Zachary Quinto - Spock, Hannibal & Movies

Zachary Quinto starred as the main villain on the popular supernatural television show 'Heroes,' and has played Spock in J.J. Abrams's rebooted 'Star Trek' film series.

Who Is Zachary Quinto?

After the death of his father when Zachary Quinto was 7 years old, he found his passion in acting. Professionally trained in the arts at Carnegie Mellon University, he went on to find work on series such as so noTORIous and Touched by an Angel. He later found fame as Sylar in the supernatural thriller Heroes. He has since taken on the role of Spock in J.J. Abrams' rebooted Star Trek film series, including 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness.

Early Life

Zachary John Quinto was born on June 2, 1977, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He and his older brother, Joe Quinto, were born to mother Margaret "Margo" Quinto and father John Quinto. In the mid-1980s, when Quinto was 7 years old, his father died of cancer. The loss became one of the major factors in Quinto's ambition to succeed as an actor. He began his acting career a few years later, at the age of 11.

While in Pittsburgh, Quinto performed with the CLO Mini Stars in several local productions, including The Wizard of Oz and Cinderella. His passion for acting continued throughout high school and college, with Quinto studying acting at Carnegie Mellon University. One year after his college graduation in 1999, Quinto moved to California to jump-start his career as a professional actor.

Early Career

In the years following Quinto's move to the West Coast, he found minor television roles, including on the series Touched by an Angel, Lizzie McGuire and Charmed. He landed his first recurring role on a series soon after, appearing as Adam Kaufman on the popular drama 24 beginning in 2003, though this role would end after the series' third season in 2004.

The exposure from his recurring part on 24 paid off for Quinto, as went on to land two additional significant TV roles in the following years. In 2006, he earned a recurring part on the series so noTORIous, a show loosely based on the life of Tori Spelling. Quinto played Spelling's best friend, Sasan, on the series, which was canceled after only one season. However, Quinto would go on to garner his biggest TV role yet in 2006.

TV Shows and Movies: 'Heroes' and 'Star Trek'

Following so noTORIous, Quinto appeared on the immensely popular sci-fi TV drama Heroes alongside other up-and-coming actors such as Hayden Panettiere and Ali Larter. Quinto played the mysterious villain Sylar, who could take the abilities of anyone else as a superhuman serial killer, on the well-received series, which stayed on the air for four seasons and shot Quinto to superstardom.

Around this same time, Quinto was vying for a part in the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek (2009), a reboot of the acclaimed sci-fi series. Quinto's Heroes co-star, Greg Grunberg—who had previously worked with Abrams on his series Alias—put in a good word for the actor, and the rest was history: After Abrams and Quinto met to discuss the film, a new Spock was chosen. Quinto was the first person to be cast in the film.

Quinto has since found more consistent work in film and TV. In 2011, he joined the cast of the series American Horror Story, playing Dr. Oliver Thredson. Soon after, he reprised the role of Spock for Abrams's Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).

Personal Life

Following the suicide of 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer, a victim of gay bullying, Quinto publicly came out as a gay man in October 2011. Although he had long been a staunch advocate for LGBT equality, he had kept his private life out of the public eye until Rodemeyer's death.

Around this same time, Quinto became romantically linked to actor Jonathan Groff, known for his role on the popular TV series Glee. Their relationship reportedly ended in July 2013.

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