Veteran actor Tom Selleck has credited late Star Trek icon Leonard Nimoy with turning his hit film Three Men And A Baby into a huge success, insisting the star-turned-director was the perfect choice for the movie.

The Magnum, P.I. star remembers Nimoy with great fondness, but admits he was initially a little hesitant about having the sci-fi legend take charge of his 1987 comedy.

He soon realised Nimoy was nothing like the controlled, emotionless Vulcan Mr. Spock he played on Tv and he quickly warmed to his new director.

Selleck explains, "I didn't know Leonard when he came on to the movie. We had had a French director who had already done the French movie Three Men and a Cradle, she was gonna remake it, but her idea, that Disney found a little threatening, was that she saw the house where the three bachelors lived as a dark womb. So that's a little dangerous.

"They brought on Leonard and I'm going, 'Well, there's a good choice... You got this guy with no emotion who's going to do a funny little comedy...' (But) Leonard was irreplaceable. He's a lovely guy, he is not Spock. He is a warm, funny guy, but just a fine director. I don't think you can overstate his contribution to the film."

Nimoy, who passed away on Friday (27Feb15), only directed seven features - prior to taking charge on Three Men & a Baby, he directed 1984's Star Trek Iii: The Search for Spock and 1986's Star Trek Iv: The Voyage Home.