Adam B. Nimoy is an American television director. Nimoy is the son of actor Leonard Nimoy and his first wife, actress Sandra Zober.
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» All Lawyer InterviewsIn 1975 my father wrote an autobiography entitled "I Am Not Spock". This infuriated the fans. In 1995 my father wrote an autobiography entitled "I Am Spock". This made everyone feel much better.
If you don't know me, I'm the guy who directed Chris Evans in an episode of The Opposite Sex. I also directed Star Trek: TNG, NYPD Blue, Ally McBeal, Gilmore Girls, and... Vengeance Unlimited! Check it out.
I'm also currently writing and directing a documentary about Mr. Spock and and my Dad, Leonard Nimoy, entitled "For The Love Of Spock." Although we've already begun pre-production and started some interviews this week, I'm (full disclosure!) actively in the middle of a campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds for the licensing and post-production of the film. You can find out more and become part of it HERE.
In the meantime, I want to thank you, specifically the Star Trek community. I've received so many great letters and questions from fans of my dad and Mr. Spock in the recent months following his death; I'm happy to take the opportunity to answer some more of them here, publicly. So.. go ahead! AMA.
https://twitter.com/adam_nimoy/status/611950889532653569
Everyone, this was a really good experience for me! I really appreciate everybody who participated. It was great to be able to respond to so many of your questions - I hope to have the chance to come back sometime and answer more! In the meantime, I've got to get back to work on the Spock Doc (ok… Spockumentary?), but I hope you'll continue to follow the project.
LLAP
Hi Adam! I wanted to say thank you first for honoring your father in a way that includes his many fans.
My first BURNING question is this: How did you miss the golden opportunity to name your project "The Spockumentary"?? This keeps me up at night.
Second, what is your favorite memory as a director?
LLAP!
Another fan suggested "Finding Nimoy" as another possibility. This IS in fact a Spockumentary and hey, who knows, there's still time to change the title.
And back to your second question...One of my favorite experiences was directing an episode of a short-lived series entitled "The Opposite Sex" starring a young Chris Evans and a younger Milo Ventimiglia both of whom were wonderful. Everything clicked on that show it just all came together so well. It was a great time.
You're a Star Trek fan... but are you a Star Wars fan too?
JJs doing both, why can't I? Actually I am a big SW fan. This franchise came out in '77 while we were all still waiting for a ST movie. The success of SW had a lot to do with getting traction for a ST movie. And hey, Luke Skywalker and I both had very interesting fathers.
I am so sorry for your loss. What is your favorite memory of your father? What did you enjoy doing with him the most?
I have many favorite memories but one of the best was sitting down with Dad when I got my first directing assignment on ST: TNG and going through the script scene by scene. Dad was a fabulous story-teller and helped me understand that what's happening in the scene is far more important than where to put the freaking camera.
I know your dad and Shatner didn't always get along , did you guys ever talk about it?
Like all friendships, they had their ups and downs but I can tell you this: There were a lot of good times between them and my dad was there for Bill during very difficult times. And, Bill has been one of the biggest supporters of For The Love Of Spock my documentary film about my dad and Mr. S.
Hi Adam,
"For the Love of Spock" is currently showing just shy of 5k backers, yet Spock and Nimoy fans are in the millions. Do you think it is just that most of them don't know about your film and Kickstarter?
Yes we believe this is the core problem: not enough fans know about the Kickstarter campaign For The Love Of Spock. We need the fans to tell startrek.com to help spread the word and then let's see what happens. I also think people mistakenly believe that it's ok to wait til the last minute to pledge. The truth is we need your support right now.
Hello, sir! Thanks for doing this!
Your father appeared in an alternate video for Bruno Mars' "The Lazy Song." What was his experience doing that like?
Dad had a great time appearing in that video. He actually did it as a favor for my step brother Aaron Bay Schuck who signed Bruno to Atlantic records. We already have approval to use a snippet of that video in my documentary on Dad and Mr. S.
Hello Mr. Nimoy.
From some of your father's work outside of Star Trek (eg: The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins) as well as some of the blooper reels from Star Trek I've seen, it seemed like he had quite a sense of humor. Did his sense of humor cause any difficulties for him when portraying Spock?
Thanks, and LLAP!
Actually, Dad tried very hard to stay in Spock character on and off the set. When the cameras weren't rolling, the cast was always joking around but Dad wouldn't crack a smile. This is why Bill Shatner and the crew repeatedly stole Dad's bicycle and why they put me in ears and had me surprise Dad on the bridge.
I was really shocked to hear on one of Kevin Smith's podcasts that Paramount is charging you so much for use of Star Trek footage- have they simply not been sympathetic at all to your project?
I missed that podcast and will check it out. Truth is this is a business and like anyone else, I have to pay for clips for my film. That being said, the Powers That Be are working with me to help get me what I need within the budget I have to work with.
I am not sure about your relationship with George Takei or whether you would be comfortable asking him for help getting the word out. He has 8 million followers on Facebook and posts fundraising information of his own from time to time.
I have a very good relationship with George and he's already been incredibly helpful in supporting this project.
Hi Adam,
Besides the the documentary, do you have any other works planned-- will you continue directing?
Also I just wanted to say I 'met' your father at Comicon about 10 years ago and was blown away with how much he seemed to care for his fans, and how down to earth he was. Truly an amazing man.
I do have other projects in the wings but my focus has to be on For The Love Of Spock and this Kickstarter campaign. As for the fans, I firmly believe they are the reason Mr. Spock has endured for so many years. My father LOVED the fans and tried to give back to them whenever he could. This Spockumentary is really for the fans and hopefully will bring new fans on board.
Growing up, did you ever experience any difficulties in your personal life, having such a famous celebrity icon as a father?
Yes there were many ups and downs with sharing my father with the millions of ST fans who wanted his attention. It was at times very difficult to share him with the public when I had so little contact with him during the ST years and the
Hi! When did you realize for the first time that your father had so many fans? And have you ever been a little jealous of us?
The first time I realized that there were so many of you is when sacks of fan mail starting arriving at our home. I was ten years old and I sent away for X Ray glasses to see through girls' clothes. I waited everyday for the glasses to arrive and packages did arrive…but they were always for Mr. Spock. And when the glasses finally came, I could see through anything.
What is one of your favorite life lessons taught to you by your father?
If you pursue what you are truly passionate about in life, the possibilities are limitless.
Adam- hello from a member of the Santa Monica Star Trek Group!
Growing up, did you realize what a profound piece of pop culture your father (and Star Trek) had become? How did you feel about that?
Thanks.
What amazes me is how much Spock is still a part of pop culture even today. I'm extremely proud to see Spock popping up at the most unexpected times.
I know that your father was in touch very much with his religion, the Vulcan salute was even inspired by a Jewish tradition. So my question is are you as religious as your father? And what is your fondest memory of your father pertaining to religion?
I study Torah with my rabbi only because I'm interested in living a full and more meaningful life. I do attend services on a semi regular basis. My fondest memory of my father is when he used to read from the Book of Jonah on Yom Kippur. It was so wonderful to see him up there reading. I loved that experience so much I named my son Jonah.
What was it like for you the first time you saw your dad on-screen?
One of my earliest memories of seeing Dad on TV was in the Outer Limits. The show was entitled "I, Robot" and was about a robot named Adam. I was totally engrossed in the story when Dad suddenly and unexpectedly appeared as the sympathetic reporter. Wow. That blew my eight year old mind. Dad and I remade that episode with me directing in 1995. Another blow mind.
What do you think of the new Star Trek movies?
I LOVE THEM! JJ and the new cast are freaking AWESOME!! I'm really looking forward to the next installment and I'm really honored to have Zachary narrating my Spockumentary.
How did you define yourself outside of your father's shadow?
I've always tried to by my own man. That's one of the reasons I went to law school. Even though I switched careers and followed some of my father's path, things have worked out well for me. I walk a much smaller path than my father, but I try to walk it well.
Your father has an asteroid now named after him (4864 Nimoy) to honor him. Would you talk about that fact to in the documentary?
It blew my mind when I heard this news. It seems a fitting tribute to a man who helped focus so much attention on space exploration. Will 4864 Nimoy be in my film? I certainly hope so.
Hi there! I arrived here through a retweet from the Sundance Institute—which has me wondering, are you planning on bringing your film to the festival this upcoming year, or are you on a different/longer schedule? I'm looking forward to your film and would love to see you at Sundance sooner rather than later!
I would LOVE to be considered for the Sundance festival in January. It would be a dream come true. I am absolutely committed to getting this film ready in time. But that is exactly why I need your help now with my campaign to complete For The Love Of Spock.
HI Adam - torn between quizzing you and watching "The Changling" on CBS Action!!
Did you get teased by kids at school, or was it cool to be Son of Spock?
The class bully who used to beat me up found out I was the son of Spock. After that, he protected me from the other class bullies. But he was always yelling "EARS!" when he spotted me in the halls.
Hi Adam! You directed two of my favorite episodes of Star Trek TNG; Timescape and Rascals. What was it like working with such a wonderful cast? Was it strange to be contributing to something your father worked on famously many years before?
To be perfectly honest, these were my two first directing gigs and I was a little (read a lot) nervous. But the cast and crew were terrific in helping me understand what it means to be a director on episodic TV. I loved the show and it was an honor to work on it and thank you for you kind words.
Hey Adam. Thanks for doing this and for making For the Love of Spock. I have two fairly different questions for you.
First, I never had the opportunity to thank your dad for the character he brought to life. It made a huge impact on me in a way I can't describe. Did your father understand the import that Spock and he had on so many lives?
Second, I'm a supporter on Kickstarter and as I look at various social media posts on which it comes up, I become frustrated when people refuse to help fund it on the basis of something to the effect of, "he must have all of that Spock money. Why does he need our help?" What would you, or what should I, say in response to such a claim?
I would say to them: “Insufficient facts always invite danger.” - Spock, "Space Seed."
I've been working on this project since November, and have engaged in a number of pre-production activities (research, editorial, collecting ST artifacts, firing phasers, etc). I have also had a number of production days with film crews. All of this without any outside funding whatsoever. Unfortunately, contrary to popular belief, my resources are not limitless. (Sorry to disappoint anyone!), and the making of this film is going to be expensive particularly because I'm required, just like anyone else, to license hundreds (yes hundreds!) of stills and film clips of Mr. Spock, and Leonard Nimoy in other roles. After all, what's a Spock Doc without Spock?
And as to Dad, I know he did understand the impact of Spock on people all over the world. He was reminded about this many times in his life. But he was also a man of great humility and gratitude and that's why I believe he loved the fan base so much and tried so hard to give back to them when he could.
Leonard Nimoy was one of my favorite human beings on the planet. Right there with Robin Williams. I remember when your dad first mentioned his condition on Twitter, I was following him. And his last tweet so near to his passing is/was amazing. Dumb question, but how are you dealing with him not being around? Are you at peace with his passing? And thank you for doing this Adam (The Doc that is, I've been sharing it on Facebook, but only have like 42 friends, lol). LLAP
We as a family are still adjusting to the loss of our beloved Patriarch. It's a very strange period of change. My hope with this film is to creating a lasting statement about the life of my father and his most famous alter ego. This is my gift to him in loving memory. LLAP
Hey Adam- when are you going to publish another book? Anything would do. Random thougts that cracked you up, a history of the Beverly Hills Library, adventures driving on Sunset at night, Westwood tell-all. Seriously, anything. And yes, I'm thinking only of the benefits to you. :-)
I do have another book in the wings: more adventures about My Incredibly Wonderful, Miserable Life. Stay tuned. But right now my entire focus is on For The Love Of Spock and a successful Kickstarter campaign. But thanks for being one of the twelve people who read my book!
What kind of music that your dad into? Or music that you listened to while growing up?
My mom listened to rock. My dad…listened to Charles Aznavour and Lou Rawls. But he did like CCR.
Aloha Adam! How much of your Dad spoke through Spock? For example when he Wrote and Directed "The Voyage Home" did it express his belief of whale preservation and stewardship? I can only assume so. I appreciate your AMA and my best to you on this project ~ Mahalo
Yes saving the whales idea was something Dad felt VERY strongly about. In fact it prompted ST creator Gene Roddenberry to comment that Leonard was the new "conscience" of ST. Mahalo!
Who were among the storytellers or actors/actresses that your father looked up to or was inspired by?
My dad was a big fan of Paul Muni and so am I. Paul was a character actor (he was the first Scarface) and played many many different characters (Check out "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang"). This is exactly what Dad aspired to do.
I was going through old footage and believe I found Beta tape footage of the last convention Roddenberry & the OG cast went to - how did your Dad feel about conventions in general? Any special recollections?
The conventions were a way for Dad to connect directly with the fans and he loved the conventions. Our entire family was present for Dad's last convention appearance in Chicago in 2011 and it was very emotional for him and for us.
What got you into directing instead of acting?
I did study acting but I quickly realized directing was a highly collaborative art form and was something I was much more suited for.
Hi Adam! Thank you for doing this AMA.
What was the most important lesson your father taught you?
And in your opinion, what was something important about your father that people DON'T know about?
See my response previously about life lessons, but most people don't know that my father had private pilot's license and flew us all over the country. He was an excellent pilot and was also an excellent sailor due to his years sailing the Charles River in Boston.
If it doesn´t happen with Kickstarter, do you have a plan B?
I'm not thinking about Plan B right now because I'm confident that TOGETHER, we can make this a successful campaign. PLEASE PLEDGE TODAY! LLAP
Dude! I loved Opposite Sex! What was it like working on that show and with a young Chris Evans?
Dude! It was Rad! Seriously. Chris and the entire cast were awesome!!