Star Trek 's first and inarguably most popular alien wasn't even totally an "alien" at all. Leonard Nimoy's Spock had a half-human heritage which gave the character a richness and complexity that any run-of-the-mill full-blooded alien could not even approach. Audiences connected with Spock, and the logic-versus-emotion dynamic entered the mainstream consciousness in an iconic way.

The impact of Nimoy's performance as Spock has resonated for decades, following the actor throughout his life. His Vulcan alter-ego is a mainstay of pop culture, guaranteeing frequent conversations for Nimoy about his ears.

Nimoy's professional acting career in film and television began in the early 1950s, appearing in films such as "Queen for a Day," "Kid Monk Baroni" and "Zombies of the Stratosphere," and such television shows as Dragnet, Highway Patrol, West Point and The Man Called X.

While he worked regularly before Star Trek, Nimoy became a household name once he portrayed television's first Vulcan. And he was there from the beginning, in the original pilot "The Cage," being the only actor (other than Majel Barrett) to survive the transition to the series itself. After Star Trek he moved next door to Paramount's Mission: Impossible, then later lent his immediately recognizable voice to In Search Of... (not to mention his reprisal of Spock on Star Trek: The Animated Adventures) and began directing for television, then films.

His first directing credits include episodes of Mission: Impossible, Night Gallery and an episode of William Shatner's cop show T.J. Hooker titled "The Decoy" (he also acted opposite Shatner in another T.J. Hooker episode, "Vengeance is Mine") as well as episodes of the short-lived series The Powers of Matthew Star before moving on to the big screen. He established the first precedent for actors-turned-directors in the Trek franchise, helming the third and fourth feature films, "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." Following the huge success of the latter, he moved into mainstream directing, scoring a direct hit with "Three Men and a Baby."

Nimoy has also written a number of books, ranging from personal (his autobiographies "I Am Not Spock" and "I Am Spock") to fiction (the "Primortals Chronicles") to poetry ("A Lifetime of Love: Poems on the Passages of Life") to his latest passion, photography ("Shekhina"). Nimoy currently is primarily devoted to his photography, and is also a connoisseur of fine art and philanthropy. His personal appearances at conventions over the years, usually paired with William Shatner, have always been a big hit with the fans. This year you can see the duo at Creation events in three cities (and maybe more to come): Minneapolis in early May; Cherry Hill, New Jersey (Philadelphia area) in late July; and the big one, Las Vegas, in early August.

Nimoy's philanthropy has resulted in a prestigious honor which came to fruition just a few months ago. Leonard and his wife Susan donated a million dollars towards the renovation and expansion of the Griffith Observatory, that Los Angeles landmark which has been featured in hundreds of movies and TV shows including Voyager's "Future's End." And for that contribution, Nimoy has had his name ascribed to the new theater/lecture hall of the facility. The "Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater" became operational in November, when the Observatory re-opened, and is currently running a half-hour documentary starring Nimoy himself about the history of the Observatory. For more information visit www.GriffithObservatory.org (also check out the video at left).

Nimoy also recently served as host to another documentary, "Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier," which aired on the History Channel last month. It was a 40th anniversary celebration that focused mainly on last year's Christie's auction.

And of course, he took part in Comedy Central's Roast of his pal William Shatner, by pre-taping the opening segment of the show, in which Bill calls Leonard at his home to ask him to be part of the roast, but Leonard refuses because he has too much respect for him. You can see that clip at ComedyCentral.com — click "Videos" in the left-hand menu, then "Roast of William Shatner," then on the right side of the page click "Next."

STARTREK.COM would like to wish Leonard a very happy 76th birthday, and many thanks for his work in Star Trek and all of his other profound contributions to the world.

You can wish him a Happy Birthday on the Star Trek Message Boards!