Leonard Nimoy: Biography
Leonard Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 26, 1931 and died in Los Angeles, California on February 27, 2015. Nimoy was the second son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Max and Dora Nimoy. He had two children, Julie and Adam, from his first marriage, and a stepson, Adam, who he raised with his second wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, who he married in 1988.
Leonard was educated at Boston English High School. He first appeared on stage in a production of “Hansel and Gretel” at the age of 8, and continued to appear in amateur shows until he was 18, when he left home to travel to California to begin his career in earnest. After only one year in Hollywood, and only just 20, he landed the lead role in a movie “Kid Monk Baroni”.
After a two-year stint in the army, Nimoy went back to work in feature films, television, and theater. During the late ’50s and early ’60s, Nimoy appeared in many of the well-known TV series of the period including Wagon Train, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Rawhide, Perry Mason, and Combat. He also appeared in several feature films, including Deathwatch, and The Balcony. However, it was Nimoy’s enormous success in the science fiction television series, Star Trek, which gained him worldwide recognition.
First airing in 1966, Nimoy’s character, Mr. Spock, would become an icon over the years as the popular television show branched off into syndication and later onto the big screen as a series of six feature films. Nimoy’s portrayal of the Vulcan, Spock, earned him three Emmy nominations.
Leonard’s career has spanned many aspects of stage and screen. His contributions have included directing several films, including two of the Star Trek movies as well as the blockbuster hit, “Three Men and A Baby”. He has acted and produced for the Silver Screen, Broadway and television.
In 1973 he had his first photographic showing at a gallery. His poetry book “You and I” was published, and by 1977 he had recorded for the Dot Label and earned a Masters Degree in Education. In September 2000 he was awarded a Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Antioch University for his work in Holocaust Remembrance, the Arts and the Environment. Leonard continued to work hard for various “good causes” for his whole life. In 2001 he and his wife, Susan, made a donation of one million dollars toward the renovation and expansion of Griffith Observatory, located in Los Angeles. A new lecture hall, the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon has been named in his honor.
Since 2003, Mr. Nimoy focused primarily on his photography career.
Leonard Nimoy’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled on January 16, 1985. The star is located at 6651 Hollywood Blvd., between North Cherokee and North Las Palmas, Hollywood, CA.