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William Shatner first met Leonard Nimoy on the sets of the 1964 television seriesThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.. Both actors played guest roles in the series before later headlining their own TV series,Star Trek. InStar Trek, Shatner played Captain James T. Kirk of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), while Nimoy played the First Officer and Science Officer, Spock.
The duo further collaborated for theStar Trek Animated SeriesandStar Trekmovies, as well as in Shatner’s TV seriesT. J. Hooker. However, the actors did not speak to each other for five years until Nimoy’s death in 2015.
Also Read:Star Trek Legend William Shatner Tricked NBC Into Airing TV’s First Ever Interracial Kiss by Risking His Career that Got Banned in England for 25 Years
William Shatner Didn’t Know Why Leonard Nimoy Stopped Talking To Him
In 2016,William Shatnerrevealed that he hadn’t spoken withLeonard Nimoyfor five years, right up until his death. After years of working together, theStar Trekactors, in their later years, gradually grew apart. TheMiss Congenialityactor regretted not mending their relationship before Nimoy’s death. Shatner further shared that he didn’t know the reason why Nimoy stopped talking to him. In an interview for New York Daily News, William Shatner shared:
“Until the day I die, I will still wonder what caused that rift. After all the years we had spent together, after the bond we had forged, what could I have done that was so irreparable that he couldn’t even talk to me about it?… I just don’t know, and it is sad and it is permanent. I don’t know why he stopped talking to me.”
Shatner could not attend the funeral of his friend, and his daughters attended in his place. This caused a controversy at the time, withThe Devil’s Rainactor lashing out against New York Daily for their insensitive reporting of his absence from the funeral. Shatner however attended Nimoy’s online memorial and commemorated his friend.
Also Read:“His funeral was on a sunday”: Star Trek’s William Shatner Refused Going to Leonard Nimoy’s Funeral, Said “There’s no legacy”
William Shatner Had A Rivalry With Leonard Nimoy DuringStar TrekDays
William Shatner had a rivalry with Leonard Nimoy with both actors competing to outshine each other in their performances. The rivalry began the first time they met onThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.sets and continued on toStar Trek. The rivalry was addressed in Shatner’s biography by Michael Seth Starr, titledShatner.
Earlier, Nimoy opened up about the rivalry and stated that it boosted his performance as Spock. Both actors had a great chemistry on-screen, but often fans loved the performance of Nimoy’s Spock over Shatner’s Captain Kirk. Nimoy would receive fan mails and he revealed that this was somewhat bitter for Shatner, who was the actual lead of the show.
Also Read:Star Trek Actor William Shatner Lost Potential Emmy Win for Show’s ‘Most Sexist’ Episode That Was Postponed Due to a National Emergency
However, it didn’t affect their friendship at the time. Nimoy was theLand of the Freeactor’s best man at his fourth wedding. The reason for their gradual estrangement remains unknown, but Shatner regarded the talented actor as a brother and shared that he would miss his humor, talent, and capacity to love.
Fans can enjoy the two legendary actor’s performances by streamingStar Trek: The Original Serieson Paramount Plus.
Source:Metro
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
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Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
