Leonard Nimoy to Retire!

According to the Toronto Sun, Leonard Nimoy has decided to retire from acting.  He recently completed filming his final appearance as William Bell on the series “Fringe”, and he told the paper that this will be his last acting role.  So no more turns as Spock.  Or anyone else.  Nimoy explains:

I want to get off the stage. Also, I don’t think it would be fair to Zachary Quinto … He’s a terrific actor, he looks the part, and it’s time to give him some space. And I’m very flattered the character will continue.

Nimoy says of his career:

I’ve been doing this professionally for 60 years …. I love the idea of going out on a positive note. I’ve had a great, great time.

And when asked whether he regrets taking the role of Spock, he has this to say:

Since Star Trek began in 1966, I’ve never had to worry about where the next job was.

Actor retirements rarely last.  They get the whiff of greasepaint and they’re back.  But, for some reason, we believe Nimoy.  And we’re quite sad about it.  Nimoy has given us such joy over so many years, it’s hard to believe we’ll soon see his final role.

Here’s a couple of tribute videos from YouTube of Nimoy as Spock and in other roles:

And a final vid of Nimoy singing to cheer you up: