Actor Leonard Nimoy, best known to the world for playing Mr. Spock in the Star Trek TV series and film franchise, passed away on Friday (Feb. 27) at the age of 83. He died at his home in Los Angeles.
Nimoy had been hospitalized earlier in the week after experiencing chest pains, which prompted many observers to fear for the worst, especially at his age. According to the New York Times, Nimoy’s death was caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which he attributed to years of smoking.
Don’t smoke. I did. Wish I never had. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) January 11, 2015
As might be expected, Nimoy had a conflicted relationship to the role that brought him fame through five decades. Spock is an iconic character in pop culture, yet that surely pigeonholed him in Hollywood, preventing him from playing a wider variety of parts. Those 40 and over might also remember him as the host of In Search Of…, a syndicated TV series that followed conspiratorial and paranormal occurrences. But as intriguing as the show may have been, how many would have tuned in if it hadn’t been hosted by Mr. Spock?
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While also pursuing interests in music, poetry and photography, Nimoy eventually embraced his place in culture and acknowledged how meaningful Spock was to his career and so many fans by the late-1970s. He played the character in several films in the Star Trek franchise, and made recent appearances in both of J.J. Abrams’ rebooted Trek films.
In addition, Nimoy performed voiceover work for years, narrating documentaries and voicing roles in animated projects (including appearances on The Simpsons). But he still appeared on screen with a recurring role on the Fox TV series Fringe.
Nimoy also had a great deal of success behind the camera. Directing two Star Trek films in the mid-1980s led to him making 1986’s Three Men and a Baby. (Throw that bit of trivia at friends and colleagues today.)
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“Given the choice,” Nimoy once wrote in a memoir, “if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock.”
Though it may not have always felt that way for him, so many actors would yearn to be identified with an iconic role, one that made him recognizable and remembered for more than the past 50 years. But his work and personality created a greater legacy, which certainly includes the wife he left behind, a brother, his two children, six grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
