Biography for
William Shatner

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Date of Birth

22 March 1931, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Birth Name

William Alan Shatner

Nickname

Bill
The Shat

Height

5' 9½" (1.77 m)

Mini Biography

Handsome Canadian-born actor who - despite his detractors - has notched up an impressive 50-years-plus in front of the camera, most recently displaying comedic talent, and being instantly recognizable to several generations of cult TV fans as the square-jawed Capt. James T. Kirk, commander of the starship USS Enterprise.

Shatner spent many years honing his craft in TV and live theater before debuting alongside Yul Brynner in The Brothers Karamazov (1958). He was kept busy during the 1960s in films such as The Intruder (1962) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) and on television guest-starring in dozens of shows such as "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955), "The Defenders" (1961), "The Outer Limits" (1963) and "The Twilight Zone" (1959). In 1966 Shatner boarded the USS Enterprise for three seasons of "Star Trek" (1966), co-starring alongside Leonard Nimoy, with the series eventually becoming a bona-fide cult classic with a worldwide legion of fans known as "Trekkies".

After "Star Trek" folded, Shatner spent the rest of the decade and the 1970s making the rounds guest-starring on many prime-time TV shows, including "Hawaii Five-O" (1968), "Marcus Welby, M.D." (1969) and "Ironside" (1967). He has also appeared in several feature films, but they were mainly B-grade (or lower) fare such as the embarrassingly bad Euro western Comanche blanco (1968) (aka The White Comanche) and the campy Kingdom of the Spiders (1977). However, the 1980s saw a major resurgence in Shatner's career with the renewed interest in the old "Star Trek" (1966) television series culminating in a series of big-budget "Star Trek" feature films including Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). In addition, he starred in the lightweight cop series "T.J. Hooker" (1982) from 1982 to 1986, alongside spunky Heather Locklear, and surprised many fans with his droll comedic talents in Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) and Miss Congeniality (2000).

He has most recently been starring in the David E. Kelley television shows "The Practice" (1997) and "Boston Legal" (2004).

IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse44@hotmail.com

Spouse

Elizabeth Anderson Martin	(13 February 2001 - present)
Nerine Kidd	(15 November 1997 - 9 August 1999) (her death)
Marcy Lafferty	(20 October 1973 - 1994) (divorced)
Gloria Rand	(12 August 1956 - 1969) (divorced) 3 children

Trade Mark

Clipped, dramatic narration.

Trivia

His third wife, Nerine Kidd, accidentally drowned in the swimming pool at their home in Studio City. [9 August 1999]

Daughter Lisabeth Shatner wrote the script for the "T.J. Hooker" (1982) episode "Partners in Death" (1986).

Breeds and shows American Saddlebreds and Quarter Horses.

Has 3 daughters, Leslie Carol (born 1958), Lisabeth Shatner(born 1960) and Melanie Shatner (born 1964). He and his wife live in Southern California. Also has a 360 acre horse farm in Kentucky.

Hobbies: horses and tennis.

He appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "Voices That Care".

Attended McGill University in Montreal, Canada

The Students University Centre at McGill University is, unofficially, named after him.

Shortly after the original series of "Star Trek" (1966) was cancelled, his wife Gloria Rand left him and took him to the cleaners. With very little money and acting prospects now, he lived in a truck bed camper until acting bit-parts turned into higher paying roles.

Shatner is the CEO of the Toronto-based Core Digital Effects company that did the effects for the 1996 film Fly Away Home (1996).

Is fluent in French and Esperanto.

Wrote some Star Trek fiction novels, among them "The Ashes of Eden", "The Return", and "Avenger".

Children with Gloria Rand: Leslie Carol (born August 31, 1958, married to Gordon Walker, two children: Grant and Eric); Lisabeth Mary (born June 12, 1960, married to Andy Clement); Melanie Ann (born August 1, 1964, married to actor Joel Gretsch).

Daughter Lisabeth Shatner was Miss Golden Globe 1985.

Both his daughters Melanie Shatner and Lisabeth Shatner appeared in the "Star Trek" (1966) episode "Miri".

His daughter Melanie Shatner had a small role in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) that was directed by her father.

In 2001, he married Elizabeth Martin, a horse trainer who lost her husband to cancer in 1997. Their grief and their love of horses drew them together they currently live in Southern California.

His face appears on the cover of the official First Aid handbook issued by the National Safety Council.

Produces and hosts the annual Hollywood Charity Horse Show which he founded in 1990. Over 1.25 million dollars has been raised for children's charities, such as Ahead With Horses, L.A.'s BEST and Children's Museum of Los Angeles.

Wrote and directed a college musical ...."The Red, White and Blue Revue".

He understudied Christopher Plummer in a stage production of "Henry V".

Bill was born to Ann and Joseph Shatner on March 22, 1931 in Montreal, Canada.

Has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University in Montreal.

His favorite "Star Trek" (1966) episode is "Star Trek: The Devil in the Dark (#1.25)" (1967).

His clipped, dramatic narration, peppered with dramatic pauses, is often referred to as "Shatnerian".

In the late 1960's he recorded an LP titled "The Transformed Man", which is considered a camp classic today. One track was a spoken cover version of "Mr. Tambourine Man", in which he gave an over-dramatic performance that some compared to a man on a bad drug trip. Shatner today embraces his checkered reputation as a "camp" performer.

His version of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was voted as the worst massacre of a The Beatles song ever in May 2003.

Is a vegetarian.

Did most of his own stunts for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), even though he had a stunt double, John Meier.

During the filming of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) a fire broke out on the studio lot that threatened to destroy the Genesis planet sets. Shatner was one of a few cast and crew members who helped try to put the fire out, grabbing a fire hose and spraying it at the fire.

Was the first person to appear on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993) sketch "Celebrity Secrets," which has since become a regular sketch on the show featuring major celebrities such as Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, and his fellow "Star Trek" captains, Patrick Stewart and George Takei.

Has appeared in productions at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.

According to Debra Hill, a Halloween mask in Shatner's likeness was painted white and used as the mask of Michael Myers in the original Halloween (1978).

Worked as a camp counselor, as a teen, at Camp B'nai Brith in the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec.

At first, Shatner believed that as the star of "Star Trek" (1966), he was supposed to "outshine" the rest of the actors. He said later he came to appreciate the merits of an ensemble cast, and each member's contribution, working on the show.

In his early performing days, Shatner was once required to play the piano in a scene (with music supplied off-camera), then pull a weapon from a drawer to kill another actor. First the piano cue went badly, then the only "weapon" available turned out to be a corkscrew. Shatner carried on, and in his own words, "I screwed him to death!"

His 1986 "Saturday Night Live" (1975) appearance mocked Iran-Contra figure Oliver North (with Shatner standing mute in a green uniform), his own recently-cancelled "T.J. Hooker" (1982) and even overzealous "Star Trek" (1966) fans, when a sketch had him addressing a convention with the words "Get a life!". So many fans asked him later if he'd meant anything by the sketch (he hadn't, it was written by the "Saturday Night Live" (1975) staff) that "Get a Life!" became the title of his fan memoir.

Did a concert with crooner Brian Evans in Key West, joining the singer for his own style and rendition of the songs "Lady Is A Tramp" and "What Kind of Fool Am I".

Has appeared in episodes of six different series with Leonard Nimoy: "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1964); "Mission: Impossible" (1966); "Star Trek" (1966); "Star Trek" (1973); "T.J. Hooker" (1982) and "Futurama" (1999).

He had some worries about appearing in the "Futurama" (1999) episode, "Where No Fan Has Gone Before". He spoke with Billy West, who told Shatner that the cast and crew had nothing but respect for him. He agreed to continue.

He joins Sylvester Stallone, Prince, Kevin Costner, Roberto Benigni and Tom Green as being the only actors to direct themselves in performances that would "win" them a Razzie Award for Worst Actor.

Once bought a horse from Chelsea Field's father who is also the father-in-law of Scott Bakula.

Has appeared in episodes of three different series with George Takei and Nichelle Nichols: "Star Trek" (1966), "Star Trek" (1973) and "Futurama" (1999).

Is of Ukrainian-Jewish descent and is mentioned in "The Simpsons" (1989) episode "Like Father, like Klown" [sic] (series 3, Episode 6) as being a famous Jewish entertainer. He is also mentioned by Adam Sandler in "The Hanukkah Song" ("You don't need Deck The Halls or Jingle Bell Rock/When you can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock").

During his marriage to Marcy Lafferty he was the son-in-law of Perry Lafferty.

First performer to win Emmys for portraying the same character (Denny Crane) on two different shows ("The Practice" (1997) and "Boston Legal" (2004))

Was one of the guests at Sandra Bullock's and Jesse James' wedding.

The most popular TV-star in Germany, elected in on-line-voting by the spectators of the national TV-channel KabelEins. Appeared in the final TV-show (aired 10/19/ 2005) to receive the honor personally.

Suffers from tinnitus (ringing in the ears), along with "Star Trek" (1966) co- star Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy's right ear and Shatner's left ear are affected. Their hearing was apparently damaged during the filming of the episode "Arena" when they were both too close to a special effects explosion.

Sold his kidney stone to GoldenPalace.com for $75,000. The money goes to Habitat for Humanity, a charity that builds houses for the needy.

Is an expert equestrian (horse rider), which was put to good use in Star Trek: Generations (1994). Co-star Patrick Stewart, despite his classical background, had very little experience with horses, so Shatner helped teach him. One of Shatner's tips was to wear pantyhose under his pants, to reduce chafing.

Wrote the "TekWar" series of sci-fi books, completely unrelated to "Star Trek". These were turned into several made-for-TV movies and a short lived series; Shatner himself costarred, and directed several episodes.

Released an album titled 'Has Been' in 2004. The album was produced by Ben Folds who also plays on the album. Other guest performers on the album include Joe Jackson, Aimee Mann, Henry Rollins and Adrian Belew.

Runs SPLATT!, a paintball recreation center in the U.S. And sometimes participates in the competitions.

To this day, still hasn't fully recovered from the depression brought on by the 1968 death of his father, Joseph Shatner. Roddenberry personally gave permission to postpone shooting scenes with Nimoy (Trek episode "Devil in the Dark") for him to attend funeral and return within a week.

Mr. Lemli, a character from the original "Star Trek" (1966) series played by Roger Holloway, was named after his three daughters Elizabeth, Leslie and Melanie.

Money from his dad's Laval, Quebec hardware and furniture business supported him during the actor's job hunt in the U.S.

Shatner wielded a lightsabre towards the end of "Invasion Iowa". George Lucas was so flattered that he invited him to speak and croon "My Way" for his Lifetime Achievement ceremony in 2005.

Dr. James Kirkland, Ph.D wrote a 1996 "Star Trek" novel titled, "First Frontier". And in his acknowledgments, thanked Capt. Kirk (original series episode "Arena") for inspiration and being his childhood hero.

Overcame his greatest phobia of falling, while directing the Yosemite National Park scenes of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989).

Nearly ten years after acting in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Shatner narrated a television documentary for endangered species on CBS, including humpback whales. In which he also became emotional to the point of weeping.

Leonard Nimoy was the best man at his wedding to Nerine Kidd.

His old house on Bag Ave., in Laval, Quebec was bought by a millionaire.

The hometown of his alter-ego Capt. Kirk, Riverside, Iowa is known by hardcore Trekkers as "the other Kirkland". Being that Kirkland, Canada is a few miles from Montreal, Quebec.

Was mentioned in David Fincher's 1999 film, "Fight Club". When Tyler asks the Narrator who he'd fight, the Narrator ponders for a moment and replies, "Shatner. I'd fight William Shatner.".

One of his favorite restaurants to eat at while in Montreal is Vichy's.

Often jogged for charity from 1976-1980. Running to support the Olympics held in his hometown of Montreal and for late Canadian amputee Terry Fox and his cross country marathon.

After the success of his sixth "Trek" film and the rise of "The X Files" (1993), he was interviewed as believing in U.F.O.s' existence, claiming he, himself, had seen the unexplained when he was younger.

Father-in-law of Andy Clement and Joel Gretsch.

"Trek" novel cover artist Keith Birdsong names Shatner as the most difficult to render. His cheekbone structure, especially, when painting either the series or motion picture eras.

Underwent right hip replacement surgery on June 2008.

Personal Quotes

[When asked if he wore a hairpiece] "It's a question that I find like asking somebody, 'Did you have a breast implant?' or 'When did you get your lobotomy?'"

[When asked if he was a fan of technology] "I love technology. Matches, to light a fire is really high tech. The wheel is REALLY one of the great inventions of all time. Other than that I am an ignoramus about technology. I once looked for the 'ON' button on the computer and came to find out it was on the back. Then I thought, anyone who would put the 'on' switch on the back, where you can't find it, doesn't do any good for my psyche. The one time I did get the computer on, I couldn't turn the damn thing off!"

I am not a Starfleet commander, or T.J. Hooker. I don't live on Starship NCC-1701, or own a phaser. And I don't know anybody named Bones, Sulu, or Spock. And no, I've never had green alien sex, though I'm sure it would be quite an evening. I speak English and French, not Klingon! I drink Labatt's, not Romulan ale! And when someone says to me 'Live long and prosper', I seriously mean it when I say, 'Get a life'. My doctor's name is not McCoy, it's Ginsberg. And tribbles were puppets, not real animals. PUPPETS! And when I speak, I never, ever talk like every. Word. Is. Its. Own. Sentence. I live in California, but I was raised in Montreal. And yes, I've gone where no man has gone before, but I was in Mexico and her father gave me permission! My name is William Shatner, and I am Canadian!

We were basically one and the same, although Jim [Kirk] was just about perfect, and, of course, I am perfect.

What he tells his kids about money: "Don't buy anything on time, and that includes cars and houses." (Money Magazine, 2007)

On what money means to him: "For the longest time I could never get ahead more than a few hundred dollars, no matter how well I did or what job I got, and no matter how hard I tried to pare expenses down. With three kids, it was always very, very tight, and it was always a scramble for what was my next job. So I learned never to go into debt because I don't want those monthly payments to preoccupy my thoughts. I never spend more than what I can afford, and I don't owe anything."

On his most memorable money mistake: "When I was a young actor at Canada's Stratford Festival, one of the older actors told me that Canadian uranium is the future and you must buy into it. So I bought it on Thursday with the entire $500 I had saved. The following day, the Canadian prime minister said the country would no longer buy uranium. I was wiped out. It actually hurt my performance on stage. Since then I've led a very conservative financial life."

I'm not going to have a tombstone. I'm going to be tossed in the air. Ashes, tossed like a salad.

Where Are They Now

(January 2007) Doing commercials for the Law Offices Goodman and Acker

(December 2007) Featuring in TV commercials for Blizzard Entertainments "World of Warcraft" Massively Multiplayer online Roleplaying Game.

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