Leonard Nimoy and his defining cultural moments

Science fiction and fantasy is a genre that fuels our imagination, from the descriptive language in graphic novels to creative displays of art, reams of films and the wonderful portrayals of iconic characters that actors often bring to life.

Leonard Nimoy – best known for his role as Vulcan science officer Spock aboard Star Trek's USS Enterprise on television from 1966 to 1969 and in multiple film, television sequels and guest appearances – is beloved by genre fans around the world.

The nearly-83-year-old veteran actor of stage and screen took part recently in the Yiddish Book Center’s Wexler Oral History Project, a collection of in-depth video interviews chronicling the many ways there are to be Jewish. Nimoy, like many others involved with the project, recalls times from his childhood, memories of bygone neighbourhoods and how the Yiddish language and his Judaism connected to, and had a lasting impact on, the characters he has brought to life.

Within Nimoy's series of conversations with Christa Whitney, he memorializes Al Tabatchnik, a colourful "local legend" of the west-end Boston community where Nimoy grew up. Nimoy also speaks passionately about his stint working with Yiddish theatre director Maurice Schwartz after Nimoy moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s, and he expounds on the Jewish story behind Spock's defining "Live long and prosper" hand gesture.