Leonard Nimoy Starred In A '90s Western Movie That's Part Of A Legendary Franchise

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Leonard Nimoy will always be best known as Spock, but had he never played the half-Vulcan hero, he would surely be remembered as one of the most prolific Western character actors. Even after the heyday of the TV Western had long passed, Nimoy returned to the genre for 1995's "Bonanza: Under Attack," in what was a full circle moment for the actor.

Both "Star Trek" and Nimoy are inextricably linked to the Western genre. Gene Roddenberry pitched "Star Trek" to studios as a space Western, while Nimoy had appeared on pretty much every classic Western TV show you could possibly name. But that was typical of any character actor/up-and-comer of the era. Horse operas were in their prime in the 1950s and '60s, and if you were a working actor, you were going to end up in the Old West at some point. 

Not every actor who made their name on the soundstage saloons of mid-20th century Hollywood returned to Westerns once the genre had passed its prime. Alan Hale Jr., who might be one of the only actors to have appeared in more small-screen oaters than Nimoy, only made a handful of Westerns in the 1970s and '80s, the last of which came in 1984. Nimoy, however, saddled up as late as 1995, when he portrayed a real-life legend of the Old West in the TV movie "Bonanza: Under Attack." It wasn't the first time the "Star Trek" icon had contributed to the on-screen universe from which this little-remembered feature sprang, either.

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Every actor has some missteps on their résumé, but some of Leonard Nimoy's career choices are truly baffling. That remained the case even after he became a household name for his portrayal of Spock. Roger Ebert rightly tore apart his movie with Liam Neeson, in which Nimoy appeared to paint a sympathetic portrait of a character whose conduct is, shall we say, questionable. Then, there's his 1990 directorial effort "Funny About Love," which maintains a 0% Rotten Tomatoes critic score to this day. 

An attempt to cash in on the popularity of "Bonanza" 22 years after the show went off the air should have been almost as bad. Amazingly, the TV movie "Bonanza: Under Attack" wasn't a disaster. "Bonanza" is, of course, the second-longest running Western in TV history, airing for 14 seasons between 1959 and 1973. It saw Lorne Green's Ben Cartwright, the thrice-widowed Ponderosa ranch owner, living on his land alongside his three sons, Adam (Pernell Roberts), Eric "Hoss" Cartwright (Dan Blocker), and Joseph "Little Joe" Cartwright (Michael Landon). At one point, the show even welcomed Nimoy in a small guest role as the unscrupulous boss of a saloon girl.

After the show wrapped up in 1973, we got the 1988 TV movie "Bonanza: The Next Generation." Then, Ben Johnson, one of the only "Bonanza" actors still alive at the time, reprised the role of ranch hand Bronc Evans from the original series and took over the Ponderosa from the late Cartwrights in the 1993 movie "Bonanza: The Return." It wasn't until 1995 that we saw Nimoy's return to the "Bonanza"-verse in "Bonanza: Under Attack," and this time, he wasn't relegated to a small supporting role. Instead he played Frank James, brother of legendary outlaw Jesse James.

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Before becoming a star, Leonard Nimoy appeared in his share of now-forgotten Western shows. It was oddly fitting, then, that in 1995 he capped off his Western filmography with a TV movie that has also been largely forgotten.

Perhaps wisely, considering the aforementioned Nimoy movies, "Bonanza: Under Attack" didn't let the man anywhere near the director's chair. Instead, Mark Tinker handled directing duties, overseeing the story of how Nimoy's Frank James arrives at the Ponderosa, where Bronc Evans is still running things after the death of Ben Cartwright. Cousins Benjamin "Benj" Cartwright (Michael Landon Jr.), Adam "A.C." Cartwright Jr. (Jeff Phillips), and Josh Cartwright (Brian Leckner) are also living at the ranch, but considering leaving for various reasons.

Turns out James is on the run from real-life Pinkerton detective Charlie Siringo (Dennis Farina) and his posse, and seeks shelter with his old Civil War buddy, Evans, at the Ponderosa. But Siringo isn't far behind, which means it isn't long before the Cartwrights and James face off against his pursuers and, in true "Bonanza" tradition, learn the value of sticking together as a family in the process. Does it matter that they're also harboring a notorious outlaw in the process? Not according to the movie, which paints Siringo as the sole villain.

"Bonanza: Under Attack" is nowhere near as bad as it could have been, and has some decent reviews over on Letterboxd. Otherwise, following its January 15, 1995 premiere on NBC, the film all but faded from the collective memory, which is a shame if only because it was the last time TV Western veteran Leonard Nimoy set foot in the Old West.