Leonard Nimoy

Spock died at the end of The Wrath of Khan and is resurrected at the end of The Search for Spock. So what was Leonard Nimoy to do with all that down time between scenes? Write the Vulcan cultural encyclopedia? Manage an L.A.-based pet store?

(Actually he'd already tried the pet store thing. It…it didn't work out.) (Source)

No. Nimoy set aside these worthy pursuits and decided that if he couldn't be productive in front of the camera he'd be productive behind it. He would direct.

But despite his extensive knowledge of the franchise, Nimoy almost didn't get the job. For the longest time, the Trek rumor mill claimed it was Nimoy's idea to kill off Spock. Michael Eisner, Paramount chief at that time, believed the gossip and objected to the idea of Nimoy directing the third film, "feeling that anyone who clearly disliked the franchise would do a terrible job behind the camera." Nimoy personally met with Eisner to slay the rumor and nab the job. (Source)

The Search for Spock would be Nimoy's first theatrical directing job—he'd only directed the odd television episode or two before that. But Associate Producer Ralph Winter noted that Nimoy's knowledge of Trek and Vulcans was an asset to the film, saying,

Leonard knew about [Vulcan culture] and wanted to bring to life a lot of things that had been glossed over or never really developed before. (Source)

Such areas of Vulcan culture include its burial rituals, spiritual beliefs, and mating rites. The film also featured the steamiest mind-meld ever put to camera, featuring Kirk, an elderly Vulcan, and a roaring fire. All that was missing were the sensual bass-baritone vocals of Barry White.

The consensus was Nimoy did a fine job, and Paramount asked him to return to direct Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. In what might be the oddest achievement of any director's career, he somehow turned a story about time-traveling humpback whales into one of the franchise's highest grossing films. Let's see Stanley Kubrick pull that off.

With that said, Nimoy never made the jump from acting to directing the way actors like Clint Eastwood or Robert Redford have. After Star Trek IV, he directed only four theatrical films: 3 Men and a Baby, The Good Mother, Funny about Love, and Holy Matrimony. As you can see, these aren't the films Nimoy will be remembered for.

In fact, of the four, 3 Men and a Baby is the most often discussed, less for its directorial pizzazz than for the urban legend of its on-set ghost. An urban legend that turned out to be, in a phrase, most illogical. (Source)