See Zachary Quinto’s lovely tribute to Leonard Nimoy: “He lived a beautiful life and a full life”

The connection between Zachary Quinto and the late Leonard Nimoy went far beyond their shared role of Mr. Spock in the most recent Star Trek films.

‘We were very, very close and losing him was really difficult, obviously,’ Quinto said this week on Conan O’Brien’s late night show. ‘But I feel so grateful that I knew him and that he was such an instrumental figure in my life. He lived a beautiful life and a full life.’

Nimoy died on February 27, one month shy of his 84th birthday.

‘We’ll certainly miss him – he’s an amazing man,’ Quinto said. ‘He stood for and stands for such an ideal. He imbued that character (Mr. Spock) with so many of his finest qualities. He really carried that energy through his life – he was an incredibly generous and thoughtful and talented man.’

Quinto, currently starring in the NBC miniseries The Slap, added: ‘We should all be so lucky to live half as a fulfilled life as he did. There’s sadness but it’s tempered by the fullness of the life he lived.’