Leonard Nimoy - A Great Man Who Will Be Missed

I often feel sad when favourite actors pass away, but for Leonard Nimoy I actually cried. I saw a post on Livejournal saying that he had passed away and that was it; it was hanky time.

I was lucky enough to meet him for a few brief moments a couple of years ago at a convention. He seemed like a very nice man and very caring of his fans, which is something everyone seems to agree on. It is so sad he has been taken from us.

Star Trek has had a huge impact on my life. I remember watching reruns of the original series as a child and the show was full of so many things that simply stuck in my brain. I blame Star Trek and Star Wars for my love of sci-fi: Star Trek for my love of what I think of as pure sci-fi and Star Wars for sci-fi with a hint of fantasy. I was the head of the Star Trek society at university and I am proud to say we were the biggest non-political or non-religious society on campus at the time.

Mr Spock was one of the things that stuck with me the most. He was intriguing and different and fascinated me. Looking back is amazes me how much depth Leonard Nimoy managed to get into a character who wasn't supposed to show emotions. Those eyebrows could convey a thousand things through just a twitch.

I'm a big fan of Mission Impossible as well, in which Nimoy plays Paris, a retired magician who is a master of disguise and can play any role. I remember first seeing him in it and being shocked when he laughed and joked, because I had only ever seen him as Spock before.

He was a great actor best known as a stoic alien and I will always appreciate the impact he had on my life. I love him in The Original Series, in the movies, in Next Gen and I think he was an inspired addition to the reboot. Spock aged gracefully, as did the man who played him and it feels like he's a distant uncle who I've grown up always knowing from afar.

My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time of sadness and I hope it gives them some comfort to see how many people he touched in his life.