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William Shatner <span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>  William Shatner is a Canadian-born actor, writer, director, and producer, best known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk on the TV series Star Trek and its spin-off films.
CareerWilliam Alan Shatner was born on March 22, 1931, in Montreal, Quebec, to parents Joseph Shatner and Anna Garmainse, Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. He received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University in Montreal. During the summers, he enjoyed working in the National Repertory theater of Ottawa costarring in plays such as The Merchant of Venice and Henry V. Shatner had a small role in the 1951 film The Butler's Night Off. In 1954, after starring in a play in New York called Tamburlaine, Shatner signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox. His first TV role was Ranger Bob in the TV series Howdy Doody. In 1956 he married Canadian actress Gloria Rand. The couple had three daughters Leslie Carol, Lisbeth Mary, and Melanie, before divorcing in 1969. In 1958, Shatner played Alexi Karamazov in the western The Brothers Kazmarov. He then returned to the stage for the Broadway run of The Secret Life of Suzie Wong followed by A Shot in the Dark and L'idiote. Shatner acted in several TV series and in 1961 he won roles in the films "The Intruder also known as I Hate Your Guts and Judgement at Nuremburg. Shatner guest starred on several television series including The Twilight Zone, 77 Sunset Strip, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. before he won the role he'd be most famous for, Captain Kirk on Star Trek. The series last three seasons but was canceled in 1969 due to poor ratings. Shatner lost his father during the series' run and became separated from his wife. The divorce cost him his fortune and he took any available job. Following Star Trek, Shatner continued to work in movies and television. He starred in the TV-Movies Sole Survivor, The Andersonville Trial, and Vanished. He also guest starred on TV series Hawaii Five-O, Mission Impossible, The F.B.I., Kung Fu, and The Six Million Dollar Man. Star Trek gained popularity in reruns and Shatner returned to the franchise and voiced the role of Captain Kirk on the 1973 animated TV series Star Trek. The series was canceled in 1975 and Shatner was scheduled to appear in Star Trek: Phase II, a follow-up show to the original series. Plans were scrapped for Phase II but the franchise was revived once again with Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. Shatner starred in several more TV movies, including The Bastard, Crash, and The Babysitter. He also had a major film role in The Kidnapping of the President. He returned to the Star Trek Franchise in 1982 with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He then starred in Airplane II: The Sequel, Secrets of a Married Man, and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Shatner had difficulty understanding the popularity of Star Trek and its devoted fans. He began making fun of the series and in 1986 he appeared in a Saturday Night Live skit, in which he told Star Trek fans to "get a life". He also began focusing on directing and directed several episodes of the series T.J. Hooker in which he also played the title character. After the end of T.J. Hooker’s run, Shatner hosted the series Rescue 911 for seven years. The series ended in 1996. In 1988, he starred in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home followed by Star Trek V: The Final Frontier in 1989 which he directed and co wrote. He also starred in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 1991. He lent his voice to the video game Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Enhanced in 1992 and Star Trek: Judgement Rites in 1994. The character of Captain Kirk came to an end in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations. Shatner admitted some regret as he wished for another opportunity to play the character. Shatner starred in the 1993 spoof film National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, as a villain. He continued to guest star on several TV series and act in TV movies. He also did voice acting for several video games and films. He divorced his second wife Marcy Lafferty in 1994 after 21 years of marriage. He remarried in 1997 to Nerine Kidd; she died two years later in a tragic accident In 1998, he became the spokesperson for Priceline.com. The popularity of the commercials increased his profile. He had a recurring role on the comedy 3rd Rock From the Sun as "The Big Giant Head," and received an Emmy nomination for the role.  In 2000, Shatner acted in Miss Congeniality as a pageant host Stan Fields which led to hosting duties on the real life Miss USA Pageant. He also appeared in the film's sequel Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous. In 2002 Shatner co-starred in the film Groom Lake which he also wrote and directed. Along with fellow Star Trek cast members, he guest starred on the animated series Futurama in the episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before". He also hosted William Shatner’s Full Moon Fright Night. Shatner lent his voice to the animated films Over the Hedge and The Wild. He also continued to spoof himself in the film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. After several guest appearances on the series The Practice, Shatner became star of the spin-off series Boston Legal playing the role of Denny Crane. His guest appearances on The Practice won him a second nomination and his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama. In 2005 he won a Golden Globe award for Boston Legal in the category of Best Supporting Actor. Shatner married once again, to Elizabeth Anderson Martin in 2001. The couple enjoys horses and they currently live in Southern California. Awards
Films
TV Work
BooksShatner is the author of several novels, which include: Fiction
Quest for Tomorrow Series Nonfiction
Discography
Memorable Quotes“I am not a Starfleet commander, or T.J. Hooker. I don't live on Starship NCC-170...(some audience members say 'one'), 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!” “Babies have big heads and big eyes, and tiny little bodies with tiny little arms and legs. So did the aliens at Roswell! I rest my case.” “How do I stay so healthy and boyishly handsome? It's simple. I drink the blood of young runaways.” “In the world that we inhabit, having one hit is a lot better than having no hits.” “Nobody could have imagined the phenomenon that 'Star Trek' became. It's still almost impossible to imagine.”
External LinksMemory Alpha — William Shatner StarTrek.com — William Shatner Star Trek movies page at Scifans.com Categories: William Shatner | 1931 births | Actors | Actors from Quebec | Authors | Star Trek authors | Actors from Canada | Directors | Directors from Canada | Producers | Producers from Canada | Star Trek actors | Voice artists
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