Editing Leonard Nimoy (section)

== Personal life ==
[[File:Leonard Nimoy by Gage Skidmore (cropped).jpg|thumb|Nimoy at the 2011 Phoenix Comicon|234x234px]]
Nimoy was long active in the Jewish community, and could speak and read [[Yiddish]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Whitney|first=Christa|url=https://archive.org/details/LeonardNimoy15Oct2013YiddishBookCenter|title=Leonard Nimoy 15Oct2013 Yiddish Book Center|publisher=[[Yiddish Book Center]]|at=6:42–7:33|date=February 6, 2014 |access-date=September 24, 2015|quote=(In Yiddish and English:) And my grandmother never learned English. So my brother and I needed to speak to her in Yiddish. But my brother{{nbsp}}... [was] born in Boston, but his first language was Yiddish because my parents only spoke Yiddish when he was a little child. When I was born{{nbsp}}... they were better with English. So my first language was English, but I needed Yiddish to speak with my grandparents.}}</ref> In 1997, he narrated the documentary ''A Life Apart: Hasidism in America'', about the various sects of [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic]] Orthodox Jews. In October 2002, Nimoy published ''The [[Shekhina (book)|Shekhina]] Project'', a photographic study exploring the feminine aspect of God's presence, inspired by [[Kabbalah]]. Reactions have varied from enthusiastic support to open condemnation.<ref name="Shekhina">{{cite web|url=http://www.scifidimensions.com/Dec02/leonardnimoy.htm |title=Leonard Nimoy: Shedding Light on ''Shekhina'' |last=Snider |first=John C. |year=2002 |website=SciFiDimensions |publisher=John Snider |location=Atlanta, GA |access-date=November 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017101706/http://www.scifidimensions.com/Dec02/leonardnimoy.htm |archive-date=October 17, 2012 }}</ref> Nimoy said objections to Shekhina did not bother or surprise him, but he smarted at the stridency of the Orthodox protests, and was saddened at the attempt to control thought.<ref name="Shekhina" />

Nimoy was married twice. In 1954, he married Sandra Zober (1927-2011), an actress;<ref>Nimoy: "My wife's name is Sandy{{nbsp}}..."<br />[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rboGHXZACPs&t=6m40s Leonard Nimoy interview] with KGW host Konnie Worth in Portland, Oregon, June 1967</ref> they had two children: film producer and director [[Julie Nimoy|Julie]], and director [[Adam Nimoy|Adam]].<ref name="NYT-20150227" /> After 32 years of marriage, he reportedly left Sandra on her 56th birthday and divorced her in 1987.<ref name="rawnerve" /> On New Year's Day 1989, Nimoy married his second wife, actress [[Susan Bay]], cousin of director [[Michael Bay]].<ref>{{Cite news|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|title=Star Trek drove me to drink, says Spock|author=Hugh Davies|date=October 31, 2001|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1361090/Star-Trek-drove-me-to-drink-says-Spock.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1361090/Star-Trek-drove-me-to-drink-says-Spock.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=September 5, 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

After two years of part-time study, in 1977 Nimoy earned an MA in education from [[Antioch College]].{{r|darrach19770725}} In 2000, he received an honorary doctorate from [[Antioch University]] in Ohio, awarded for activism in Holocaust remembrance, the arts, and the environment.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Dr. Leonard Nimoy |url=http://midwest.antioch.edu/PDF/alumni_news0011.pdf |date=November 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110626141444/http://midwest.antioch.edu/PDF/alumni_news0011.pdf |archive-date=June 26, 2011 |newspaper=Alumni News |access-date=October 16, 2017}}</ref> In 2012, he received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from [[Boston University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bu.edu/today/2012/leonard-nimoy-urges-cfa-grads-to-live-long-and-prosper |title=Leonard Nimoy Urges CFA Grads to 'Live Long and Prosper' |last=Laskowski |first=Amy |date=May 22, 2012 |website=BU Today |publisher=Marketing & Communications |location=Boston, MA |access-date=June 14, 2012}}</ref>

In the 2001 documentary film ''[[Mind Meld]]'', in which Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner discuss their acting careers and personal lives,<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Jaysen, Peter (Director) |year=2001 |title=[[Mind Meld]]: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime|publisher=Creative Light Video |isbn=1-931394-15-6 |oclc=49221637}}</ref> Nimoy revealed that he had become an alcoholic while working on ''Star Trek'' and ended up in [[drug rehabilitation]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Star Trek 'drove Nimoy to drink' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1630463.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |location=London |publisher=BBC |date=October 31, 2001 |access-date=August 2, 2010}}</ref> William Shatner, in his 2008 book ''[[Up Till Now]]: The Autobiography'', spoke about how later in their lives, Nimoy tried to help Shatner's alcoholic wife, [[William Shatner#Marriage and Alcoholism|Nerine Kidd]].

[[File:Leonard Nimoy, 2011, ST Con-2 A.jpg|thumb|Nimoy giving the [[Vulcan salute]] in 2011|left]]Nimoy has said that the character of Spock, which he played twelve to fourteen hours a day, five days a week, influenced his personality in his private life. Each weekend during the original run of the series, he would be in character throughout Saturday and into Sunday, behaving more like Spock than himself—more logical, more rational, more thoughtful, less emotional, and finding calm in every situation. It was only on Sunday in the early afternoon that Spock's influence on his behavior diminished enough to allow him to feel more himself again—only to start the cycle over again on Monday morning.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Bring Back...Star Trek |url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/bring-back/episode-guide |series-link=Bring Back... |access-date=November 1, 2013 |series=Bring Back... |network=[[Channel 4]] |date=May 9, 2009}}</ref> Years after the show, he observed Vulcan speech patterns, social attitudes, patterns of logic, and emotional suppression in his own behavior.{{r|NYT-20150227}}

Nimoy was a private pilot and had owned an airplane.<ref>{{YouTube|id=_ChnVCeN2JQ&t=5m40s|title="An interview of Leonard Nimoy-SuperstarSuperfans part2/2"|link=no}}. Interview with [[Bob Wilkins]] from the mid-1970s.</ref> The [[Space Foundation]] bestowed to him the 2010 [[Douglas Morrow|Douglas S. Morrow]] Public Outreach Award for creating a positive role model that inspired countless viewers to learn more about the universe.<ref name=Morrow>{{cite press release |last=Hively |first=Carol |date=January 12, 2010 |title=Space Foundation Recognizes Leonard Nimoy with Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award |url=http://www.spacefoundation.org/news/story.php?id=877 |location=Colorado Springs, Colorado |publisher=[[Space Foundation]] |access-date=November 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004121825/http://www.spacefoundation.org/news/story.php?id=877 |archive-date=October 4, 2011 }}</ref>

In 2009, Nimoy was honored by his childhood hometown when the Office of Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] [[Proclamation|proclaimed]] the date of November 14, 2009, as "Leonard Nimoy Day" in the City of Boston.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hardly Illogical: Leonard Nimoy Day, November 14 |first=Shaula |last=Clark |url=http://blog.thephoenix.com/BLOGS/laserorgy/archive/2009/11/14/hardly-illogical-leonard-nimoy-day-november-14.aspx |newspaper=[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|Boston Phoenix]] |type=Blog |date=November 14, 2009 |access-date=March 31, 2012}}</ref>

In 2014, [[Walter Koenig]] revealed that Nimoy personally and successfully advocated to the show's producers for equal pay for [[Nichelle Nichols]]'s work on ''Star Trek''.<ref>[http://www.people.com/article/leonard-nimoy-death-nichelle-nichols Nichelle Nichols Remembers Leonard Nimoy: He Made Star Trek into TV History] Adam Carlson, People.com February 28, 2015</ref> This incident was confirmed by Nimoy in a Trekmovie interview, and happened during his years at [[Desilu Productions|Desilu]].<ref>[http://trekmovie.com/2014/07/31/koenig-leonard-nimoy-fought-to-get-nichelle-nichols-pay-equity-for-star-trek-nimoy-confirms/ Koenig: Leonard Nimoy Fought to get Nichelle Nichols Pay Equity for Star Trek + Nimoy Confirms] Anthony Pascale, trekmovie.com, July 31, 2014</ref>

Nimoy has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].<ref name=BBC>[https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31672543 Leonard Nimoy: Obama leads tributes to Star Trek actor] BBC News, February 28, 2015</ref> On June 2, 2015, the [[asteroid]] [[4864 Nimoy]] was named after him.<ref name=planet /><ref>[[Minor Planet Center|MPC]] [http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2015/MPC_20150602.pdf 94384]</ref>