Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy 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.

See more on

Tolkien: The True Story of the Rings

2024

as Self - Actor (archive footage)

Time Bomb Y2K

2023

as Self (archive voice)

765874: Memory Wall

2022

as Spock (Archival Footage & Face)

The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek

2021

as Self (archive footage)

Star Trek: Prodigy

2021

as Spock (voice)

Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

2021

as Sigmund Freud (voice)

My Brother Vincent

2018

as Self

Star Trek: Discovery

2017

as Spock (archive footage)

Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault

2016

as (archive footage)

For the Love of Spock

2016

as Self (archive footage)

50 Years of Star Trek

2016

as Self

The Shannara Chronicles

2016

as Spock (archive footage)

To Be Takei

2014

as Self

The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers

2013

as Levi Eshkol (voice)

Leonard Nimoy's Oral History

2013

as Self - Interviewee

Star Trek Into Darkness

2013

as Ambassador Spock

Hava Nagila: The Movie

2012

as Self

Zambezia

2012

as Sekhuru (voice)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

2011

as Sentinel Prime (voice)

Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored

2011

as Spock (archive footage)

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

2011

Star Trek: Evolutions

2009

as Narrator

The Evolution of the Enterprise

2009

as Self

Land of the Lost

as Self - Host

The Once and Future Griffith Observatory

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

2004

Birth of a Timeless Legacy

2004

Comedy Central Roasts

as Narrator

Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists

2000

as Akron/ Baraba/ King Chandra

Forging Greatness: Lincoln in Indiana

2000

as Narrator

The Story of Computer Graphics

1999

as Narrator

Futurama

1999

as Leonard Nimoy's Head (Voice)

Y2K Family Survival Guide

1999

as Self - Host / Narrator

Rashi: A Light After The Dark Ages

1999

as Rashi (voice)

Becker

1998

as Professor Emmett Fowler

A Life Apart: Hasidism in America

The Making of 'The Pagemaster'

1994

as Self (archive footage)

William Shatner: Captain's Log

1994

as Self

Star Trek: A Captain's Log

1994

as Himself

The Pagemaster

1994

as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde (voice)

Duckman

1994

Destiny in Space

1994

as Narrator (voice)

Ancient Mysteries: Bigfoot

1994

as Host

Ancient Mysteries

1994

Ancient Mysteries

1994

as Narrator

The Halloween Tree

1993

as Mr. Moundshroud (voice)

Titanica

1992

as narrator

MTV Movie & TV Awards

1992

as Spock (archive footage)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

1991

as Captain Spock

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special

1991

as Self - Host

Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories

1991

as Host

Never Forget

1991

as Mel Mermelstein

The Simpsons

1989

as Leonard Nimoy (voice)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

1989

as Captain Spock

The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next

1988

as Self

Star Trek: The Next Generation

1987

as Spock

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

1986

as Spock

The Transformers: The Movie

1986

as Galvatron (voice)

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp

1986

as The Evil Moroccan Magician

Super Duper Bloopers

1986

as Self

Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers

1985

as Self (archive footage)

Planets of the Sun

1985

as Narrator

Star Trek: The Menagerie

1985

as Spock

Lights

1984

as Greek Nobleman

The Sun Also Rises

1984

as Count Mippipopolous

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

1984

as Captain Spock / Elevator Voice

Leonard Nimoy: Star Trek Memories

1983

as Host

Marco Polo

1982

as Achmet

Faerie Tale Theatre

1982

as The Evil Moroccan Magician

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

1982

as Captain Spock

A Woman Called Golda

1982

as Morris Meyerson

T. J. Hooker

1982

as Lt. Paul McGuire

Night of 100 Stars

1982

as Self

Vincent

1981

as Theo van Gogh

Seizure: The Story of Kathy Morris

1980

as Dr. Richard Connought

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

1979

as Mr. Spock

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

1978

as Dr. David Kibner

In Search of...

1977

In Search of...

1977

as Narrator

Auf los geht's los

1977

as Self

The Captain and Tennille

1976

as Self

The Star Trek Dream

1975

as Self

Mitzi & 100 Guys

1975

as Self

The Missing Are Deadly

1975

Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love

1974

as Mick

The Alpha Caper

1973

as Mitch

Star Trek

1973

as Spock (voice)

Baffled!

1973

as Tom Kovack

Catlow

1971

as Miller

Columbo

1971

as Barry Mayfield

Assault on the Wayne

1971

as Comdr. Phil Kettenring

Night Gallery

1970

as Henry Auden

The Barbara McNair Show

1969

as Self

The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show

1968

as Self

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

1968

as Self

Valley of Mystery

1967

as Spence Atherton

The Carol Burnett Show

1967

as Self - Guest / Various Characters

Malibu U

1967

as Self

Mission: Impossible

1966

as Paris

Star Trek

1966

as Spock

Deathwatch

1966

as Jules LaFranc

Get Smart

1965

Star Trek: The Cage

1965

as Spock

Profiles in Courage

1964

1963

as Gregg Sanders

You Don't Say!

1963

The Balcony

1963

as Roger

Combat!

1962

as Neumann

Combat!

1962

as Pvt. Baum

The Virginian

1962

as Wismer

The Virginian

1962

as Benjamin Frome

The Virginian

1962

as Keith Bentley

Sam Benedict

1962

as Insp. Joe Shatley

Dr. Kildare

1961

as Harry

87th Precinct

1961

Cain's Hundred

1961

as Ralph Tomek

The Tall Man

1960

The Tall Man

1960

as Deputy Sheriff Johnny Swift

Tate

1960

The Rebel

1959

as Jim Colburn

The Twilight Zone

1959

as Hansen

Lock-Up

1959

Bonanza

1959

1957

Harbor Command

1957

Perry Mason

1957

as Pete Chennery

Wagon Train

1957

as Bernabe Zamora

West Point

1956

West Point

1956

as Cadet Tom Kennedy

Broken Arrow

1956

as Winnoa

The Man Called X

1956

Highway Patrol

1955

Navy Log

1955

Gunsmoke

1955

as Grice

Gunsmoke

1955

as Holt

Gunsmoke

as Paul 'Monk' Baroni

Dragnet

1951

Rhubarb

1951

as Young Baseball Player (uncredited)

Queen for a Day

1951

as Chief

Symphony to the Planets: Mysteries Beyond Our Reach

as Narrator

Symphony to the Planets: A Star to Call Home

as Narrator

Leonard Nimoy Demonstrates the Magnavision Videodisc Player

as Self

The Universe & I

as Sherlock Holmes

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Leonard Nimoy

Acted in

Tolkien: The True Story of the Rings

Time Bomb Y2K

765874: Memory Wall

The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek

Star Trek: Prodigy

Emily @ the Edge of Chaos

My Brother Vincent

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault

For the Love of Spock

50 Years of Star Trek

The Shannara Chronicles

To Be Takei

The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers

Leonard Nimoy's Oral History

Star Trek Into Darkness

Hava Nagila: The Movie

Zambezia

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored

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

Star Trek: Evolutions

The Evolution of the Enterprise

Land of the Lost

Bring Back... Star Trek

Star Trek

Star Trek: The Captains' Summit

Fringe

The Real Story

The Big Bang Theory

The Pixar Story

Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier

The Once and Future Griffith Observatory

William Shatner in Concert

40 Years of Star Trek

Bring Back...

Ringers: Lord of the Fans

Rambam - The Story of Maimonides

Reflections on Spock

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

Birth of a Timeless Legacy

Comedy Central Roasts

HypaSpace

After They Were Famous

The Making of 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire'

Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

The Fly Papers: The Buzz on Hollywood's Scariest Insect

Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists

Forging Greatness: Lincoln in Indiana

The Story of Computer Graphics

Futurama

Y2K Family Survival Guide

Rashi: A Light After The Dark Ages

Becker

A Life Apart: Hasidism in America

The Lost World

Invasion America

Brave New World

Armageddon: Target Earth

Trekkies

David

David

The Great Pyramids

The Harryhausen Chronicles

Mystical World of Ancient Greece

Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond

Star Trek Story

Muppets Tonight

Jellies & Other Ocean Drifters

Mysterious Spirits of the Mayans

The Outer Limits

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Unification

The New Explorers: The Science of Star Trek

Bonanza: Under Attack

William Shatner's Star Trek Memories

Science Fiction: A Journey Into the Unknown

The Making of 'The Pagemaster'