Leonard Simon Nimoy (born March 26, 1931) is an actor, film director, poet, musician, and photographer. He is best known for playing the character of Spock on Star Trek, an American television series that ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1969, in addition to several movie sequels.

Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants from Russia. His mother, Dora (nee Spinner), was a homemaker, and his father, Max Nimoy, owned a barbershop.

Leonard Nimoy grew up in a Jewish Orthodox neighborhood in Boston, went to an Orthodox synagogue, and sang in the choir. His family actually spoke Yiddish at home. He began acting on stage as a child in Boston, and as a teen, he performed at war bond rallies. His older brother, Melvin Nimoy, graduated from MIT and became a chemical engineer. Leonard studied drama at Boston College and later the Pasadena Playhouse (1949-50) before finding small parts in B-movies and TV shows. A brief stint of military service (December 3rd, 1953 – November 23rd, 1955) interrupted his early years as a young character actor.

Leonard Nimoy first experienced the magic of making photographic images as a teen-ager in the early 1940’s. “I was about thirteen,” he says, when he discusses his attraction to the family camera, a bellows Kodak Autographic, which is a cherished part of his collection to this day. His darkroom was the family bathroom in their small Boston apartment. His subjects were family and friends. Nimoy’s first enlarger was a do-it-yourself number built around the same family Kodak.

Nimoy studied at UCLA under Robert Heineken in the early 1970’s and produced a body of work which was published in two books of poetry, You and I and Will I Think of You. Nimoy describes the images as “romantic, sentimental landscapes, still lives, and couples.”

 Other Leonard Nimoy’s poetry books, which include, Warmed by Love, These Words Are for You, Come Be With Me (Poems) and A Lifetime of Love: Poems on the Passages of Life.

In 1973, he had his first photographic showing at a gallery. In 1977, he earned a Masters Degree in Education. In September 2000 he was awarded a Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Antioch University for his work in Holocaust Rememberance, the Arts and the Environment. 

I have taken excerpts of his poetry and presented them together with his original photography to show how multi talented he is. Some of his photography is taken from his book entitled, “Shekhina: A photographic essay about the feminine presence of God.”

Today,
Time has stopped.
A minute is still a minute.
An hour is still an hour.
And yet,
The past and the future
Hang in perfect balance.
All focused on the present.
A sweet flow of excitement
Warms me.
You are near.

I am convinced
That if all mankind
Could only gather together
In one circle
Arms around each other’s shoulders
And dance, laugh and cry
Together
Then much
of the tension and burden
of life
Would fall away
In the knowledge that
We are all children
Needing and wanting
Each other’s
Comfort and
Understanding
We are all children
Searching for love

In my heart
Is the seed of the tree
Which will be me.
Nourished by understanding
Warmed by friends
Fed by loved ones
Matured by wisdom
Tempered by tears.

I am an incurable romantic
I believe in hope, dreams and decency

I believe in love,
Tenderness and kindness.

I believe in mankind.

I believe in goodness,
Mercy and charity
I believe in a universal spirit
I believe in casting bread
Upon the waters.

I am awed by the snow-capped mountains
By the vastness of oceans.

I am moved by a couple
Of any age – holding hands
As they walk through city streets.

A living creature in pain
Makes me shudder with sorrow
A seagull’s cry fills me
With a sense of mystery.

A river or stream
Can move me to tears
A lake nestling in a valley
Can bring me peace.

I wish for all mankind
The sweet simple joy
That we have found together.

I know that it will be.
And we shall celebrate
We shall taste the wine
And the fruit.

Celebrate the sunset and the sunrise
the cold and the warmth
the sounds and the silences
the voices of the children.

Celebrate the dreams and hopes
Which have filled the souls of
All decent men and women.

We shall lift our glasses and toast
With tears of joy.

I love you
not for what
I want you to be
But for what you are

I loved you then
For what you were
I love you now
for what you have become

I miss you
And not only you

I miss what I am
When you are here…
You bring out the best in me

Click here to return to that yiddishe mama, that poetess hostess with the mostess, Sans Souci, who is hosting Poetry Wednesday !

deletereply starfishred wrote on May 20, ’08 oh my he is so good and your piece is just wonderful

deletereply sanssouciblogs wrote on May 20, ’08, edited on May 20, ’08 Yiddishe Mama, here, this was another great integration of visual and written word–and of course the auditory. He is one creative dude. Each poem has a simple beauty, and each photo has a simple, stark power. Great post, sis!

deletereply sanssouciblogs wrote on May 20, ’08 By the way, I read the hand sign used in Star Trek is actually a blessing by Hebrew priests.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on May 20, ’08 This is correct. The Vulcan hand sign is a Hebrew blessing that he used in Star Trek. I will post the video where he clearly states this.

deletereply philsgal7759 wrote on May 20, ’08 I believe in mankind. I believe in goodness,      Mercy and charity      I believe in a universal spirit      I believe in casting bread      Upon the waters. I am awed by the snow-capped mountains           By the vastness of oceans. I am moved by a couple                Of any age – holding hands                As they walk through city streets. A living creature in pain           Makes me shudder with sorrow           A seagull’s cry fills me           With a sense of mystery. A river or stream                Can move me to tears                A lake nestling in a valley                Can bring me peace. Most illogical LOL but he could be writing about me

deletereply jayaramanms wrote on May 20, ’08 Great and Long poem by Leonard Nimay along with beautiful photographs. I just went through it once and I liked it a lot. But I heave to go through it at least another 2 or 3 times.which I will do tomorrow This week my poetry is – I carry your heart with me – By e.e.Cummings. available at – http://jayaramanms.multiply.com/journal/item/172 please see.. Thank you for sharing Laurisita.

deletereply bostonsdandd wrote on May 20, ’08 LOVED it as usual :o). You are so brilliant for looking for things we wouldn’t expect. First, I didn’t know Star Trek was only on for three years. I thought it was longer. Second. I didn’t know he was THIS talented. His character was my brother’s favorite, we watched the reruns of the show. The man blew me away with his poetry. And his pictures. OMGoodness! Those are beautiful. Third I didn’t know about the hand sign. Thanks for that too. You give us so much to be thankful for it’s hard to remember everything LOL. But thanks for being who you are and going that extra mile to make your posts so entertaining for us!

deletereply belita747 wrote on May 20, ’08 Wonderful! Everything is wonderful on here: the poem, the music, the wording… http://belita747.multiply.com/journal/item/440/POETRY_WEDNESDAY_-_CATS_DREAM

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on May 20, ’08 Thank you so much for all your kind comments. Leonard Nimoy is quite a Renaissance man.

deletereply welshdoug wrote on May 20, ’08 There’s a lot more to the Vulcan than meets the eye, Jim.

deletereply danceinsilence wrote on May 20, ’08 I happen to have a copy of Shekhina. I really enjoyed this. So I went You-tubeing and came up with this. This is just not Spock per se, but something Nimoy would say pretty much on his own accord. Hope you don’t mind. http://danceinsilence.multiply.com/journal/item/333/Poetry_Wednesday_…_Stricken

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on May 20, ’08 Bill, I was actually listening to this on imeem, and I couldn’t decide to make that the background music instead of the Star Trek theme, but maybe I should’ve. THANK YOU BILL for bringing this over. It is truely Leonard Nimoy and I’m listening to it as I’m typing this.

deletereply kwika wrote on May 20, ’08 A beautiful presentation thank you.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on May 20, ’08 Thank yiou, kwika. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

deletereply granddadmike wrote on May 21, ’08 This is great. Thank you

deletereply terryridgway wrote on May 21, ’08 Superb…

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on May 21, ’08 Thanks for all words of encouragement.

deletereply sweetpotatoqueen wrote on May 21, ’08 I am convinced That if all mankind Could only gather together In one circle Arms around each other’s shoulders And dance, laugh and cry             Together       Then much            of the tension and burden                        of life Amen to that! What a talent Dr. Spock has!!!. I did not know he was also a photographer. Wonderful post Laurita!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on May 21, ’08 Isn’t he great ? His words are very simple, but true !

deletereply lunarechoes wrote on May 22, ’08 Warmth, humanity, love, and acceptance just shine through these pieces, both the poems and the photographs. Thank you.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on May 22, ’08 Yes, I agree with you,  lunarchoes, especially humanity.

deletereply instrumentalpavilion wrote on May 22, ’08 Great! I met Nimoy back in 1976. Autograph signing at A & S in Hempstead, NY.

deletereply vghozlan wrote on May 23, ’08 he was my first crush…thank you!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on May 23, ’08 I wish I could’ve met him. He sounds like such a fascinating man.