A Soldier's Story: Sergeant Leonard Simon Nimoy



Sergeant Leonard Simon Nimoy was born on March 26, 1931, in Boston, Massachuttes.   He was always very industrious, selling newspapers and cards and shining shoes while growing up. He also began performing in theater while still in grade school.

He would continue in his goal to be an actor, although his parents wished that he would have attended college.

Sergeant Leonard Nimoy's officially launched his acting career at the age of 17, when he took on the role of Ralphie from Awake and Sing by Clifford Odets.

He would perfect his craft through acting classes at Boston College and the Pasadena Playhouse, although, after enrolling in Konstantin Stanislavsky's courses, Sergeant Nimoy became a committed method actor.

In 1953 he enlisted in the US Army Reserves and was assigned to the Special Services unit, where he was charged with creating shows and events for troop entertainment. Sergeant Nimoy finished his contract honorably in 1955.

He returned to acting after his discharge, taking on roles in B-Movies and regularly taking guest spots on shows like Perry Mason, Dragnet, Sea Hunt, Wagon Train, and The Twilight Zone before landing his signature role, that of the Vulcan Science Officer S'chn T'gai Spock, in Gene Roddenberry's  Star Trek series. Sergeant Leonard Nimoy would play this character throughout his entire career.


In addition to his role in the Star Trek series and its subsequent movies, animated series, video games, and other Spock appearances, Sergeant Nimoy continued to take on other projects, appearing in several other TV series, including Mission Impossible, Night Gallery, and Columbo. He also accepted a role in the western production Catlow. In addition, he would appear as the host on shows such as Ripley's World of the Unexplained, Paranormal Investigators, and Ancient Mysteries. Sergeant Leonard  Nimoy also maintained an active stage career, performing in Fiddler on the Roof, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Equus. Sergeant Nimoy was also an active narrator and voice actor. He would even throw his hat into children's TV by hosting Nickelodeon's Standby... Lights! Camera! Action!

In addition to his acting career, Sergeant Leonard Nimoy earned an MA from Antioch College in 1971. Antioch College would award him an honorary doctorate in 2000, and in 2012, Boston University would also award him an honorary doctorate.

Sergeant Nimoy enjoyed flying, had his private pilot's license, and owned a small plane.

Sergeant Leonard Simon Nimoy died on February 27, 2015, and rests at the Hillside
Memorial Park in Culver City, California. 

His final tweet was, "A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had,  but not preserved, except in memory."

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to the travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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Location: Boston, MA, USA

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