Nimoy: Not Quite Retired At 80
2 min readAlthough his eightieth birthday is fast approaching, Leonard Nimoy is still quite quite busy with acting, appearances and his photography career.
Most people at eighty would be retired if circumstances permitted them to do so, but Nimoy, who announced his retirement more than once recently, keeps getting sucked back into work and convention appearances. “I did it [Fringe appearance],” said Nimoy. “One episode.”
Will Nimoy ever appear on Fringe again once this season ends? “I can’t say if William Bell will ever be back or if this is the finale of the season,” said Nimoy. “I thought the character was finished, but they came up with a wonderful idea.”
When asked if the finale to which he referred was the season or series finale, Nimoy said, “I don’t have either answer, season or series. I have been through many resurrections in my time!”
The season finale for Fringe will air in May.
In addition to the occasional acting job, Nimoy still appears at conventions, considering the appearances a “thank you” to Star Trek fans. “That’s exactly what it is, a thank you,” he said. “I still feel an obligation to be out there for them, to tell them the Star Trek stories and to bring them up to date on what I’m doing. There’s still a lot of interest. I don’t know when I will stop doing this. I think there is an end in sight. I will not going on doing it indefinitely, but I am scheduled for three or four events for this year.”
Nimoy’s newest career, photography, brings him satisfaction without having to sacrifice his personal life. “I don’t need to be away from home for weeks and months at a time,” he said. “It’s a comfortable way for me to express ideas and to remain creative without it totally taking over my life. My personal life is very valuable to me. I enjoy my family a lot. I enjoy my personal time with my wife a lot. I don’t want to be away. I don’t need or want to do that.”