Editing Leonard Nimoy (section)

== Acting career ==

=== Before and during ''Star Trek'' ===
{{multiple image 
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 | header   = In ''[[Kid Monk Baroni]]'' (1952)
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 | caption2 = With Richard Rober (top) and [[Kathleen Freeman]] (bottom)
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Nimoy spent more than a decade playing only small parts in [[B movies]] and the lead in one, along with a minor TV role.<ref name="darrach19770725">{{cite news | url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20068391,00.html | title=Leonard Nimoy Beams Himself Aboard 'Equus' and Out from Under Mr. Spock's Pointy Ears | work=People | date=July 25, 1977 | access-date=March 2, 2015 | author=Darrach, Brad}}</ref> He believed his performance as the title role in the 1952 film ''[[Kid Monk Baroni]]'' would make him a star, but the film failed after a brief cinema showing. During his military career, the film gained a larger audience on television, and after his discharge he got steadier work portraying a "heavy", where his character used street weapons like switchblades and guns or had to threaten or attack people.{{r|diehl19680825}} He overcame his [[Boston accent]], but realized his lean appearance made stardom unlikely.{{r|darrach19770725}}

He decided to be a supporting actor rather than take lead roles, an attitude he acquired from his childhood: "I'm a second child who was educated to the idea my older brother was to be given respect and not perturbed. I was not to upstage him{{nbsp}}[...] So my acting career was designed to be a supporting player, a character actor."<ref name=Shatner />{{rp|25}} He played more than 50 small parts in B movies, television series such as ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' and ''[[Dragnet (franchise)|Dragnet]]'', and [[Serial film|serials]] such as ''[[Zombies of the Stratosphere]]'' (1952), in which he played a Martian named Narab. To support a wife and two children, he often took other work, such as delivering newspapers, working in a pet shop, and driving cabs.<ref name="kleiner19671204">{{cite news |last=Kleiner |first=Dick |author-link=Dick Kleiner |date=December 4, 1967 |title=Mr. Spock's Trek To Stardom |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B7dGAAAAIBAJ&pg=3727,498929 |newspaper=Warsaw Times-Union |location=Warsaw, IN |publisher=Reub Williams & Sons, Inc. |agency=[[Newspaper Enterprise Association]] |page=7 |access-date=May 7, 2011}}</ref>{{r|darrach19770725}}<ref name="chawkins20150227">{{cite news | url=http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-leonard-nimoy-20150227-story.html | title=Leonard Nimoy dies at 83; 'Star Trek's' transcendent alien Mr. Spock | work=Los Angeles Times | date=February 27, 2015 | access-date=March 1, 2015 | last=Chawkins | first=Steve}}</ref>

Nimoy played an army sergeant in the 1954 science fiction thriller ''[[Them!]]'' and a professor in the 1958 science fiction movie ''[[The Brain Eaters]]'', and had a role in ''[[The Balcony (film)|The Balcony]]'' (1963), a film adaptation of the [[Jean Genet]] [[The Balcony|play]]. With [[Vic Morrow]], he co-produced ''[[Deathwatch (1965 film)|Deathwatch]]'', a 1965 English-language film version of Genet's play [[Deathwatch (play)|''Haute Surveillance'']], adapted and directed by Morrow and starring Nimoy. The story deals with three prison inmates. Partly as a result of his role, he then taught drama classes to members of [[Synanon]], a drug rehab center, explaining: "Give a little here and it always comes back".<ref>Branham, Stacy L. ''Nevada State Prison'', Arcadia Publishing (2012) p. 50</ref>

He had guest roles in the ''[[Sea Hunt]]'' series from 1958 to 1960 and a minor role in the 1961 ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' episode "[[A Quality of Mercy]]". He also appeared in the syndicated ''[[Highway Patrol (American TV series)|Highway Patrol]]'' starring [[Broderick Crawford]],<ref>{{cite news|last1=Guttenberg|first1=Steve|last2=Higgins|first2=Bill|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/leonard-nimoy-remembered-by-three-779357|title=Leonard Nimoy Remembered by ''Three Men and a Baby'' Star Steve Guttenberg|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=March 5, 2015|access-date=March 8, 2015}}</ref> and as Luke Reid in the "Night of Decision" episode of the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]/[[Warner Bros.]] [[Western (genre)|western]] series ''[[Colt .45 (TV series)|Colt .45]]''.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Night of Decision |url=http://ctva.biz/US/Western/Colt45_02_%281958-59%29.htm |access-date=November 1, 2013 |series=[[Colt .45 (TV series)|Colt .45]] |network=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |date=June 28, 1959 |season=2 |number=13}}</ref>

Nimoy appeared four times in ethnic roles on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Wagon Train]]'', the number one rated program of the 1961–1962 season. He portrayed Bernabe Zamora in "The Estaban Zamora Story" (1959), "Cherokee Ned" in "The Maggie Hamilton Story" (1960), Joaquin Delgado in "The Tiburcio Mendez Story" (1961), and Emeterio Vasquez in "The Baylor Crowfoot Story" (1962).<ref>{{Citation|last=Vogel|first=Virgil W.|title=The Baylor Crowfoot Story|date=March 21, 1962|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0743040/|others=John McIntire, Robert Horton, Robert Culp|access-date=January 31, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Lentz1996">{{cite book|author=Harris M. Lentz|title=Western and Frontier Film and Television Credits 1903–1995: Section I. Actors and actresses. Section II. Directors, producers, and writers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eWVZAAAAMAAJ|year=1996|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-0217-5|page=592}}</ref>

Nimoy appeared in numerous episodes of ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', as well as in ''Steve Canyon'' (1959), ''[[Bonanza]]'' (1960), ''[[The Rebel (American TV series)|The Rebel]]'' (1960), ''[[Two Faces West]]'' (1961), ''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]'' (1961), ''[[Rawhide (TV series)|Rawhide]]'' (1961), ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'' (1962), ''[[The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)|The Eleventh Hour]]'' (1962), ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' (1963), ''[[Combat!]]'' (1963, 1965), ''[[Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)|Daniel Boone]]'', ''[[The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]'' (1964), ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]'' (1963–1965; first working with ''Star Trek'' co-star [[DeForest Kelley]] in "Man of Violence", episode 14 of season 2, in 1963), and ''[[Get Smart]]'' (1966). He appeared in the 1995 ''[[The Outer Limits (1995 TV series)|Outer Limits]]'' series. He appeared on ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' in 1961 as Grice, in 1962 as Arnie, and in 1966 as John Walking Fox.<ref>{{cite web|title=Leonard Nimoy on Gunsmoke|url=http://gunsmoketv.org/leonard-nimoy/|website=gunsmoketv.org|access-date=May 14, 2015|archive-date=May 31, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150531032720/http://gunsmoketv.org/leonard-nimoy/|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Nimoy and later ''Star Trek'' co-star [[William Shatner]] first worked together on an episode of the NBC spy series ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'', "The Project Strigas Affair" (1964). Their characters were from opposite sides of the [[Iron Curtain]], though with his saturnine appearance, Nimoy played the villain and Shatner played a reluctant U.N.C.L.E. recruit.<ref name="Sackett1993">{{cite book|first=Susan |last=Sackett|title=Prime-time hits: television's most popular network programs, 1950 to the present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=viLuAAAAMAAJ|date=September 1993|publisher=Billboard Books|isbn=978-0-8230-8392-3|page=82 |quote=One classic episode (now available on video-cassette) was "The Project Strigas Affair," with guest stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy together for the first time in their pre-"Star Trek" days.}}</ref> By then he had a good reputation in Hollywood as a character actor, and chose ''Star Trek'' over a role on ''[[Peyton Place (TV series)|Peyton Place]]''.{{r|kleiner19671204}}

On the stage, Nimoy played the lead role in a short run of [[Gore Vidal]]'s ''[[Visit to a Small Planet]]'' in 1968 (shortly before the end of the ''Star Trek'' series) at the Pheasant Run Playhouse in [[St. Charles, Illinois]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beyondspock.de/stage.php |title=Stage |website=Beyond Spock – A Leonard Nimoy Fan Page |publisher=Christine Mau |location=Hamburg, Germany |access-date=July 12, 2011}}</ref>

=== ''Star Trek'' ===
[[File:Leonard Nimoy William Shatner Star Trek 1968.JPG|thumb|upright 1.3|Publicity photo of Nimoy as [[Spock]], alongside [[William Shatner]] as Captain [[James T. Kirk]]]]
Nimoy was best known for his portrayal of [[Spock]], the half-human, half-[[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcan]] character he played on ''[[Star Trek]]'' from the first TV episode in 1966 to the film ''[[Star Trek Into Darkness]]'' in 2013.<ref name="NYT-20150227" /><ref name=BBC /> According to biographer Dennis Fischer, Spock was Nimoy's "most important role".<ref name=Fischer />{{rp|482}} Spock became an icon and one of the most popular alien characters ever featured on television. Viewers admired his composure and intellect and his ability to take on any task successfully. As a result, Nimoy's character "took the public by storm", nearly eclipsing the star of the series, [[William Shatner]]'s Captain Kirk, adds Fischer.<ref name="Fischer" />{{rp|482}}  Nimoy was later credited for bringing "dignity and intelligence to one of the most revered characters in science fiction".<ref name="Morrow" /><!-- Cites paragraph. -->

Nimoy and Shatner, who portrayed his commanding officer, became close friends during the series' television run, and were "like brothers", according to Shatner.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Science Fiction |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-programs/science-fiction/ |access-date=November 1, 2013 |series=Pioneers of Television |network=[[PBS]] |date=January 18, 2011 |season=2 |number=1}} [https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-people/leonard-nimoy/ "People: Leonard Nimoy"].</ref> ''Star Trek'' was broadcast from 1966 to 1969. For his role as Spock, Nimoy was nominated three times for an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series|Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series]], and has long remained the only ''Star Trek'' actor nominated for an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]].<ref>{{cite web|date=February 28, 2015|title=Leonard Nimoy Dies at Age 83: 7 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek's Spock|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/630585/leonard-nimoy-dies-at-age-83-read-7-fascinating-facts-about-the-iconic-actor-who-played-star-trek-s-spock|access-date=November 16, 2020|website=E! Online}}</ref>

Among Spock's recognized and unique symbols Nimoy incorporated into the series is the [[Vulcan salute]], which became identified with him in pop culture. Nimoy created the sign from his childhood memories of the way ''[[Kohen|kohanim]]'' (Jewish priests) hold their hands when giving the [[Priestly Blessing]]. The accompanying spoken blessing is "Live long and prosper".<ref>{{cite book |last=Pogrebin |first=Abigail |author-link=Abigail Pogrebin |title=Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish |orig-year=Originally published 2005 |year=2007 |publisher=[[Broadway Books]] |location=New York |page=198 |isbn=978-0-7679-1613-4 |oclc=153581202 |lccn=2005042141|title-link=Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish }}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|id=G1d83XOORP0|title="Leonard Nimoy: The Origin of Spock's Greeting – Greater Talent Network"|link=no}}</ref>

Nimoy conceived the "[[Vulcan nerve pinch]]", which he suggested as a replacement for the scripted knock out method of using the butt of his phaser. He wanted a more sophisticated way of rendering a person unconscious. Nimoy explained to the director that Spock had, per the story, attended the Vulcan Institute of Technology and had studied human anatomy. Spock possessed the ability to project a unique form of energy through his fingertips. Nimoy explained the idea of putting his hand on his neck and shoulder to Shatner, and they rehearsed it. Nimoy credits Shatner's acting during the "pinch" that sold the idea and made it work on screen.<ref name=Fischer />{{rp|482}}

{{quote box|align=left|width=100%|bgcolor =|quote=His legacy as that character is key to the enjoyment of ''Star Trek''. The way that Spock was used as a device for the writers to examine humanity and examine what it meant to be human, that's really what ''Star Trek'' was all about. And in finding Leonard Nimoy, they found the perfect person to portray that.|source=Matt Atchity, editor-in-chief of [[Rotten Tomatoes]]<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/leonard-nimoy-spock-of-star-trek-dead-at-83/ "Leonard Nimoy, Spock of 'Star Trek', dead at 83"], Fox News, Feb. 27, 2015</ref>}}

Nimoy reprised Spock in ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]'' and two episodes of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''. When the new series ''[[Star Trek: Phase II]]'' was planned in the late 1970s, Nimoy was to be in only two of eleven episodes, but when the series was elevated to a feature film, he agreed to reprise his role. The [[List of Star Trek films#The Original Series films|first six ''Star Trek'' movies]] feature the original cast including Nimoy, who also directed two of the films, ''[[Star Trek III: The Search for Spock]]'' and ''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]]''. He played the elder Spock in the 2009 [[Star Trek (2009 film)|''Star Trek'']] reboot film and briefly in the 2013 sequel, ''[[Star Trek Into Darkness]]'', both directed by [[J. J. Abrams]].

=== After ''Star Trek'' ===
[[File:Leonard Nimoy Mission Impossible 1970 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Nimoy in a [[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|''Mission: Impossible'']] photoshoot in 1970|218x218px]]
Following ''Star Trek'' in 1969, Nimoy immediately joined the cast of the spy series ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'', which was seeking a replacement for [[Martin Landau]]. Nimoy was cast in the role of Paris, an IMF agent who was an ex-magician and make-up expert, "[[List of Mission: Impossible characters#The Great Paris|The Great Paris]]". He played the role during [[Mission: Impossible season 4|seasons four]] and [[Mission: Impossible season 5|five]] from 1969 to 1971. Nimoy had been strongly considered as part of the initial cast for the show, but remained on ''Star Trek''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Ken |date=August 8, 2012 |title=The man who would be Spock |url=http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/as-we-see-it/weekly-qa/2012/aug/08/man-who-would-be-spock/ |newspaper=[[Las Vegas Weekly]] |location=Henderson, NV |publisher=[[Greenspun Media Group]] |access-date=June 14, 2014}}</ref>

He co-starred with [[Yul Brynner]] and [[Richard Crenna]] in the Western movie ''[[Catlow]]'' (1971). He also had roles in two episodes of Rod Serling's ''[[Night Gallery]]'' (1972 and 1973) and ''[[Columbo]]'' (1973). He appeared in television films such as ''Assault on the Wayne'' (1970), ''[[Baffled!]]'' (1972), ''[[The Alpha Caper]]'' (1973), ''The Missing Are Deadly'' (1974), ''Seizure: The Story Of Kathy Morris'' (1980), and ''[[Marco Polo (1982 TV series)|Marco Polo]]'' (1982). He received an [[Emmy Award]] nomination for best supporting actor for the television film ''[[A Woman Called Golda]]'' (1982), for playing the role of Morris Meyerson, Golda Meir's husband, opposite [[Ingrid Bergman]] as Golda in her final role.

In 1975, Nimoy filmed an opening introduction to Ripley's [[World of the Unexplained museum]] located at [[Gatlinburg, Tennessee]], and [[Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco|Fisherman's Wharf]] at San Francisco, California. In the late 1970s, he hosted and narrated the television series ''In Search of{{nbsp}}...'', which investigated [[paranormal]] or unexplained events or subjects. In 2000–2001 he hosted [[CNBC]] TV series ''The Next Wave With Leonard Nimoy'', which explored how e-businesses were integrating with technology and the Internet. He also had a character part as a psychiatrist in [[Philip Kaufman]]'s 1978 remake of ''[[Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 film)|Invasion of the Body Snatchers]]''.
[[File:Mission impossible cast 1970.JPG|thumb|Nimoy with ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'' cast in 1970]]

=== Stage ===
[[File:Leonard nimoy 1980.jpg|thumb|upright|Nimoy at a 1980 sci-fi convention]]
Nimoy won acclaim for a series of stage roles. In 1971 he played the starring role of Tevye in ''[[Fiddler on the Roof]]'', which toured for eight weeks. Having performed in the Yiddish theater as a young man, he said the part was like a "homecoming" for him because his parents, like Tevye, also came from a [[shtetl]] in Russia and could relate to the play when they saw him in it.<ref name=Isenberg>Isenberg, Barbara. ''Tradition!'', St. Martin's Press (2014) p. 137</ref> Later that year he starred as Arthur Goldman in ''The Man in the Glass Booth'' at the [[Old Globe Theater]] in San Diego.<ref>Gershom, Yonassan. ''Jewish Themes in Star Trek'', (2009) Lulu p. 119</ref><ref>''San Diego Magazine'', Vol. 24, San Diego Publishing (1971)</ref>

He starred as [[Randle McMurphy]] in ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (play)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'' in 1974, one year prior to its release as a feature film, with [[Jack Nicholson]] in the same role. During the run of the play, Nimoy took over as its director and wanted his character to be "rough and tough," and insisted on having tattoos. The costumer for the show, Sharon White, was amused: "That was sort of an intimate thing.{{nbsp}}... Here I am with Mr. Spock, for god's sakes, and I am painting pictures on his arms."<ref>Shervey, Beth Conway. ''The Little Theatre on the Square'', Southern Illinois Univ. Press (2000) p. 41</ref>

In 1975, Nimoy toured with and played the title role<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine= [[Playboy]] | title= In Search of Nielsen Ratings and Other Ancient Mysteries| volume= 23| number= 9| page= 208| date= September 1976| publisher= }}</ref> in the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]]'s ''[[Sherlock Holmes]]''.<ref name=Fischer />{{rp|483}} A number of authors have perceived parallels between the rational Holmes and the character of Spock, and it became a running theme in ''Star Trek'' fan clubs. ''Star Trek'' writer [[Nicholas Meyer]] said that "the link between Spock and Holmes was obvious to everyone."<ref name=Sturgis /> Meyer gives a few examples, including a scene in ''Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,'' in which Spock quotes directly from a [[Arthur Conan Doyle|Doyle]] book and credits Holmes as a forefather to the logic he was espousing. In addition, the connection was implied in ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', which paid homage to both Holmes and Spock.<ref name=Sturgis>Sturgis, Amy H. ''Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine'', #10, Volume 10, Wildside Press (2013) p. 41</ref>

By 1977, when Nimoy played Martin Dysart in ''[[Equus (play)|Equus]]'' on Broadway, he had played 13 important roles in 27 cities, including Tevye, [[Malvolio]] in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', and [[Randle McMurphy]] in ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (play)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]''.{{r|darrach19770725}} In 1981, Nimoy starred in ''Vincent'', a one-man show which he wrote and published as a book in 1984.<ref>Nimoy, Leonard. ''Vincent'', Dramatic Publishing (1984)</ref> The audio recording of the play is available on DVD under the title, ''Van Gogh Revisited.''<ref>Dill, Karen E. ''The Oxford Handbook of Media Psychology'', Oxford Univ. Press (2013) p. 22</ref> It was based on the life of artist [[Vincent van Gogh]], in which Nimoy played Van Gogh's brother Theo. Other plays included ''[[Oliver!]]'', at [[The Melody Top]] Theater in Milwaukee, ''[[6 Rms Riv Vu]]'' opposite [[Sandy Dennis]], in Florida, ''Full Circle'' with Bibi Anderson on Broadway and in Washington, D.C. He was in ''[[Camelot (musical)|Camelot]]'', ''[[The King and I]]'', ''[[Caligula (play)|Caligula]]'', ''The Four Poster'', and ''[[My Fair Lady]].''

=== ''Star Trek'' films ===
After Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit by Nimoy for ''Star Trek'' merchandise royalties, he agreed to join ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]'', the first in the [[Star Trek films|''Star Trek'' film series]]. By 1986, Nimoy had earned more than half a million dollars in royalties.<ref name="harmetz19861102">{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/02/arts/new-star-trek-plan-reflects-symbiosis-of-tv-and-movies.html?pagewanted=all | title=New 'Star Trek' Plan Reflects Symbiosis of TV and Movies |work=The New York Times| date=November 2, 1986 | access-date=February 11, 2015 | last=Harmetz |first=Aljean | page=31}}</ref>

=== Other roles ===
==== Voice actor ====
In 1975, Nimoy's renditions of [[Ray Bradbury]]'s "[[There Will Come Soft Rains (short story)|There Will Come Soft Rains]]" and "Usher II", both from ''[[The Martian Chronicles]]'' (1950), were released on [[Caedmon Records]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Ray-Bradbury-Read-By-Leonard-Nimoy-The-Martian-Chronicles-There-Will-Come-Soft-Rains-Usher-II/master/343686 |title=Ray Bradbury Read By Leonard Nimoy&nbsp;— The Martian Chronicles: There Will Come Soft Rains&nbsp;— Usher II at Discogs |year=1975 |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> During 1980, Nimoy hosted the Friday "Adventure Night" segment of the radio drama series ''[[Mutual Radio Theater]]'', heard via the [[Mutual Broadcasting System]]. In 1986, Nimoy lent his voice to the 1986 cartoon movie ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' for the character Galvatron.

In Bradbury's 1993 animated TV film ''[[The Halloween Tree (film)|The Halloween Tree]]'', Nimoy was the voice of Mr.{{spaces}}Moundshroud, the children's guide. Nimoy lent his voice as narrator to the 1994 [[IMAX]] documentary film, ''[[Destiny in Space]]'', showcasing film-footage of space from nine [[Space Shuttle]] missions over four years time. In 1999, he voiced the narration of the English version of the [[Dreamcast|Sega Dreamcast]] game [[Seaman (video game)|''Seaman'']] and promoted [[Year 2000 problem|Y2K]] educational films.<ref>{{YouTube|id=RoF8PBbK-9o|title="Y2K"|link=no}} (excerpt). {{cite AV media |people=Bisley, Donnie (Director); Nimoy, Leonard (Host, Narrator) |year=1998 |title=The Y2K Family Survival Guide |location=La Vergne, TN |publisher=[[Ingram Entertainment Holdings Inc.|Monarch Home Video]] (Distributor) |oclc=41107104}}</ref>

Together with [[John de Lancie]], another actor from the ''Star Trek'' franchise, Nimoy created [[Alien Voices]], an audio-production venture that specializes in audio dramatizations. Among the works jointly narrated by the pair are ''[[The Time Machine]]'', ''[[Journey to the Center of the Earth]]'', ''[[The Lost World (Doyle novel)|The Lost World]]'', ''[[The Invisible Man]]'', ''[[The First Men in the Moon]]'', and several television specials for the Sci-Fi Channel. In an interview published on the official ''Star Trek'' website, Nimoy said that Alien Voices was discontinued because the series did not sell well enough to recoup costs.

In 2001, Nimoy voiced the Atlantean King Kashekim Nedakh in the Disney animated feature ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]''. Nimoy provided a comprehensive series of voice-overs for the 2005 computer game ''[[Civilization IV]]''. In the television series ''The Next Wave'' he interviewed people about technology. He hosts the documentary film ''The Once and Future Griffith Observatory''. Nimoy and his wife, [[Susan Bay]]-Nimoy, were major supporters of the [[Griffith Observatory]]'s historic 2002–2004 expansion.<ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Leonard and Susan Nimoy Donate $1 Million to Griffith Observatory Renovation |url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=4402 |location=Los Angeles |publisher=[[Griffith Observatory]] |date=March 19, 2001 |access-date=November 1, 2013}}</ref>

In 2009, he voiced "The Zarn" in the television-based movie ''[[Land of the Lost (film)|Land of the Lost]]''. He voiced the ''[[Star Trek Online]]'' massive multiplayer online game, released in February 2010,<ref>{{cite news |last=Snider |first=Mike |date=December 22, 2009 |title=Leonard Nimoy joins 'Star Trek Online' crew |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2009/12/leonard-nimoy-joins-star-trek-online-crew/1 |work=[[USA Today]] |location=Tysons Corner, VA |publisher=[[Gannett Company]] |access-date=November 1, 2013}}</ref> and ''[[Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep]]'' as [[Xehanort]], the series' leading villain. [[Tetsuya Nomura]], the director of ''Birth by Sleep'', said Nimoy was chosen for the role specifically because of his role as Spock, to play opposite [[Mark Hamill]], famous for his role as [[Luke Skywalker]] in ''[[Star Wars]]'', as Nomura was a fan of both series and wanted to pit them against each other. Nimoy reprised this role for ''[[Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance]]'' in 2012. After his death in 2015, Nimoy was replaced for the role as Xehanort by [[Rutger Hauer]], who died and was succeeded by Nimoy's ''Star Trek'' co-star [[Christopher Lloyd]].

Nimoy voiced Sentinel Prime in the 2011 film ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon]]''. He was a frequent and popular reader for ''[[Selected Shorts]]'', an ongoing series of programs at [[Symphony Space]] in New York City (that also tours around the country) which features actors, and sometimes authors, reading works of short fiction. The programs are broadcast on radio and available on websites through [[Public Radio International]], [[NPR|National Public Radio]] and [[WNYC]] radio. Nimoy was honored by Symphony Space with the renaming of the Thalia Theater as the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater.

==== Special appearances ====
From 1982 to 1987, Nimoy hosted the children's educational show ''[[Standby...Lights! Camera! Action!]]'' on Nickelodeon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/02/14/arts/action-group-aroused-by-nickelodeon-ad-plan.html|title=Action group aroused by Nickelodeon ad plan|website=[[The New York Times]]|last=Harmetz|first=Aljean|date=February 14, 1984|author-link=Aljean Harmetz}}</ref> He was an occasional voice actor in animated feature films, including the character of [[Galvatron]] in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' in 1986. He narrated the 1991 [[CBS]] paranormal series ''[[Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories]]''. In 1994, he voiced [[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]] in ''[[The Pagemaster]]''. In 1998, he had a leading role as Mustapha Mond in ''[[Brave New World (1998 film)|Brave New World]]'', a TV-movie version of [[Aldous Huxley]]'s [[Brave New World|1932 novel]].
[[File:Leonard Nimoy (handprints in cement).jpg|right|thumb|Handprints of Leonard Nimoy in front of [[Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway]] at [[Walt Disney World]]'s [[Disney's Hollywood Studios]] theme park]]

From 1994 to 1997, he narrated the ''[[Ancient Mysteries]]'' series on [[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]] including "The Sacred Water of [[Lourdes]]" and "Secrets of the [[House of Romanov|Romanovs]]". He appeared in advertising in the United Kingdom for the computer company [[Granville Technology Group|Time Computers]] in the late 1990s. In 1997, he played the prophet Samuel, alongside Nathaniel Parker, in ''The [[Bible Collection]]'' movie [[David (1997 film)|''David'']]. He appeared in several popular television series, including ''[[Futurama]]'' and ''[[The Simpsons]]'', both as himself and as Spock. In 2000, he provided on-camera hosting and introductions for 45 half-hour episodes of the anthology series ''Our 20th Century'' on the AEN TV Network. The series covers world news, sports, entertainment, technology, and fashion using original archive news clips from 1930 to 1975 from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and other private archival sources.

In 2001, Nimoy appeared on the television show ''[[Becker (TV series)|Becker]]'', where he played Dr. Emmett Fowler, a professor who cannot recall his former student.

Nimoy played the recurring enigmatic character of Dr.{{spaces}}William Bell on the television show ''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fringe-Meet-Dr-1004879.aspx |title=''Fringe'': Meet Dr. William Bell |last=O'Connor |first=Mickey |date=April 8, 2009 |website=TVGuide.com |publisher=CBS Interactive |location=San Francisco, CA |access-date=April 9, 2009}}</ref> Nimoy opted for the role after previously working with Abrams, [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]] on the 2009 ''Star Trek'' film and offered another opportunity to work with this production team again. Nimoy also was interested in the series, which he saw was an intelligent mixture of science and science fiction,<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/10/fringe-leonard-nimoy-on-william-bell.html | title = 'Fringe': Leonard Nimoy on William Bell | date = October 8, 2009 | access-date = March 2, 2015 | website = [[Los Angeles Times]] | first= Andrew | last =Hanson }}</ref> and continued to guest star through the show's fourth season, even after his stated 2012 retirement from acting.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/11/leonard-nimoy-talks-about-big-fringe-return | title = LEONARD NIMOY TALKS ABOUT BIG FRINGE RETURN | website = [[IGN]] | date = May 11, 2012 | access-date = March 2, 2015 | first = Matt | last = Fowler }}</ref> Nimoy's first appearance as Bell was in the Season{{nbsp}}1 finale, "[[There's More Than One of Everything]]", which explored the possible existence of a [[multiverse|parallel universe]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trektoday.com/content/2009/04/nimoy-joins-fringe.html |title=Nimoy Joins Fringe |author=T'Bonz |date=April 9, 2009 |website=TrekToday |publisher=Christian Höhne Sparborth |location=Utrecht, Netherlands |access-date=November 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625194943/http://www.trektoday.com/content/2009/04/nimoy-joins-fringe.html |archive-date=June 25, 2009 }}</ref> In the May 9, 2009, episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', Nimoy appeared as a surprise guest in the ''[[Weekend Update]]'' segment with [[Zachary Quinto]] and [[Chris Pine]], who play the young Spock and Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' which had just premiered days earlier. In the sketch, the three actors attempt to appease long-time [[Trekkie|Trekkers]] by assuring them the new film would be true to the original ''Star Trek''.<ref>Jacobs, Matthew (February 27, 2015). [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/27/zachary-quntio-leonard-nimoy_n_6771954.html?cps=gravity_2246_6639204149541054701 "Zachary Quinto Pays Tribute To His Spock Predecessor Leonard Nimoy"]. ''The Huffington Post''.</ref>

==== Producer ====
In 1991, Nimoy starred in ''[[Never Forget (film)|Never Forget]]'', which he co-produced with [[Robert B. Radnitz]]. The movie was about a ''[[pro bono]] publico'' lawsuit by an attorney on behalf of [[Mel Mermelstein]], played by Nimoy as an Auschwitz survivor, against a group of organizations engaged in [[Holocaust denial]]. Nimoy said he experienced a strong "sense of fulfillment" from doing the film.<ref name=nimoy1995>Nimoy (1995)</ref> In 2007, he produced the play, ''Shakespeare's Will'' by Canadian Playwright [[Vern Thiessen]]. The one-woman show starred [[Jeanmarie Simpson]] as Shakespeare's wife, [[Anne Hathaway (wife of Shakespeare)|Anne Hathaway]]. The production was directed by Nimoy's wife, Susan Bay.<ref>{{cite interview |last=Simpson |first=Jeanmarie |subject-link=Jeanmarie Simpson |interviewer=[[Dylan Brody]] |title=Jeanmarie Simpson – ''Artivist'' in the Modern Landscape (Part 2) |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dylan-brody/jeanmarie-simpson_b_994437.html |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |publisher=[[AOL]] |location=New York |date=October 5, 2011 |access-date=November 1, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite interview |last=Nimoy |first=Leonard |interviewer=Margitta |title=Exclusive Interview with Leonard Nimoy |url=http://www.leonardnimoy.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1445:exclusive-interview-with-leonard-nimoy-&catid=23:articles-and-quotes&Itemid=11 |work=Thanks to Leonard Nimoy |publisher=Margitta |date=June 2007 |access-date=June 14, 2012 |archive-date=March 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301060557/http://www.leonardnimoy.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1445:exclusive-interview-with-leonard-nimoy-&catid=23:articles-and-quotes&Itemid=11 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Kadosh | first = Dikla | date = June 28, 2007 | title = Youngest Torme, Shakespeare, photography, poetry, enamelwork | url = http://www.jewishjournal.com/picks_clicks/article/youngest_torm_shakespeare_photography_poetry_enamelwork_20070629 | newspaper = [[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]] | location = Los Angeles | access-date = March 1, 2012}}</ref>

=== Semi-retirement ===
In April 2010, Nimoy announced that he was retiring from playing Spock, citing both his advanced age and the desire to give [[Zachary Quinto]] full media attention as the character.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |url=http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=494534 |title=Mr. Spock Set to Hang Up His Pointy Ears |agency=[[World Entertainment News Network|WENN]] |work=MSN Entertainment News |location=Redmond, WA |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |access-date=November 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103084507/http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=494534 |archive-date=November 3, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'' was to be his final performance; however, in February 2011, he announced his intent to return to ''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]'' and reprise his role as William Bell.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://trekmovie.com/2011/02/25/leonard-nimoy-confirms-return-to-fringe/ |title=Leonard Nimoy Confirms Return To Fringe |date=February 25, 2011 |website=TrekMovie.com |publisher=SciFanatic Network |access-date=November 1, 2013}}</ref> Nimoy continued voice acting during retirement; his appearance in the third season of ''Fringe'' includes his voice (his character appears only in animated scenes), and he provided the voice of Sentinel Prime in ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=30588 |title=Leonard Nimoy Voicing Sentinel Prime |website=Empire |date=April 1, 2011 |access-date=July 8, 2015}}</ref> In May 2011, he made a cameo appearance in the alternate version music video of "[[The Lazy Song]]" by [[Bruno Mars]]. [[Aaron Bay-Schuck]], the [[Atlantic Records]] executive who signed Mars to the label, is Nimoy's stepson.<ref name="LazyLeonard">{{cite web |url=http://trekmovie.com/2011/05/26/watch-leonard-nimoy-gets-lazy-in-bruno-mars-music-video/ |title=Watch: Leonard Nimoy Gets 'Lazy' In Bruno Mars Music Video [Updated] |date=May 26, 2011 |website=TrekMovie.com |publisher=SciFanatic Network |access-date=June 3, 2011}}</ref>

Nimoy provided the voice of Spock as a guest star in a Season{{nbsp}}5 episode of the CBS sitcom ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' titled "The Transporter Malfunction", which aired on March 29, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20120312cbs03 |title=Listings – Big Bang Theory, The |website=TheFutonCritic.com |access-date=June 14, 2012}}</ref> Also in 2012, Nimoy reprised his role of William Bell in ''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]'' for the [[Fringe season 4|fourth season]] episodes "[[Letters of Transit]]" and "[[Brave New World (Fringe)|Brave New World]]" parts{{nbsp}}1 and{{nbsp}}2.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/JWFRINGE/status/193518932425064448 |title=Jwfringe: @naddycat #FringeLiveTweet We did |last=Wyman |first=Joel |author-link=J. H. Wyman |date=April 20, 2012 |publisher=Twitter |access-date=May 5, 2012 |quote=We did.}}</ref> Nimoy reprised his role as Master Xehanort in the 2012 video game ''[[Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://na.square-enix.com/us/blog/kingdom-hearts-3d-dream-drop-distance-voice-actors-return|title=Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] Voice Actors Return|website=na.square-enix.com|language=en-US|access-date=November 1, 2017}}</ref> On August 30, 2012, Nimoy narrated a satirical segment about [[Mitt Romney]]'s life on [[Comedy Central]]'s ''[[The Daily Show]] with Jon Stewart''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cc.com/video-clips/wq59nv/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-rnc-2012---the-road-to-jeb-bush-2016---mitt-romney--a-human-who-built-that|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031002522/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/wq59nv/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-rnc-2012---the-road-to-jeb-bush-2016---mitt-romney--a-human-who-built-that|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 31, 2015|title=RNC 2012 – The Road to Jeb Bush 2016 – Mitt Romney: A Human Who Built That|date=August 31, 2012}}</ref> In 2013, Nimoy reprised his role as [[Spock#Star Trek (2009)|Ambassador Spock]] in a cameo appearance in ''[[Star Trek Into Darkness]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Selby|first=Jenn|date=February 27, 2015|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/leonard-nimoy-dead-star-trek-spock-actor-dies-after-suffering-lung-disease-10076199.html|title=Leonard Nimoy dead: Star Trek Spock actor dies after suffering lung disease|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|access-date=March 2, 2015}}</ref>