A Few More Words About Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy made such an impact on us, for his humantity, his comic relief and his nature, that two of our writers wanted to express thoughts on his passing. We thought it appropriate to share both. You can read thoughts from Lesley Coffin here.
Leonard Nimoy, best known for his role as Spock in the Star Trek series and films, passed away today from end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 83.
On paper, Spock should have been the most one-dimensional of all of the Star Trek characters: Cold, unattached, devoid of emotion and committed to the Vulcan philosophy of reason and logic. But, Nimoy, who was a classically trained actor, who turned Spock into the franchise’s most iconic character. With just a glance or a raised eyebrow, you can see the human side of Spock emerge, even when his actions at times shocked his crew – and us. To convey that level of constraint and dedication to the character was nothing short of brilliant. When Spock’s human side emerged – sudden, immediate and at full volume – it made for some of the memorable moments of the franchise’s run. His death scene and his final words to Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, revealed as much about the philosophy of Leonard Nimoy as it did Spock. Spock was Kirk’s equal in every area, if not better, yet Kirk was in command. But Nimoy played him with a detached cool and complete selflessness, it transformed Spock to the status that we all know and love. It was no surprise that when the Star Trek franchise first got a reboot, the only actor from the original series to serve as a bridge was Nimoy.
Leonard Nimoy was more than just Spock. An accomplished director, he was behind the camera for two of the Star Trek films (Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), the hit comedy Three Men And A Baby and several TV shows. Nimoy hosted and narrated the paranormal series ‘In Search Of’, published two autobiographies, volumes of poetry and photography, plus he released several albums showcasing his his distinctive baritone singing. Nimoy’s work as a photographer was featured prominently at The Massachusetts Museum Of Contemporary Art on numerous occasions.
Nimoy was also a passionate philanthropist, putting his time, effort and money into charities such as The March Of Dimes, American Foundation For Equal Rights, Beit T’Shuvah, and The American Cancer Society. When The Thalia Theater, one of New York City’s last independent art film theaters was slated to condemned, Nimoy put up the money to have the space refurbished. The Thalia, now part of Symphony Space, was renamed The Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater.
“The miracle is this,” Nimoy once noted, “the more we share, the more we have’.
Leonard Nimoy’s final Twitter post, made on February 23rd, best exemplifies his outlook and approach to life:
“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP’
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015
Thank you Leonard Nimoy for a life well lived.
Live long and prosper.
As unemotional of a character that Leonard Nimoy played on “Star Trek”, he was loved by people who enjoy seeing people laugh. Tributes to the late Leonard Nimoy went out on Twitter from the comedy world after the news of his death. Comedians loved him as both the Vulcan he played on TV and film and the human being he was in real life.
RIP, Mr. Nimoy.
Your iconic acting only matched by your class. Seeing my concert is a memory I cherish. pic.twitter.com/NwsFEBVJay— Richard Lewis (@TheRichardLewis) February 27, 2015
On my podcast on http://t.co/CKQZG0zEaH Ken Berry discusses singing and dancing with Nimoy in the army! *RIPLeonardNimoy
— Gilbert Gottfried (@RealGilbert) February 27, 2015
RIP Leonard Nimoy#LiveLongAndProsper https://t.co/H7WFTYYMgv
— Dane Cook (@DaneCook) February 27, 2015
Leonard Nimoy brought us one of the greatest, noblest characters in the history of American storytelling. Someone find the Genesis planet.
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) February 27, 2015
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy. He was always cooler than Shatner
— Mike Lawrence (@TheMikeLawrence) February 27, 2015
Leonard Nimoy's "If I had a Hammer" will delight you. http://t.co/vTo5lSGcKr via @YouTube
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) February 27, 2015
https://twitter.com/SteveMartinToGo/status/571403461461307392
Seriously one of the coolest people ever. https://t.co/Rf8M96zKFJ
— Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) February 27, 2015
The irony of @TheRealNimoy 's death of course is that he is known for "live long and prosper."
— t.j. miller (@nottjmiller) February 27, 2015
"This is the Mugar Omni Theater." "…because he grew up six blocks from here." "Who put the bomp?" #LeonardNimoy
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) February 27, 2015
Leonard Nimoy died an 83 y/o cultural icon with 3 children & 6 grand children & 1 great grandchild.
Clearly he took his own advice. #RIP
— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) February 27, 2015
Has the Information Society released a statement yet? #RIPLeonardNimoy
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 27, 2015
Sad to hear about the passing of Leonard Nimoy. He was a true renaissance man. pic.twitter.com/st6EsV82Gm
— Joy Behar (@JoyVBehar) February 27, 2015
RIP to the #1 Vulcan Leonard Nimoy. The first tv badass. Had me doing Vulcan nerve pinch on everyone. #StarTrek
— Jo Koy (@Jokoy) February 27, 2015
RIP Leonard Nimoy. You and your iconic Vulcan sign will be missed. pic.twitter.com/B4gjuIT06a
— Jenny McC-Wahlberg (@JennyMcCarthy) February 27, 2015
Leonard Nimoy was more than Mr. Spock. But Mr. Spock is his gift to us all. Live long and prosper. HANX.
— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) February 27, 2015
"Your knees start shakin' and your fingers pop
Like a pinch on the neck from Mr. Spock"
-Beastie Boys#RIPLeonardNimoy— Doug Benson, proud to have known Brody Stevens (@DougBenson) February 27, 2015
.@TheSimpsons I got to meet Leonard Nimoy the day we recorded his voice for the Monorail episode. I was in awe — such a terrific man.
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) February 27, 2015
Who didn't love Spock?#RIPLeonardNimoy pic.twitter.com/rgpYPl1OSY
— Jon Lovitz (@realjonlovitz) February 27, 2015
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