Leonard Nimoy: He Lived Long and Prospered

Science fiction fans the world over were stunned to learn that Leonard Nimoy died on February 27 in Bel-Air, California, due to complications with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 83 years old.

Nimoy was a man of many talents. Nimoy was born to Jewish parents on March 26, 1931, and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Encouraged by his grandfather, Nimoy took up acting, taking lessons at Boston College before enlisting in the army in 1953. He served until 1954, earning the rank of Sargent. He moved west, taking on many small parts for television before finding a breakthrough in sci-fi phenomenon“Star Trek.” Over the course of his decades-spanning career, he was an artistic photographer, a director of both film and television, and a musician. Many that were alive in the 60s and 70s remember his song “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” fondly.

Despite his achievements, Nimoy will be remembered primarily for his role as First Officer Spock in the massively popular television show “Star Trek.” Spock, the half-Vulcan science officer of the Starship Enterprise, proved to be one of the most popular characters on the show. So successful was Nimoy in portraying him that he received three Emmy nominations for his work, according to emmys.com.

With Spock, Nimoy found a role he could sink his teeth into. In his 1975 autobiography I Am Not Spock, Nimoy wrote, “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.”

Nimoy worked a great deal with series creator Gene Roddenberry to make his character unique. The now famous Vulcan salute was created by him. In an interview he gave for the book “Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish,” Nimoy revealed that he based the salute off of his childhood memories of the way Jewish priests give blessings.

Spock’s popularity made him an inspiration for many people. In 1967, he became the unofficial mascot of NASA, with John Glenn and many members of the team considering “Star Trek” and Spock “The future of the space program.”

In an official statement on his death, NASA administrator Charlie Holden said “Leonard Nimoy was an inspiration to multiple generations of engineers, scientists, astronauts, and other space explorers. As Mr. Spock, he made science and technology important to the story, while never failing to demonstrate, that it is the people around us who matter most. NASA was fortunate to have him as a friend and a colleague. He was much more than the Science Officer for the U.S.S. Enterprise. Leonard was a talented actor, director, philanthropist, and a gracious man dedicated to art in many forms. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and the legions of Star Trek fans around the world.”

As much of a success as he was in the show, he also proved to be popular on the stage, as well. According to the New York Times, Nimoy was Tevye in the musical Fiddler on the Roof numerous times. In addition, he played Randle Patrick McMurphy in the stage version of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest prior to the release of the film starring Jack Nicholson.

Nimoy was also known for his charity work. In particular, his foundation, The Nimoy Foundation, funds organizations that support the visual arts, attempts to connect artists to education programs, and inspire philanthropists to support the arts.

With the death of Nimoy, an all-American treasure has been lost forever. President Barrack Obama said, "Leonard was a lifelong lover of the arts and humanities, a supporter of the sciences, generous with his talent and his time. And of course, Leonard was Spock. Cool, logical, big-eared and level-headed, the center of Star Trek's optimistic, inclusive vision of humanity's future. I loved Spock.”

Nimoy will go down in history as a man who left the world a better place than when he found it. In his last tweet, Nimoy said, “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.” With much of his life's great successes immortalized on film, his perfect moments and contributions to the world will be remembered for generations to come.

Photo Courtesy of Variety.com