Leonard Nimoy (Born Leonard Simon Nimoy 26.03.31 - 27.02.15) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of Mr. Spock in the Star Trek television and film series. In addition, he worked as a director, photographer, poet, and singer/songwriter.
Net Worth: According to Celebrity Net Worth, at the time of his death in 2015, Leonard Nimoy had a net worth of 45 million USD.
Childhood: Leonard Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Max and Dora Nimoy. Nimoy began acting at the age of eight at the neighbourhood's theatre. It was his grandfather that encourage him to take up acting full time, as his parents preferred him to study at college and pursue a more stable career. Nimoy landed a role in the amateur production of Clifford Odets' 'Awake and Sing!', and began selling vacuum cleaners around the Boston area to pay for tuition at Boston College.
While studying the concepts of Stanislavsky's Method acting, Nimoy became a tremendous fan of Marlon Brando. He took a job working at an ice cream parlour to continue paying his tuition. Nimoy then spent two years in the Army Special Services between 1953 and 1955, where he spent time writing and performing plays and shows. He also worked with the Atlanta Theatre Guild to direct a production on 'A Streetcar Named Desire'.
Career: Leonard Nimoy made his first screen appearance in the 1951 film adaptation of the radio drama 'Queen for a Day'. From there, Nimoy played uncredited parts in a number of television shows and small B-movies. In 1964, Nimoy appeared on the show 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' alongside actor William Shatner. The show marked the first time the two starred alongside each other, but it wouldn't be the last.
Leonard Nimoy landed the role of Mr. Spock in the pilot episode for 'Star Trek'. The episode, entitled 'The Cage', was shown to NBC in February 1965. NBC decided that they did not want the series, and it was refused. Instead of killing the project, however, a second pilot episode was created. This episode, 'Where No Man Has Gone Before', featured William Shatner in the lead role, and saw Nimoy's character moved from a regular officer to being Shatner's right-hand. 'Star Trek' aired its first episode on 8th September 1966, and the first season ran until 14th April the following year.
Following the success of the first season, 'Star Trek' returned for a second season between 15th September 1967 and 29th March 1968. The third season ran from 20th September 1968, until 3rd June 1969, however a poor budget led to lower ratings. The show creators were able to secure funding for a feature film, which was released as 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' on 7th December 1979. The film earned back three times its production costs, and thus secured a sequel. Nimoy returned again for the film's sequel, 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'.
After also working on 1984's 'The Search For Spock' as director and actor, Nimoy returned to direct the fourth film in the franchise, 'The Voyage Home', which was released on 26th November 1986. The film went on to become the most critically and financially successful film in the series until the 2009 reboot, making around six times its production costs at the box-office. The following film, 'The Final Frontier', was directed by Shatner, and received poor reviews, as well as only making twice its production costs. Despite the spin-off series of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' riding on successful reviews, 'The Final Frontier' almost ended the film series.
Leonard Nimoy contributed the idea for the final film in the series, 'The Undiscovered Country'. The film was released on 6th December 1991, almost two weeks after the death of 'Star Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry. Despite good reviews and successful box-office, 'The Undiscovered Country' marked the final time theta the original cast of 'Star Trek' would all appear together on screen. While Shatner starred alongside the cast of 'The Next Generation' in the 1994 film 'Generations', Nimoy did not appear in another Star Trek film until 2009, where he served as the only returning character in the series reboot. Over the course of his career, Nimoy appeared onscreen 134 times, with his final performance being in 2013's 'Star Trek Into Darkness' as Spock.
Personal Life: In 1954, Leonard Nimoy married Sandra Zober, an actress. The two were divorced in 1987. He then met Michael Bay's cousin, Susan Bay, and the couple were married on New Years day, 1989. The couple stayed together until Nimoy's death in 2015.
Death: Leonard Nimoy was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in February 2014, with it being attributed to smoking 30 years beforehand. He was taken to hospital on 19th February 2015, complaining of chest pains. Due to complications following his release from hospital, Leonard Nimoy passed away in his Bel Air home on 27th February 2015, at the age of 83.
Biography by Contactmusic.com