We'll always have Paris.

Leonard Nimoy
March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015

Mission Impossible was produced by Desilu, the same production company that produced Star Trek.  If you watch Mission Impossible, you'll discover many Star Trek actors beamed down to guest star on the show.  Leonard Nimoy actually played a leading character, Paris, on Mission Impossible for seasons four and five.  I am just now getting around to watch these two seasons.  I just wasn't interested at the time.  To me it was odd seeing Spock playing in spy thrillers.  I wasn't used to seeing him without his Vulcan bowl-cut and his pointy ears.

Nimoy was first considered for Mission Impossible from it's inception, but Nimoy was garnering fame as Spock.  After his mission was over in deep space, he picked up the roll of a IMF agent, Paris, a master of disguise and impersonations.  Nimoy had initially signed a five year contract as Paris, but playing the master of disguise left him frustrated with a shallow role that kept him from developing his Paris character.  True, there wasn't much depth to Paris, but he always seemed to get the job done.  Nimoy begged out of his five year contract with hopes of finding more substantial rolls.

For the last month or two, I have Mission Impossible on My List on Netflix.  I've been catching up on these missed seasons.  I am enjoying watching Nimoy play outside of his Spock character.  After all these years, I guess I've gotten kind of tired of the old Vulcan, having lost the novelty of seeing him reappear time and time again on the television shows and in the movies.  It's quite refreshing to see Nimoy play someone else for a change. 

I was really attached to Spock as a child, but I find it refreshing to stumble across him in guest starring rolls in all the various shows throughout the 60's and 70's.

I just heard where Leonard Nimoy has passed away.  He has left us a body of work that will keep us entertained for years to come. He will be missed on this Earth, but we will continue to see him around.