--- description: The actor best known for 'Star Trek' also had a celebrated career as a director and released five folk albums title: Leonard Nimoy Was So Much More Than Mr. Spock image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [remembrance](/tag/remembrance/) ## remembrance Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Leonard Nimoy Was So Much More Than Mr. Spock by [Rachel Janik](/author/rachel-janik/) ## Rachel Janik Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 27, 2015 7:28 PM CUT by [Rachel Janik](/author/rachel-janik/) ## Rachel Janik Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 27, 2015 7:28 PM CUT By the end of the 1960s, Leonard Nimoy’s name was so synonymous with his wildly popular _Star Trek_ character that he titled his first autobiography _I Am Not Spock_. But the actor, musician and director did a lot more than just serve as the first officer on the U.S.S. _Enterprise_. ### _The Twilight Zone_ and Other Early Roles Nimoy’s roles before _Star Trek_ were mostly smaller parts in popular TV shows like _Wagon Train_ and _Dragnet._ In 1961 he was featured in the _Twilight Zone_ episode “A Quality of Mercy,” joining a long list of famous guests including his longtime friend and costar William Shatner. ### Music Career Nimoy had a colorful career as a recording artist that earned him a significant cult following. Banking on his success on _Star Trek,_ he released his first album in character, 1967’s [_Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock’s Music from Outer Space_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C70QRbawN8 "undefined")_._ Four more folk albums followed until 1970\. In 1997 he released a compilation album, _Spaced Out,_ that featured performances from Shatner_._ ### _In Search of…_ In 1977 Nimoy started hosting _In Search of_ _…_, a documentary television series that explored mysterious phenomena. He also wrote two episodes for the show, one of which investigated the life and death of Vincent Van Gogh. ### _Mission: Impossible_ After _Star Trek_ ended, Nimoy took a role as IMF Agent Paris, a former magician, in the spy show _Mission: Impossible._ He was with the show for two seasons, until 1971. ### Directing Nimoy’s career as a film director began with the _Star Trek_ sequels. After directing the third installment, he made _Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home_, in 1986, which remains one of the most popular films in the franchise. Other directing endeavors include the comedy film _Three Men and a Baby_, which was the highest-grossing film of 1987. ### _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ He starred with Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldbulm in the 1978 remake of _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_. The film was a critical and box office success: It currently holds a 95% fresh rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and is widely considered one of the most successful remakes ever made. ### _The Simpsons_ Nimoy appeared twice on the animated TV series the _Simpsons_ as himself. In the 1993 episode “Marge and the Monorail” he spoofs his role on _Star Trek_, and the 1997 episode “The Springfield Files” references his time on _In Search Of…._ ### _Fringe_ In the late 2000s he began a guest role on the science fiction TV show _Fringe_ as the genius scientist William Bell. During a period of temporary retirement in 2011, _Fringe_’s creators animated an episode to accommodate Nimoy’s appearance as a voice actor. ### _The Big Bang Theory_ Nimoy provided his voice for a 2012 episode of the geek-chic sitcom for a cameo scene in which the Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons, hallucinates that his Spock action figure is speaking to him. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3726395/leonard-nimoy-dead-career-besides-spock/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3726395/leonard-nimoy-dead-career-besides-spock/"},"headline":"Leonard Nimoy Was So Much More Than Mr. Spock","datePublished":"2015-02-27T19:28:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:47:33.193Z","description":"See nine memorable moments from his career outside of Star Trek","url":"https://time.com/3726395/leonard-nimoy-dead-career-besides-spock/","keywords":["remembrance","Television","Leonard Nimoy","Star Trek"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel Janik","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rachel-janik/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/remembrance/","name":"remembrance"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3726395/leonard-nimoy-dead-career-besides-spock/","name":"Leonard Nimoy Was So Much More Than Mr. Spock"}}]}] ```