Leonard Nimoy

Nimoy spent his early twenties teaching acting classes in Hollywood and scraping together small parts through the 1950s, interrupted by a two-year Army stint in Special Services. He originated Spock in the 1964 Star Trek pilot "The Cage," refining the character through the original series' three-year run that ended in 1969, then carried him through eight feature films and guest spots in spin-offs. Between Star Trek projects he starred in Mission: Impossible for two seasons, hosted In Search of..., and released albums with Dot Records - the first two mostly in character as Spock. The role earned him three Emmy nominations and a cultural footprint so large that decades later, in 2009, J.J. Abrams cast him as the elder Spock opposite Zachary Quinto's younger version in the franchise reboot. He returned once more in 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness, then retired, citing age and a wish to let Quinto own the role. He died in February 2015 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; an asteroid now carries his name.