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| March 26, 1931 - February 27, 2015 |
Death: the final frontier. These are the voyages of Leonard S. Nimoy. His 83-year mission: to leave a lasting impression on those who admired his work, to be a loving son, husband, father, and friend to those around him, to go where a small boy from Boston, Massachusetts quite possibly never dreamed before of going.
Born to Dora and Max Nimoy, Leonard eventually began acting at the age of 8 in a neighborhood theater. While his parents advised him to seek out a more stable career, his grandfather helped fan the flames of his passion for acting. He went on to take drama classes at Boston College as well as the Pasadena Playhouse. He also studied photography at UCLA and obtained an MA in Education from Antioch College, where he would later receive an honorary doctorate. He was also recognized for his activism in Holocaust remembrance, the arts, and the environment, and also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Boston University.
Leonard appeared in a slew of shows and movies, with IMDb listing 134 acting credits, as well as 12 directing credits and 3 producing credits. However, he is likely most remembered for his role in Gene Roddenberry's 1966 television series Star Trek as the logical, straight-faced half-Vulcan first officer Mr. Spock.
In the past year, Leonard revealed he had been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which he attributed to his days of smoking although he had given it up nearly 3 decades prior. He spent a good deal of time on Twitter encouraging people to give up smoking and offering the opportunity for his fans to claim his as an honorary grandfather. He and his granddaughter also collaborated on an online shop called Shop LLAP which contain works by him and his family.
At around noon CST yesterday, his account simply tweeted his name, his birth year, and his death year as well as a short message from his granddaughter, Dani.
Leonard Nimoy is survived by his wife Susan, his children Adam Nimoy, Julie Nimoy, and Aaron Bay Schuck, six grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and his older brother Melvin.
So long, Mr. Nimoy. We have been, and always shall be, your friends.
