Leonard
Page 23
Fifty years is a lifetime that passes in an instant. I can close my eyes and see him, young and handsome, tall and taciturn. He’s there, in my mind; his light step, his sardonic humor, his passion for his work. I hear his voice in all its richness, infused with an endless curiosity, and the sounds of his unhappiness as well as his laughter.
I look back and the reflection I see is my own life. The young actor that I was, hard of body, sound of mind, excited about the possibilities. Fifty years ago no one, no one, could have envisioned what was about to happen to us: This miracle that is Star Trek and a friendship that grew from it and lasted almost half a century. The fact that my contribution to Star Trek is done carries with it a great sadness, but that is nothing compared to the devastation of Leonard’s death before we could resolve the fraying ropes of our friendship. I am filled with sadness at the realization it will never be put back together.
There is a photograph of Leonard and myself that I especially love. In it, both of us are doubled over in laughter, and it was laughter at each other. With Leonard, you earned his laughter. We were at a convention, on a stage answering questions. There had been no preparation, our answers were spontaneous, and they were intended both to respond to the audience but also to delight each other with references to the secrets we shared. There was no filtering, no guidance, but in that photograph we so clearly had found the essence of our friendship and were mutually reveling in it. It was a moment of pure and utter enjoyment for who we were, what we had achieved together, the bond we shared—not just with each other but with the greater Star Trek audience—and the joy we found in each other’s company.
When I think about our relationship, when I think about the fact we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, that’s what I choose to remember.
Leonard had a wonderful philosophy. Steve Guttenberg told me about one night he’d had dinner with Leonard and Susan. “I was busy waxing philosophic about life when Leonard stopped me. ‘You just don’t understand,’ Leonard said. ‘The world is your oyster.’ That was a long time ago, and I’ve never forgotten those words. I’ve thought about them, and what I took from that was that life is a gift, and every moment is important. That I should try to make the most of every day. Go, go and have a good time.”
“Find your bliss,” Leonard said, quoting Joseph Campbell. “This planet and this civilization is in need. I see it as a time of need. I spoke at Boston University’s commencement a couple of years ago, and I said to give us the best of what you have, we need it. We crave it, we need what you have to offer. It’s important that you focus on what you can bring to the party. The rest will take care of itself, hopefully.”
In his play, Vincent, Leonard drew from the letters of Vincent van Gogh. There was one letter that he quoted, which seems so appropriate on so many levels: “I am a man of passions … I am a stranger on earth, hide not thy commandments from me. There is an old belief, and it is a good belief, that our life is a pilgrim’s progress and that we are strangers on earth … The end of our pilgrimage is the entering in our Father’s house, where are many mansions, where He has gone before us to prepare a place for us…”
LLAP, my friend, my dear, dear friend.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are many people I would like to acknowledge, but this book would not exist without David Fisher, with whom I have worked before and hope to work with after (soon, David, because there isn’t much time left). With a deep bow and a wave of my hand, I acknowledge my cowriter, David Fisher.
I would also like to express my appreciation to the many people who so willingly gave their time and their memories to assist me in paying tribute to Leonard, among them Richard Arnold, Joe D’Agosta, John de Lancie, Dorothy Fontana, Steve Guttenberg, Leonard Sachs, Jean-Michel Richaud, George Takei, Adam Nimoy, and the others who chose to do so without credit.
As always, I appreciate my valued assistant, Kathleen Hays, who manages to bring order to a hectic life, and my agent, Carmen Lavia.
From publisher St. Martin’s Press, I would like to thank executive editor Peter Joseph, who shared his vision for this book with me, and Melanie Fried, who gets it done, whatever it is, as well as Tom Dunne, for his long and honorable career in publishing that has led to this book.
I also would like to bring the attention of readers to the Archives of American Television (ATT), for “Capturing Television History, One Voice at a Time.” The AAT has very quietly gone about building the great oral history of television in existence and has made it available to both serious researchers and the rest of us fans. As someone who has both participated in the collection of that history and utilized it as a resource, I remain in awe of what they have done and continue doing and urge readers to visit their site (http://www.emmytvlegends.org)!
David Fisher would like to thank Casson Masters and Scribecorp, the best friend of every writer who needs a transcription done. And most important his beautiful, always supportive wife, Laura Stevens Fisher, who is always there, wherever there is, at exactly the right time (as well as their faithful dog, Willow!).
In 1966, the Starship Enterprise set out on its mission to take viewers to places where no man has gone before. As Captain James T. Kirk, I was accompanied by Leonard Nimoy’s Mister Spock; we began a voyage, and a friendship, that would last almost fifty years. During our Star Trek we relied on many futuristic devices that have actually become part of our daily life. Here Leonard and I are playing a game of tri-dimensional chess.
Our creator, producer Gene Roddenberry, used the creatures of the universe to explore complex themes on Earth from the meaning of love to the horrors of racism. What made the show work was not gimmicks or monsters, but very human relationships. In the 1982 movie The Wrath of Khan, the dispassionate Spock sacrificed his own life to save the crew. When we filmed this scene, in which we say good-bye to each other, both Leonard and I believed we were ending our amazing voyages into the future.
The original cast was reassembled for the 1979 feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture. There was considerable doubt a movie audience would support the remake of a television show—but among the celebration of the show’s 50th anniversary in 2016 is the release of the 13th feature film, Star Trek Beyond. Included in this picture (from left) George Takei, James Doohan, Grace Lee Whitney, Nichelle Nichols, Stephen Collins, DeForest Kelley, Majel Barrett, myself, Leonard, Persis Khambatta, and Walter Koenig.
There had never been a character like the half-human half-Vulcan Commander Spock, a brilliant scientist and logician practically devoid of emotion. It was fascinating for me to watch as show after show Leonard discovered and revealed the layers of this half-human being.
By our second season Spock had become part of the mainstream culture. Leonard had become a star and new opportunities suddenly were available to him. Here he appears in a 1967 skit on Carol Burnett’s top-rated comedy show.
The highly logical Spock immediately resonated with viewers, but his dispassionate nature made it difficult on Star Trek’s writers who continually searched for ways to force him to confront his human emotions, as in this scene with Jill Ireland in the 1967 episode This Side of Paradise.
We all believed Star Trek was done when we ended production after three seasons. Leonard took a role on the established hit show Mission: Impossible, returning to his acting roots to create a different character each week. Pictured here with star Peter Graves, in this episode he is playing a South American dictator.
Both Leonard and I were raised in Orthodox Jewish homes, and Judaism continued to play an important role in his personal and professional life. He appeared in several movies with Jewish themes, including 1982’s A Woman Called Golda and 1997’s David. Ingrid Bergman’s portrayal of Golda Meir was her final role before her death several months after filming was completed. The legendary actress was honored by being awarded an Emmy as the Outstanding Actress while Leonard was nominated as the Outstanding Supporting Actor for his performance as her husband.
Neither Leonard nor I ever anticipated a singing career, but the success of Star Trek made it possible. We both had successful—though critically questionable—singing careers, producing several albums. Here Leonard is performing on The Dick Clark Show in 1968.
As an actor, Leonard’s real love was live theater and he appeared often on both regional stages and Broadway. He was especially intrigued by the artistic passion of Vincent van Gogh. He wrote and performed the one-person play Vincent, which was based on the hundreds of letters written between van Gogh and his brother Theo.
In real life as well as aboard the Enterprise, Leonard was never content unless he was exploring a new world. Among his many interests was flying and he became an accomplished pilot. But as with every other thing he did, when he was at the controls he focused completely on the job and didn’t like being distracted.
At one point Leonard considered giving up acting to pursue his love of photography. He wasn’t interested in shooting pictures of events, but rather using the camera to provoke thought and convey ideas. He had been developing and printing his own work most of his life and eventually his work was featured in books and sold in very well-regarded galleries.
He was an accomplished actor, an admired acting teacher, and a producer of several films and finally became a leading film director. Although he only directed six features, two of them eventually grossed more than $100 million, putting him in an exclusive group. They were the comedy Three Men and A Baby, which starred Ted Danson, Tom Selleck, and Steve Guttenberg (to his left), which was the top grossing film of 1987, and the 1986 Star Trek: The Voyage Home, which remained the top grossing Star Trek film until J. J. Abrams’ 2013 Star Trek Into Darkness—which cost about six times more to make.
The character of Spock has become woven into the fabric of American culture, a fact that Leonard loved and appreciated. He brought great joy to tens of millions of people around the world, who instantly recognize Spock’s salute (seen here, based on a religious experience), his nerve pinch, his mind-meld, and his wish, spoken in every language, “Live long and prosper.”
This is the way I will always remember my friend, Leonard Nimoy.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
William Shatner has worked as a musician, producer, director, and celebrity pitchman and notably played Captain Kirk on Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 and in seven Star Trek films. He won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role as attorney Denny Crane on the TV drama Boston Legal. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Elizabeth. You can sign up for email updates here.
David Fisher is the author of eighteen New York Times bestsellers. His work has also appeared in most major magazines and many newspapers. He lives in New York with his wife and two sons. You can sign up for email updates here.
ALSO BY WILLIAM SHATNER
Up Till Now: The Autobiography
Zero G
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Acknowledgments
Photos
About the Authors
Also by William Shatner
Copyright
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
LEONARD. Copyright © 2016 by William Shatner. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.stmartins.com
Photo research and editing provided by Liz Seramur of Selected Shots Photo Research, Inc.
Cover design by Rob Grom
Cover photograph © Lillian Elaine Wilson/Contributor/Getty Images
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-08331-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-08332-6 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781250083326
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First Edition: February 2016