Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a global following as Mr Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut Star Trek, died yesterday at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83.
His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nimoy announced last year that he had the disease, which he attributed to years of smoking, a habit he had given up three decades earlier. He had been hospitalised earlier in the week.
His artistic pursuits – poetry, photography and music in addition to acting – ranged far beyond the United Federation of Planets, but it was as Mr Spock that Nimoy became a folk hero, bringing to life one of the most indelible characters of the last half century: a cerebral, pointy-eared Vulcan with a signature salute and blessing, “Live long and prosper”.
Nimoy relished playing outsiders, and he developed what he later admitted was a mystical identification with Spock, the lone alien on the starship's bridge. Yet he also acknowledged ambivalence about being tethered to the character, expressing it most plainly in the titles of two autobiographies: I Am Not Spock, published in 1977, and I Am Spock, published in 1995.
Star Trek, which had its premiere on NBC on September 8th, 1966, made Nimoy a star. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the franchise, called him "the conscience of Star Trek."
Although the series was cancelled after three seasons because of low ratings, a cultlike following – the conference-holding, costume-wearing Trekkies, or Trekkers (the designation Nimoy preferred) – coalesced soon after Star Trek went into syndication.
The fans' devotion only deepened when Star Trek was spun off into an animated show, various new series and an uneven parade of films starring much of the original television cast.
His zeal to entertain and enlighten crossed genres. He had a starring role in the television series Mission: Impossible and frequently performed onstage, notably as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. His poetry was voluminous, and he published books of his photography.
He also directed films, including two from the Star Trek franchise, and television shows. And he made records, on which he sang pop songs and songs about Star Trek, and gave spoken-word performances.
Born in Boston on March 26th, 1931, Leonard Simon Nimoy was the second son of Max and Dora Nimoy, Ukrainian immigrants and Orthodox Jews. Nimoy's marriage to actress Sandi Zober ended in divorce. Besides his wife, he is survived by his children, Adam and Julie Nimoy; a stepson, Aaron Bay Schuck; six grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and his brother, Melvin.