BOSTON — Although his most iconic character may have raised an eyebrow and considered such a sentiment “highly illogical,” actor Leonard Nimoy is being posthumously honored by the City of Boston on what would have been his 90th birthday.

In one of his final acts before stepping down to become the U.S. Secretary of Labor, former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh issued a proclamation declaring March 26 “Leonard Nimoy Day” in the city, honoring the life and legacy of one of Boston’s native sons.

Nimoy was born in Boston’s West End on March 26, 1931 and at a very young age developed a love for acting and singing, performing at the Elizabeth Peabody House and the West End Boys Club, according to the proclamation. He went on to earn a summer scholarship for acting lessons at Boston College before making his way out to Los Angeles for a career in Hollywood.

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Nimoy built up quite a list of acting credits and in 1966 was cast in the role that would define his career: the half-human, half-Vulcan Mr. Spock on the original Star Trek television series. Nimoy would go on to play the character for nearly 50 years, making his final appearance as the character in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness.

Walsh said in the proclamation that Nimoy, through Spock, “gave the immigrant, the refugee, and the oppressed a hero for ‘the Outsider.’”


 

In addition to his acting work, Nimoy was an accomplished director, writer, singer and photographer. Nimoy, a former smoker, died in 2015 of complications from COPD.

Ultimate Unexplained reached out to Adam Nimoy, son of the legendary actor and a filmmaker who chronicled his father’s roots in the PBS documentary Leonard Nimoy’s Boston in 2014 as well as his legacy in For the Love of Spock in 2016, about the honor bestowed upon the elder Nimoy.

“The son of Russian immigrants, Dad was born and raised in Boston. When he was 10 years old, he sold newspapers in the Boston Common. When he was a teenager, he sold greeting cards on Bromfield Street and vacuum cleaners on Boylston Street. Then he graduated from Starfleet Academy and the rest is history,” Adam Nimoy said. “Many thanks to Mayor Marty Walsh and the people of Boston for honoring a talented artist and a great dad.”

Listen to Adam Nimoy and Rod Roddenberry talk about their famous fathers and the legacy of Star Trek:

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