Leonard Nimoy Biography

Raised in a Boston tenement, acting in community theaters since age eight, Leonard Nimoy didn't make his Hollywood debut he was 20, a bit part in Queen for a Day (1951) and another as a ballplayer in the perennial Rhubarb (1951). After two years in army he was still getting small, often uncredited parts - an army telex operator in Them! (1954), for example - but his part as Narab, a Martian finally friendly to Earth, in the closing scene in the corny Republic serial Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952), somewhat foreshadowed the role which would make him a household name--Mr. Spock, the half-human/half-Vulcan science officer of "Star Trek" (1966) one of TV's all-time most successful series. His performance won him three Emmy nominations and launched his career as a writer and director, notably of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), the story of a humpback whale rescue that proved the most successful of the Star Trek movies. Stage credits have included 'Fiddler on the Roof,' 'Oliver,' 'Camelot,' and 'Equus.' He has hosted the well-known TV series "In Search of..." (1976) and "Ancient Mysteries" (1994), authored several volumes of poetry and guest-starred on two episodes of "The Simpsons" (1989). He recently played Mustafa Mond in NBC's telling of Brave New World (1998) (TV).