William Shatner

Biography for William Shatner

When Shatner was cast to play Captain James Kirk in the "Star Trek" TV show, his small-screen immortality was assured (even though no one knew it at the time). The solidly built, handsome actor had previously worked on Broadway and in live TV before making his movie debut as Alexei in The Brothers Karamazov (1958). Shatner alternated film appearances with episodic TV work; his other early features include Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), The Outrage (1964), and leading roles in The Explosive Generation and the barely seen The Intruder (both 1961), in which he delivered a mature, spine-chilling performance as a racist Southern agitator for director Roger Corman. The immediate post-"Trek" years brought Shatner few opportunities from the major studios, and by the mid 1970s he was toiling in Big Bad Mama (1974), The Devil's Rain (1975), Kingdom of the Spiders (1977), and The Kidnapping of the President (1980). Beginning with 1979's Star Trek-The Motion Picture Shatner returned to the role he made famous on TV, and has appeared in the five bigbudget sequels (even directing 1989's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier He's shown an ability to spoof himself in Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) and National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon I (1993), but he's played it straight in his post-"Trek" TV series, "Barbary Coast" (1975-76), "T.J. Hooker" (1982-87), and "Rescue 911" (1989- ). He published "Star Trek Memories" in 1993, and has written a series of science fiction novels called "Tekwar" which were adapted for TV in 1994. He costarred in the seventh Star Trek movie, Star Trek Generations (1994).

Born March 22, 1931 in Montreal (Quebec) Canada. William Shatner went to McGill University in Montreal.William Shatner began in the cinema in 1957. In 1961, he was part of the exceptional distribution of "Judgment in Nuremberg" by Stanley Kramer. But it was in 1966 that he knew the glory by interpreting Captain James Kirk in the series "Star Trek". He also share in large series as "the fourth dimension" or "more recently" the prince of Bel-Air ". Apart from his acting profession, William Shatner has horses and tennis as leisure. The actor. The actor. Has a 360 hectare farm in Ky where he horses and breeding. William Shatner is also a producer and director. He produced in 1994, the "Tek War" series in which he plays the main role. He realized Several episodes of the series "Hooker" (1982), "Kung Fu" (1992) and "Perversions of Science (1997). William Shatner also produced "Star Trek V" for the cinema. The actor also showed that he had a lot of humor by parodying himself in "Is there a pilot on plane n ° 2" in 1982 or in "fatal alarm" (1993). He was successively married to Gloria Rand (1956-1969), Marcy Lafferty (1976-1994). On August 9, 1999, he was struck by a drama. His third wife Nerine Kid (whom he had married on November 25, 1997) drowned in the pool of their studio house City in Los Angeles. William Shatner has 3 daughters: Lesley, Lizebeth and Melanie, as well as a son Daniel

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William Shatner is a Canadian actor, producer and screenwriter known for his role as Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek television series and in several franchise films. He was born on March 22, 1931 in Montreal, Quebec, and began his career in the 1950s by playing in several theatrical productions. Shatner also appeared in other popular television series, such as Boston Legal and T.J. Hooker.

In addition to his acting work, Shatner is also a prolific author and has published several novels, poems and books of souvenirs. He is also known for his passion for horse riding and has participated in several riding competitions.

Shatner is a versatile and talented actor that has left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. His performance as Captain Kirk in Star Trek is considered one of his greatest achievements and has earned him international recognition. He is also an accomplished author and a riding enthusiast.

Photos

Filmography

Trivia

• Breeds and shows American Saddlebreds and Quarter Horses.
• 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.
• 'The Shatner Building' at McGill University is 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.
• Has done far more than "Star Trek" (1966) and a few other science fiction shows. The face that launched a thousand starships has also performed in radio dramas, on Broadway, participated in live television during the Golden Age and accomplished award winning stage performances.
• Shatner is the CEO of the Toronto-based Core Digital Effects company that did the effects for the 1996 film "Fly Away Home".
• Is fluent in French.
• Wrote some Star Trek fiction novels, among them "The Ashes of Eden", "The Return", and "Avenger".
• 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.
• Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983.
• 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.
• In 1999, he was nominated for an Emmy for his guest-starring role in "3rd Rock from the Sun" (1996).
• Wrote and directed a college musical ...."The Red, White and Blue Revue".
• He understudied Christopher Plummer in a stage production of "Henry V".
• Has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University in Montreal.
• His favorite "Star Trek" (1966) episode is "The Devil in the Dark".
• His clipped, dramatic narration, peppered with dramatic pauses, is often referred to as "Shatnerian".
• In the late 1960s he recorded an LP entitled "The Transformed Man", which is considered a camp classic today. One track was a spoken cover verion 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 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 Shatner's fellow Enterprise Captain, 'Patrick Stewart' .
• 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.
• Had a *very* brief stint on "WWF Monday Night RAW" (1993) as the "manager" of Bret Hart.
• 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 SNL 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 song "Lady Is A Tramp" and "What Kind of Fool Am I."
• Has appeared in episode of five different series with Leonard Nimoy: "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1964), "Star Trek" (1966), "Star Trek" (1973), "T.J. Hooker" (1982) and "Futurama" (1999).
• He had some worries about appearing in the Futurama 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 (III) as being the only actors to direct themselves in performances that would "win" them a Razzie Award for Worst Actor.

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!"

Family

• Has 3 daughters, Leslie, Lisabeth, and Melanie. He and his wife live in Southern California. Also has a 360 acre horse farm in Kentucky.
• Shatner's third wife, Nerine, accidently drowned in the swimming pool at their home in Studio City. [9 August 1999]
• Daughter Lisbeth wrote the script for the T.J. Hooker episode "Partners in Death" (1986).
• 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 Adam Issacs); Melanie Ann (born August 1, 1964, married to actor Joel Gretsch).
• Father of Melanie Shatner.
• Daughter Lisabeth Shatner was Miss Golden Globe 1985.
• Both his daughters Leslie and Lisabeth appeared in the "Star Trek" (1966) episode "Miri".
• His daughter Melanie had a small role in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) that was directed by her father.

Author of the card

• Creation date: 01/07/2003 by stals
• Last update: 22/05/2010 by abdest