Captain Spock / Elevator Voice

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Movie • 1986

Captain Spock

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Movie • 1989

Captain Spock

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Movie • 1991

Captain Spock

Mitzi & 100 Guys

Movie • 1975

Self

Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers

Movie • 1985

Self (archive footage)

The Transformers: The Movie

Movie • 1986

Galvatron (voice)

David

Movie • 1997

Samuel

The Lost World

Movie • 1998

Angus McArdle

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Movie • 2001

King Kashekim Nedakh (voice)

A Life Apart: Hasidism in America

Movie • 1998

Narrator

Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored

Movie • 2011

Spock (archive footage)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Movie • 1978

Dr. David Kibner

Star Trek: The Captain's Summit

Movie • 2009

Self

Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime

Movie • 2001

Himself

Brave New World

Movie • 1998

Mustapha Mond

Star Trek

Movie • 2009

Ambassador Spock

The Pagemaster

Movie • 1994

Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde (voice)

Destiny in Space

Movie • 1994

Narrator (voice)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Movie • 2011

Sentinel Prime (voice)

Trekkies

Movie • 1997

Self

Titanica

Movie • 1992

narrator

The Halloween Tree

Movie • 1993

Mr. Moundshroud (voice)

Kid Monk Baroni

Movie • 1952

Paul 'Monk' Baroni

The Evolution of the Enterprise

Movie • 2009

Self

Star Trek Into Darkness

Movie • 2013

Ambassador Spock

Catlow

Movie • 1971

Miller

Star Trek: The Cage

Movie • 1965

Spock

Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists

Movie • 2000

Akron/ Baraba/ King Chandra

A Woman Called Golda

Movie • 1982

Morris Meyerson

Assault on the Wayne

Movie • 1971

Comdr. Phil Kettenring

Never Forget

Movie • 1991

Mel Mermelstein

Zambezia

Movie • 2012

Sekhuru (voice)

Hava Nagila: The Movie

Movie • 2012

Self

Baffled!

Movie • 1973

Tom Kovack

To Be Takei

Movie • 2014

Self

Deathwatch

Movie • 1966

Jules LaFranc

Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris

Movie • 1980

Dr. Richard Connought

The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers

Movie • 2013

Levi Eshkol (voice)

Star Trek Story

Movie • 1996

Self

Leonard Nimoy's Oral History

Movie • 2013

Self - Interviewee

The Alpha Caper

Movie • 1973

Mitch

The Pixar Story

Movie • 2007

Spock (archive footage)

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special

Movie • 1991

Self - Host

Super Duper Bloopers

Movie • 1986

Self

Vincent

Movie • 1981

Theo van Gogh

Francis Goes to West Point

Movie • 1952

Football Player (uncredited)

Bring Back... Star Trek

Movie • 2009

Self

Them!

Movie • 1954

Army Sergeant

Movie • 1997

Self - Narrator (voice)

Star Trek: A Captain's Log

Movie • 1994

Himself

The Great Pyramids

Movie • 1997

Narrator (voice)

The Missing Are Deadly

Movie • 1975

The Once and Future Griffith Observatory

Movie • 2006

Self

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp

Movie • 1986

The Evil Moroccan Magician

Bonanza: Under Attack

Movie • 1995

Frank James

Y2K Family Survival Guide

Movie • 1999

Self - Host / Narrator

Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier

Movie • 2007

Self - Host

Reflections on Spock

Movie • 2004

Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories

Movie • 2011

Kiss 'N' Tell: Romance in the 23rd Century

Movie • 2004

Movie • 2002

Self

Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault

Movie • 2016

(archive footage)

Rashi: A Light After The Dark Ages

Movie • 1999

Rashi (voice)

Ringers: Lord of the Fans

Movie • 2005

Self

Land of the Lost

Movie • 2009

The Zarn (voice)

Lights

Self

Ancient Mysteries: Bigfoot

Movie • 1994

Host

Mystical World of Ancient Greece

Movie • 1996

Narrator (voice)

Mysterious Spirits of the Mayans

Movie • 1995

Narrator (voice)

765874: Memory Wall

Movie • 2022

Spock (Archival Footage & Face)

Armageddon: Target Earth

Movie • 1998

Host

Tolkien: The True Story of the Rings

Movie • 2024

Self - Actor (archive footage)

Star Trek: The Menagerie

Movie • 1966

Mr. Spock

Mission: Impossible - The Controllers

Movie • 1969

Paris

Mission: Impossible - The Falcon

Movie • 1970

Paris

Sally

Movie • 2025

Self (archive footage)

Leonard Nimoy's Boston

Movie • 2014

Self

Virtuosity

Movie • 1995

Spock (archive footage) (uncredited)

Carpati: 50 Miles, 50 Years

Movie • 1996

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification

Movie • 2013

Piece by Piece

Movie • 2024

Spock (voice) (archive sound) (uncredited)

For the Love of Spock

Movie • 2016

Self (archive footage)

The Twenty-Five Year Mission Tour

Movie • 1992

Himself

Duckman

TV • 1994

Leonard Nimoy

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

TV • 1964

Vladeck

The Simpsons

TV • 1989

Leonard Nimoy (voice)

Star Trek

TV • 1966

Spock

Cain's Hundred

TV • 1961

Ralph Tomek

Futurama

TV • 1999

Leonard Nimoy's Head (Voice)

Star Trek: The Next Generation

TV • 1987

Spock

T. J. Hooker

TV • 1982

Lt. Paul McGuire

Kraft Suspense Theatre

TV • 1963

Lawrence Brody

The Daily Show

TV • 1996

Self - Guest

Star Trek

TV • 1973

Spock (voice)

HypaSpace

TV • 2002

Self

In Search of...

TV • 1977

Gunsmoke

TV • 1955

Grice

Perry Mason

TV • 1957

Pete Chennery

Combat!

TV • 1962

Neumann

Becker

TV • 1998

Professor Emmett Fowler

Night Gallery

TV • 1970

Henry Auden

Faerie Tale Theatre

TV • 1982

The Evil Moroccan Magician

Mission: Impossible

TV • 1966

Paris

Get Smart

TV • 1965

Stryker

Invasion America

TV • 1998

General Konrad (voice)

You Don't Say!

TV • 1963

Bring Back...

TV • 2005

Self

The Twilight Zone

TV • 1959

Hansen

87th Precinct

TV • 1961

Barrow

Rawhide

TV • 1959

Anko

Daniel Boone

TV • 1964

Oontah

The Hollywood Palace

TV • 1964

Self - Singer

The Virginian

TV • 1962

Wismer

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

TV • 1968

Self (uncredited)

Ancient Mysteries

TV • 1994

Profiles in Courage

TV • 1964

Burr Jones

The Rough Riders

TV • 1958

Navy Log

TV • 1955

The Rebel

TV • 1959

Jim Colburn

Tate

TV • 1960

Malibu U

TV • 1967

Self

Wogan

TV • 1982

Self

The Barbara McNair Show

TV • 1969

Self

The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show

TV • 1968

Self

Dr. Kildare

TV • 1961

Harry

The Outer Limits

TV • 1995

Thurman Cutler

26 Men

TV • 1957

The Man Called X

TV • 1956

Harbor Command

TV • 1957

Fred Garrison

The Captain and Tennille

TV • 1976

Self - Guest

Saturday Night Live

TV • 1975

Self - Cameo (uncredited)

MTV Movie & TV Awards

TV • 1992

Spock (archive footage)

West Point

TV • 1956

Cadet Tom Kennedy

Columbo

TV • 1971

Barry Mayfield

Fringe

TV • 2008

Dr. William Bell

The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek

TV • 2021

Self (archive footage)

The Real Story

TV • 2008

Himself

Combat!

TV • 1962

Pvt. Baum

The Virginian

TV • 1962

Benjamin Frome

The Virginian

TV • 1962

Keith Bentley

Star Trek: Prodigy

TV • 2021

Spock (voice)

Gunsmoke

Cowell

Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories

TV • 1991

Host

Ancient Mysteries

TV • 1994

Narrator

Shatner's Raw Nerve

TV • 2008

Self

After They Were Famous

TV • 2002

Self

Bonanza

TV • 1959

Freddy

Wagon Train

TV • 1957

Bernabe Zamora

Broken Arrow

TV • 1956

Winnoa

The Mike Douglas Show

TV • 1961

Self

The Lieutenant

TV • 1963

Gregg Sanders

The Universe & I

Sherlock Holmes

The Carol Burnett Show

TV • 1967

Self - Guest / Various Characters

Auf los geht's los

TV • 1977

Self

The Tall Man

TV • 1960

Deputy Sheriff Johnny Swift

Comedy Central Roasts

TV • 2003

Self

Star Trek: Discovery

TV • 2017

Spock (archive footage)

Marco Polo

TV • 1982

Achmet

Muppets Tonight

Insp. Joe Shatley

David

TV • 1997

Samuel

Davide

TV • 1997

Samuel

A Woman Called Golda

TV • 1982

Morris Meyerson

In Search of...

TV • 1977

Narrator

Highway Patrol

TV • 1955

Harry Wells

Highway Patrol

TV • 1955

Ray

The Merv Griffin Show

TV • 1962

Self - Guest

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

TV • 1962

Self

Lock-Up

TV • 1959

Nino Baselicce

The Untouchables

TV • 1959

Packy

Steve Canyon

TV • 1958

TV • 1957

Joaquin Delgado

Wagon Train

TV • 1957

Emeterio Vasquez

Tombstone Territory

TV • 1957

Little Hawk

Broken Arrow

TV • 1956

Nahilzay

Broken Arrow

TV • 1956

Apache

Four Star Playhouse

TV • 1952

Bulloti's Henchman (uncredited)

Dragnet

TV • 1951

Julius Carver

Dragnet

TV • 1951

Leonard Nimoy

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

TV • 1993

Mr. Spock

765874: Unification

TV • 2022

Spock

The Colbert Report

TV • 2005

Self - Guest

Late Show with David Letterman

TV • 1993

Self - Top Ten List Presenter