Leonard Nimoy lived up to his longtime catchphrase: Live long and prosper. Having achieved success in many arenas during his lifetime, the actor, director, writer and photographer has died at age 83. His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, reportedly confirmed his death to the New York Times, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Most widely known for his performance as half-human, half-Vulcan science officer Spock on the classic sci-fi TV show "Star Trek" and its many subsequent film and videogame incarnations, Nimoy was also a successful director, helming "Star Trek" pics "The Search for Spock" and "The Voyage Home," as well as non-"Star Trek" fare; an accomplished stage actor; a published writer and poet; and a noted photographer. He also dabbled in singing and songwriting.
But despite his varied talents, Nimoy will forever be linked with the logical Mr. Spock. Spotted by "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry when he appeared on Roddenberry's NBC Marine Corps. skein "The Lieutenant," Nimoy was offered the role of Spock and co-starred in the 1965 "Star Trek" pilot "The Cage." NBC execs liked the concept but thought the pilot too cerebral, so they ordered a second pilot of the Desilu production with some script and cast changes (only Nimoy made it through both pilots). The series finally bowed on the Peacock in the fall of 1966. After three seasons, it was canceled in 1969 but would go on to be a hit in syndication, spawning films and other TV incarnations and gaining a huge following of fans known as Trekkers or Trekkies.
After the series wrapped, Nimoy joined the fourth season of spy series "Mission: Impossible" as master-of-disguise Paris, leaving after the fifth season. He went on to star in the 1971 Western "Catlow," with Yul Brynner and Richard Crenna, and the 1978 remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with Donald Sutherland and Jeffrey Goldblum. The actor also made a series of TV films throughout the '70s and received an Emmy nomination in 1982 for his role as Golda Meir's husband in telepic "A Woman Called Golda."
Also during the '70s, Nimoy narrated the docuseries "In Search of …," which investigated unexplained events, paranormal phenomena and urban legends long before these matters become the common fodder of pop culture.
Then the siren call of "Star Trek" beckoned again and Nimoy returned to the role of Mr. Spock for 1979's "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." The film opened well at the box office, and though not well reviewed, it did spawn enough interest for Paramount to greenlight sequels that would continue into the 1990s: "The Wrath of Khan" (1982), "The Search for Spock" (1984), "The Voyage Home" (1986), "The Final Frontier" (1989) and "The Undiscovered Country" (1991). Nimoy was in all of them, albeit briefly in "The Search for Spock."
Nimoy also appeared as Spock in a couple of episodes of series spinoff "Star Trek: The Next Generation," several videogames based on the property and the J.J. Abrams-helmed "Star Trek" reboot, playing Spock Prime to Zachary Quinto's young Spock in the 2009 film and its sequel.