On February 27th, 2015, Leonard Nimoy – the actor famed for bringing us the half-human, half-Vulcan character, Spock – died of COPD at the age of 83. Born in Boston’s West End to Russian Jewish emigres, 17-year-old Leonard went against his parents’ wishes, and pursued a career as an actor. Over the next 16 years, whilst supporting his young family, he became the ultimate bit-part actor, mostly playing the bad guys. And then came Star Trek. Driven to succeed, Leonard put everything he had into the character of Spock, and never stopped working for the next two decades – much to the detriment of his family and his health. COPD is known as a smoker’s disease, but smoking is by no means the only cause. And Dr Michael Hunter is using first-hand accounts of Leonard’s life to unpack the truth behind the character traits and lifestyle choices that ultimately caused the pop culture icon’s death.
