William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Frazer Harrison/Getty Pictures
Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner’s friendship was set as much as be magical.
Earlier than incomes the roles of Mr. Spock and James T. Kirk respectively in Star Trek, the pair had been born simply 4 days aside in March 1931 with large desires of appearing in Hollywood.
“I used to be full of admiration for Leonard on many ranges,” Shatner informed The Hollywood Reporter in February 2016 when reflecting on the early days of their friendship. “His intelligence and his creativity and his passions and his focus as an actor [were impressive].”
Whereas the duo discovered nice success and friendship within the Star Trek franchise, their relationship in the end deteriorated after a virtually 50-year bond. To today, the precise reasoning behind their fallout stays a thriller — however stays within the headlines even after Nimoy died in 2015.
Superstar feuds are so charming that there’s even an award-winning Ryan Murphy anthology TV collection dedicated to the subject. Whereas some A-list beefs appear inevitable — Nicki Minaj vs. Cardi B, for instance, or Jef Holm vs. Arie Luyendyk Jr. — others appear to return out of nowhere. Freddie Prinze Jr., for example, spoke sick […]
“I simply don’t know and it’s unhappy and it’s everlasting,” Shatner informed the publication. “I don’t know why he stopped speaking to me.”
Preserve studying for a full historical past of Nimoy and Shatner’s relationship that prolonged far past the small display.
1965
William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Cowl Pictures
Though Nimoy and Shatner labored collectively on one episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. in 1964, their friendship didn’t absolutely launch till they filmed a Star Trek pilot one yr later. The science-fiction TV collection took off with the costars filming 79 episodes over three years. Their connection solely deepened by common fan conventions and a run of six films.
1966
Within the early days of Star Trek, studies said that Shater and Nimoy might have had some battles of the ego. However in a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Shatner couldn’t recall something critical. “I’d suppose that any clashes that we had to start with, it was so way back that I’m compelled to attempt to recreate what fireworks which may have been,” he stated. “I don’t keep in mind any fireworks, I keep in mind going to the producers and questioning whether or not they had been going to alter the thrust of the present on account of the recognition of Spock. So my anxieties had been by no means directed at Leonard per se, it was about ‘How was the present going to go?’”
2012
William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy Twentieth Century Fox Movie Company/Sundown Boulevard/Corbis through Getty Pictures
In his 2022 e book Boldly Go: Reflections On A Life Of Awe And Surprise, Shatner recalled filming a 2012 Star Trek documentary, The Captains. Within the venture, footage of Shatner and Nimoy attending a conference was captured. The one drawback was Nimoy reportedly didn’t consent to the footage or need to be included. “Backstage, Leonard was miffed,” Shatner wrote. “Something with Leonard would have been incidental, and we weren’t going to make use of it. … I had no intention of attempting to sneak Leonard into the movie.”
2014
In February 2014, Nimoy introduced through social media that he had been recognized with power obstructive pulmonary illness 30 years after giving up cigarettes. In keeping with the Mayo Clinic, the power inflammatory lung illness causes obstructed airflow from the lung. Signs can embrace a cough and difficulties with respiration. In Boldly Go, Shatner speculated that Nimoy’s sickness might have contributed to a gradual withdrawal from household and associates.
2015
William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Twentieth Century Fox Movie Company/Sundown Boulevard/Corbis through Getty Pictures
In February 2015, Nimoy died on the age of 83. His spouse, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his loss of life, saying the trigger was end-stage power obstructive pulmonary illness. Shatner sparked controversy when he selected to not attend his costar’s funeral. The actor later defined that he had a charity occasion that he couldn’t miss. “When Leonard Nimoy died a couple of years in the past, his funeral was on a Sunday. His loss of life was very sudden, and I had obligated myself to go to Mar-a-Lago for a Crimson Cross fundraiser,” Shatner informed Selection in 2023. “I used to be one of many celebrities elevating cash. That occasion was on Saturday evening. I selected to maintain my promise and go to Mar-a-Lago as an alternative of the funeral.”
2016
In his 2016 e book, Leonard: My Fifty-Yr Friendship with a Outstanding Man, Shatner detailed the long-held friendship along with his Star Trek costar. On the identical time, he acknowledged their feud and incapacity to reconcile earlier than Nimoy’s loss of life. “Certainly one of my biggest regrets is that Leonard and I weren’t as shut as we had been throughout these previous few years of his life,” he wrote. “It’s heartbreaking, heartbreaking. It’s one thing I’ll marvel about, and remorse, eternally.”
2024
Whereas many particulars surrounding Nimoy and Shatner’s feud stay personal, one member of the family might have some solutions. In an interview with Web page Six revealed on June 2, Nimoy’s son, Adam Nimoy, described the connection between his dad and Shatner as “unlucky” and unhappy. “I do know why,” he informed the publication concerning the cause behind the feud. Adam, nonetheless, added that he’s going to “let sleeping canines lie” on the subject of the topic.
