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    Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man
    Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man
    Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man
    Audiobook6 hours

    Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man

    Written by William Shatner and David Fisher

    Narrated by William Shatner

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    "Shatner narrates his story with touching reverence for a dear friend...Shatner's authentic performance moves the story along with humor and sincerity, making the anecdotes all the more interesting and touching." — AudioFile Magazine

    A New York Times Bestseller

    Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner first crossed paths as actors on the set of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Little did they know that their next roles as Spock and Captain Kirk, in a new science-fiction television series, would shape their lives in ways no one could have anticipated. In seventy-nine television episodes of Star Trek and six feature films, they grew to know each other more than most friends could ever imagine.

    Over the course of half a century, Shatner and Nimoy saw each other through personal and professional highs and lows. In this powerfully emotional audiobook, Shatner tells the story of a man who was his friend for five decades, recounting anecdotes and untold stories of their lives on and off set, as well as gathering stories from others who knew Nimoy well, to present a full picture of a rich life.

    As much a biography of Nimoy as a story of their friendship, Leonard is a uniquely heartfelt audiobook written and read by one legendary actor in celebration of another.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateFeb 16, 2016
    ISBN9781427273215
    Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man
    Author

    William Shatner

    William Shatner is the author of nine Star Trek ® novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Ashes of Eden and The Return. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Get a Life! and I’m Working on That. In addition to his role as Captain James T. Kirk, he starred as Denny Crane in the hit television series from David E. Kelley, Boston Legal—a role for which he won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Find more information at WilliamShatner.com.

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    Reviews for Leonard

    3.5/5

    110 ratings18 reviews

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    • 5/5
      It gets better as it goes along. I loved it.
    • 3/5
      I'm not certain what I was hoping for in this book; perhaps a bit of understanding of the relationship between Shatner and Nimoy? The book reads as though Shatner is sitting with the reader and just talking talking talking. The order is simple enough in that it tries to follow what was going on with both men during the years with some insights into what each was doing and sometimes thinking. Kind of like a he-said/she-said but told in a Shatner-says "mode".
      I wanted to read through the book as quickly as I could but think the best way would probably have been with a bit of a break between chapters. In that fashion, re-reading som topics that get repeated would not have felt like it got in the way of the story's/stories' flow. (If anything made this book sometimes feel like a ramble it is during these points). I guess it would make a decent audio book, though.
      Did I learn a bit more about Nimoy? Yes. A bit more about Shatner? Not really. Did my opinions change about either of them as creators or men? Nope.
    • 5/5
      William Shatner writes from the heart in this tribute to his old friend, Leonard Nimoy. He tells how they met, and speaks of the ups and downs of their relationship. He spends some time recalling the filming of Star Trek and the aftermath of the now glorious series, which really didn’t catch on during its original run. He is candid about disagreements the two men had, and how their friendship suffered and then strengthened again. He is honest about the reason he missed attending Nimoy’s funeral. He tells about the way Nimoy learned the craft of acting. He talks about Nimoy’s passion with art and photography. Readers will get some insight about both men, how they felt and what drove them to be the actors we saw on the screen. It’s an informative book, part biography and part memoir, and quite stirring in its emotional content. Shatner doesn’t paint a rosy picture of their lives together, and that makes the story the gripping tale that it is. The audio version is narrated by Shatner, and that, too, makes it better than the print version. Recommended not only for Star Trek fans but for anyone who has ever had a friend.
    • 4/5
      This is William Shatner's reminiscence about and tribute to his friend and co-star, written sometime after Nimoy's death in 2015. Although it really is about Shatner's relationship with and feelings about Nimoy, as much as it is about Nimoy himself. Even when talking about Nimoy's background, before they ever met, Shatner takes a compare-and-contrast approach to discussing their lives, from the similarities in their childhoods to their different approaches to acting. Yeah, insert joke about Shatner's ego here, and said ego is definitely on display, sometimes in mildly irritating ways, along with a number of slightly uncomfortable examples of his notorious ability to be difficult even with his friends, but I think it mostly works. Certainly Shatner's respect for Nimoy as an actor, an artist, and a human being does come through strongly.
    • 3/5
      Just once I would like something Shatner writes to not be about Shatner. Just talk about Nimoy for G-d's sake!
    • 4/5
      I was drawn to this hybrid of various genres--reminiscence, biography, and autobiography--by one reviewer who mentioned that the two men, who had been intimate friends over the years, had become estranged during Nimoy's last years, for reasons unknown to Shatner. Probably this has happened to most of us. However, this is dealt with only briefly, and at the end of the book, when an astute author or ghostwriter would have used it as a tease at the start of the book, and is not, in and of itself, much justification for taking the time on this. The Star Trek anecdotes are interesting, but most will be familiar to the majority of readers. Fortunately, this book is quite interesting when it describes how two young men made their way into television acting during the fifties and, especially, the differing ways in which they, and to some extent other actors they've worked with, approached the actor's craft. Shatner's genial style goes down easily, and he does capture the nuances of his relationship with Nimoy well, but to me, the craft of acting and the process of making a career of it were the heart of the book.
    • 4/5
      I was pleasantly surprised at this book. The over-the-top Shatner styled was seriously downplayed here. It still very much reads in Shatner's voice and is a story he is telling but it a wonderful memoriam and tribute to someone who he cared for deeply, someone with who he had a turbulent but intense relationship. It was a beautiful reading into the depth of Leonard Nimoy which often gets lost when talking about him. His devotion to his many crafts and his transformation through his adult lifetime is surprising well-described.
    • 3/5
      Leonard reads like a summary of Leonard Nimoy's life which was somewhat disappointing given the fact that these 2 men considered themselves best friends for nearly 50 years. It wasn't until the final chapter that I could finally "feel" their friendship at an emotional level, primarily through the loss that William Shatner felt when they stopped speaking over the filming of the Captains, particularly because that did not seem like the real reason to Shatner. Personally I wonder if the hot-headedness and ego of Shatner was finally too much for Nimoy. Yet, the ending of the book was a beautiful tribute to a talented actor.
    • 4/5
      In this inviting memoir/biography, Shatner muses about his working relationship with Leonard Nimoy and the development of their off-screen friendship. Shatner likes to think that Leonard Nimoy was his best friend, and to fair to Shatner, he does admit that friendships are not something that he fosters. In fact, he states in the book that ”until Leonard and I had developed our relationship… I didn’t even know what a friend was.” Whether Leonard shared this feeling is a moot point. To this day Shatner insists that he has no idea what he did to make Nimoy, in 2011, stop being friends with him. For this reason, this book is more an apologetic eulogy by Shatner, and a reminder of just how special meaningful friendships are. Shatner discusses the commonalities he shared with Nimoy (Nimoy was born just 4 days after Shatner; both come from working class Jewish Eastern European immigrant families; both struggled to start their acting careers, etc) and on to explain how their 50-year ‘friendship’ spanned personal and professional highs and lows for both of them (Nimoy and Shatner’s third wife both suffered alcohol addiction; both went through bitter divorces and both saw professional highs – Nimoy as a director and Shatner achieving a solid acting career). While the book delves into the early years and professional histories of both actors – and yes, there is a lot of material for Trekkie fans like me to enjoy – it is Shatner’s supposition that their immigrant experiences shaped their lives that I found most interesting. Overall, Shatner presents and interesting portrayal of Nimoy as a driven artist, performer and individual who was always challenging himself. The book is a bit clichéd but I will give Shatner credit, he does like to tell a story, even if he cannot help but include himself as a one of the key players in the story being told.
    • 4/5
      A great memoir of a friendship between two iconic Hollywood stars. Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner experienced some strikingly parallel careers and their personalities emerge vividly in this book written after Leonard's death. A must-read for Star Trek fans and worthwhile for others as well.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this memoir from beginning to end, even though I’d already heard, seen, or read about 60% of it from other sources such as Leonard Nimoy’s own memoirs (I Am Not Spock, then later, I Am Spock), interviews with Nimoy over the years, and the recent documentary, For the Love of Spock, directed by Adam Nimoy. Much of Nimoy’s television and early film career is covered and often compared to Shatner’s own.It was that other 40% that piqued my interest such as the depth of Nimoy’s love for the written word through his poetry and how he had come to love photography. These are parts of Nimoy’s creative career with which I was only superficially familiar. It pains me to admit that I’ve never read his poetry and have only seen a small subset of his photographs, but after reading Shatner’s memoir, I’m inspired to action and will make the time to delve more into these aspects of Nimoy’s art.No memoir about Leonard Nimoy would be complete without mentioning his love for the stage and his brilliant performances in Fiddler on the Roof and his one man show, Vincent, about the life and work of Van Gogh. Shatner also touched on the enormous charitable donations made by Leonard and his wife Susan to theatres in New York as well as the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.To his credit, Shatner was honest about his conflicts with Nimoy and Roddenberry in the early months of Star Trek and the reasons behind that. He also expressed great disappointment and sadness that Nimoy had stopped speaking to him in the weeks before his passing. All of that, and Shatner’s brotherly love for Nimoy, shined through as truly genuine and heartfelt.
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars

      This is a really cool look at the lives of two famous men. They were friends for half of their lives and are known by most everyone by their iconic rolls from Star Trek. It was really interesting to learn about their families, life on the set for things they did together in Hollywood, things they did outside of acting and just a bit of everything. Definitely worth reading and a must for fans.
    • 3/5
      I'd say this is more like a 3.5 star book. I really enjoyed learning about Leonard Nimoy, but sometimes there were parts that centered just a tad more on Bill and it kind of threw me off a bit. But I still liked the book. I'm looking forward to reading Leonard's autobiographies so I can learn even more about him. If you're a fan, I'd definitely suggest giving this one a go
    • 5/5
      Star Trek reruns after school were my introduction to science fiction. While I fell in love with Scotty, I found Spock to be fascinating. (Admit it, you heard that in his voice!) I mourned with the rest of the world when Nimoy passed away. How could I pass up reading this book?The thing to remember is when a person writes about his friend, you find out about both of them. What shines throughout the book is the immense friendship and respect that Shatner had for his friend. Of course, Shatner has a huge ego and that comes through, too, but I think he tried to tone it down. I did find out new things about both Shatner and Nimoy.What is heartbreaking is that while Shatner recounts what led to the rift between Nimoy and him, he truly doesn't understand what he did that Nimoy couldn't forget. Shatner's pain is almost palpable.If you want a biography of Nimoy, this isn't it. This is a remembrance of friendship between two talented men told by an excellent storyteller. I breezed through the book, not really wanting to stop. (Kindle didn't help me stop -- "Only eight minutes in this chapter. This chapter is only ten minutes. Whoops! I'm going to be late to work!") However, if you like Star Trek, then I think you'll like this book.
    • 1/5
      I could not finish listening to it. I like William Shatner, and I suppose that if I read closely the title, I would have recognized that this was really about Shatner and his relationship to Leonard Nimoy ... not a biography of Nimoy. I lost interest by Chapter 2.
    • 3/5
      So this is basically a story about Shatner, more than about Leonard, but I was kinda of expecting it so I wasn't really surprised. That being said, I still enjoyed it, but would have loved to have a more in depth biography about Nemoy. His son is writing one as well that I look forward to reading it. Don't get me wrong I kinda like Shatner, I met him once and he was very sweet to me and told me I was too pretty to be a nerd, but Spock was always my favorite. Shatner has obviously done some research into Nemoy's life other than just his what he learned during his friendship with the man. I get the sense that Nemoy was an extremely private man and not one for taking about his inner emotions. This is also brought more into light when Shatner talks with Adam, Leonards son. I did get the sense that Shatner also feels quite bad about their falling out near the end of Nemoy's life. Though who really knows what truly happened. Shatner says he has no real idea, but well he is an actor, so you never really know. I loved the pictures and their is a truly delightful one with Shatner and Nemoy doubled over in laughter - which shows that they did indeed have a friendship. Shatner is all about Shatner and he doesn't hide that, which I somewhat appreciate. But I can imagine for Nemoy, that might have been a little hard to deal with all the time. Like anyone, it must be hard for Shatner to really deal with his own failings in their friendship. At times you can sense his openess about his own shortcomings, but he is definitely still holding back. To me its a bit of an apology and love letter to the Nemoy, laced with Shatner trying to explain his side. Truly fascinating to learn about how similar their upbringings were. A must read for any Star Trek Fan. And the best part of the book is that is starts with the scene at the end of The Wrath of Khan - truly one of the truly most beautiful heartbreaking scenes that most of us geeks cannot even talk about without balling our eyes out. LLAP my friendsFavorite Passage"I suspect Roddenberry felt I was the perfect choice for the lead roel in a show because I wasn't too intelligent for the audience and he didn't have to pay me a lot of money."
    • 4/5
      I grabbed this off the new books shelf at the library. It fits in perfectly with my 50th anniv of Star Trek read this year.Part memoir, part confessional, part biography, this was much better than I expected. Shatner being Shatner, this isn't just about Nimoy. The infamous ego does seem to have been dialed back a bit and Shatner comes clean on various times that don't show him in the best light. I found his observations and history of Leonard Nimoy very much worth the read. It is somewhat surprising that they could become friends. Shatner does not have close friends. He repeatedly admits it. He even more or less acknowledges that he was a jealous dick about Nimoy's popularity when "He" was the star of the show. Their relationship certainly had ups and downs.Some of the really important issues in Nimoy's life are barely touched on, or handled gently, while others get a more in depth accounting. As such, this is a very selective look back on their working lives. Despite the title I kept wondering as I read this, when do we get to the friendship part? It does come, eventually. And there are some touching moments.Overall good reading, although I think this could be arranged a little better by an editor. There are some glaring typos as well scattered throughout the book. Someone wasn't doing their job. I miss Leonard Nimoy. I may seek out one of his autobiographies at some point.
    • 4/5
      This is the account of the 50 year "voyage" between two very close and complex brothers, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Shatner is honest, forthcoming and bears his emotions on the enjoyment and loss of his dear friend. Listening to his story encourages the reader to take into account the value of their own lifelong friends and remember that they are as fragile as they are hearty and strong. Leonard died of COPD caused by many years of smoking....Read by Shatner, I enjoyed listening.