We're sometimes guilty of thinking, "Wow, that actor made it to the top fast." While some people get bitten by the luck bug, a lot spend years, even decades, perfecting their craft and patiently waiting for a life-changing opportunity.

Many people didn't know Leonard Nimoy before Star Trek: The Original Series. His character, Spock, became an instant sensation, to the point that the actor had to escape fans by hiding in a fire truck. Yet Nimoy's success didn't happen overnight; it took 16 years.

"If I became an overnight success, I spent 16 years getting there," the actor said to The Charlotte News in 1970. "I was well on over 100 TV shows and made 12 movies, but no one knew me until I put on those crazy ears and played Mister Spock."

Nimoy was born in Boston and had to get rid of his accent that industry folk called "bad" (we're sure it wasn't, but Hollywood loves to strip away what makes someone an individual rather than like everyone else in the industry). Once he did that, the parts came rolling in, but not before he had other jobs to make a living.

"I started work when I was 10. When I first came to Hollywood, I drove a cab for a living. I worked at a pet shop and did other things. Matter of fact, I still own a pet shop today. I like that business," he added.

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