1 Spock: {giving Vulcan salute} Live long and prosper.

Leonard Nimoy provided the first role model of a cool scientist that I can remember, both in his role as Mr Spock on Star Trek, and also as the narrator of the semi-paranormal investigation series In Search Of.... This was before Carl Sagan made his documentary series Cosmos, and before David Attenborough made Life on Earth (both also big early influences on my career path).

But it was Star Trek that promised a gleaming future where everything was amazing and people flew through space, seeing fantastic things and meeting all sorts of strange alien creatures. And the coolest character on the starship Enterprise was the half-Vulcan science officer, Mr Spock.

He was a bit of a misfit amongst the otherwise all-human crew of the ship, but didn't let that stop him performing his job with dignity and aplomb, many times saving the ship and everyone on board with his deductive skills and immense knowledge. And, despite his alien heritage, he had a human side. He showed weaknesses, but he did his best to overcome them. While Kirk was out seducing women, Spock was sitting back, learning, thinking, and coming out stronger for it.

Leonard Nimoy went on to a successful career directing and had a strong interest in photography which led to the publication of three books of his photos. He was a creative person, and managed to live the dream of many creative people through the exposure of his early acting career. He is, in both real life and his acting roles, part of what made me who I am today, and still part of what I aspire to.

He lived long and prospered. May we all.

Leonard Nimoy: 26 March 1931 - 27 February 2015.