William Shatner
William Shatner | |
|---|---|
 Shatner in 2026 | |
| Born | 22 March 1931
(aged 95) |
| Education | McGill University (BComm, 1952) |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1951–present |
| Spouse(s) | Gloria Rand
(m. 1956; div. 1969)Marcy Lafferty
(m. 1973; div. 1996)Nerine Kidd
(m. 1997; d. 1999)Elizabeth Martin
(m. 2001; div. 2020) |
| Children | 3; including Melanie |
| Awards | |
| Honours | Officer, Order of Canada  |
| Space career | |
| Space tourist | |
| Selection | Blue Origin 2021 |
| Missions | NS-18 |
| Website | williamshatner.com |
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor, author, director, producer, screenwriter, singer and space tourist. He became famous for playing James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the television show Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 and in seven more movies.
Shatner has written a series of books telling his experiences playing James T. Kirk and being a part of Star Trek. He also played the role as veteran police sergeant T.J. Hooker, from 1982 to 1986. He has since worked as a musician, bestselling author, producer, director, and celebrity pitchman, most notably for Priceline.com.
He played attorney Denny Crane on the television drama Boston Legal, for which he has won an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award.
Shatner is of Jewish descent.
On October 13, 2021, Shatner became the oldest person to go into space, at age 90, on board the Blue Origin NS-18.[1][2] He went beyond the Kármán line.[3]
Early work
He trained as a Shakespearean actor and appeared in many plays. Before Star Trek, Shatner appeared in other TV shows such The Outlaws, 1960's The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, and movies. His first movie was in 1951. He starred in the movie Incubus that was filmed only in Esperanto.
Health
In 2022, Shatner's daughter Melanie Gretsch was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. A year later, Shatner was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma after a tumor was found in his cheek, with metastasization in his brain and lungs. Shatner received immunotherapy for two years and became cancer-free, along with his daughter in 2024.[4]
William Shatner Media
Shatner in a publicity photo in 1958
Shatner and Jeanne Cooper in The Intruder (1962)
Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek (1966–1969)
William Shatner photographed by Jerry Avenaim
Shatner at Destination Star Trek Europe, 2016
William Shatner at GalaxyCon Columbus in 2025
Shatner (center) with Brent Spiner (left) and LeVar Burton in 2010
Shatner on horseback at a horse show in 2011
References
- ↑ Fisher, Kristin. First on CNN: The US gives Bezos, Branson and Shatner their astronaut wings. CNN (December 10, 2021). Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ↑ Etherington, Darrell. William Shatner to fly on Blue Origin's next human spaceflight on October 12 (October 4, 2021)TechCrunch. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ↑ "Star Trek's William Shatner blasts into space on Blue Origin rocket". BBC News. 2021-10-13. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58885555. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- ↑ Holaday, Carsen. William Shatner and his daughter reveal simultaneous stage 4 cancer diagnoses. The Independent (22 July 2026). Retrieved 23 July 2026.
Other websites
- William Shatner on IMDb
- William Shatner at the Internet Broadway Database
- William Shatner at TV.com
- Shatner's daily vlogs on "ShatnerVision" Archived 2007-06-13 at the Wayback Machine
- Shatner at Amazon Reviews
- William Shatner Interview at Slashdot
- Shatner at Fame Tracker Archived 2008-03-16 at the Wayback Machine
- NY Times story on Shatner's "Has Been" album with Ben Folds Archived 2008-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
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