William Shatner

On August 9, 1999, his third wife, Nerine Kidd , drowned in the swimming pool at their house in Studio City, California. The tragedy was ruled an accident.

His daughter Lisabeth Shatner wrote the script for the episode "T.J. Hooker" {Partners in Death (#5.14)} .

Breeds and shows American saddlebreds and quarter-horses.

Has three daughters: Leslie Carol Shatner (born in 1958), Lisabeth Shatner (born in 1960) and Melanie Shatner (born in 1964). He and his wife, Elizabeth Shatner , live in Southern California, and they also own a 360-acre horse farm in Kentucky.

His hobbies are horses, horseback riding and playing tennis.

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

Received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. Its student university center is currently named after him.

Shortly after the original "Star Trek" series was canceled, his wife Gloria Rand left him and took a lot of money with her. With very little money and his acting prospects low, he lived in a pick-up truck camper until continually acting in bit parts led into higher-paying roles.

Is the CEO of the Toronto-based Core Digital Effects company that did the effects for the adventure drama Fly Away Home .

Speaks English and French fluently, from his bilingual upbringing in Montreal, Quebec.

Has written several Star Trek novels, including "The Ashes of Eden", "The Return" and "Avenger".

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

His daughter Lisabeth Shatner was "Miss Golden Globe" 1985.

Two of his daughters, Melanie Shatner and Lisabeth Shatner , appeared in the episode "Star Trek" {Miri (#1.8)} in small uncredited roles.

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

In 2001, he married Elizabeth Shatner (Elizabeth Anderson Martin), 30 years his junior. She is a horse trainer who had lost her husband to cancer in 1997. Their grief (Shatner was a widower) and their love of horses drew them together. They reside in Southern California and in Kentucky.

His face appears on the cover of the official first aid handbook issued by the National Safety Council, stemming from his time hosting "Rescue 911" .

Produces and hosts the annual "Hollywood Charity Horse Show" that he founded in 1990. More than $1.25 million has been raised for childrens charities, such as "Ahead With Horses", "L.A.s BEST" and the "Childrens Museum of Los Angeles".

He wrote and directed a college musical: "The Red, White and Blue Revue".

He was the understudy of Christopher Plummer in a stage production of Shakespeares play "Henry V" in Canada.

His favorite "Star Trek" episode is "Star Trek" {The Devil in the Dark (#1.25)} .

His clipped, dramatic delivery of his lines, peppered with dramatic pauses, is often referred to as "Shatnerian".

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

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

Did most of his own stunts for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , even though he had a stuntman, John Meier , to do the more difficult ones.

During the filming of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , a fire broke out on the studio lot that threatened to destroy the Genesis Planet sets. Shatner was one of several cast and crew members who helped to put the fire out, wielding a fire hose to spray that at the fire.

He was the first person to appear in the sketch on "Late Night with Conan OBrien" of "Celebrity Secrets". This became a regular sketch on this 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 Shatners likeness was painted white and used as the mask of Michael Myers in the original Halloween .

He once worked as a camp counselor as a teenager at the Camp Bnai Brith in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec.

At first, he believed that as the star of "Star Trek" , he was supposed to "outshine" the rest of the actors and actresses. He later said that he had come to appreciate the merits of having an ensemble cast, with each members contribution while working on Star Trek.

In his early performing days, he 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 appearance on "Saturday Night Live" in 1986 mocked the Iran-Contra Affair figure Oliver North (with Shatner standing mute in a green uniform); his own series "T.J. Hooker" , recently canceled, and some overzealous "Star Trek" fans. This last sketch had him grimly addressing the fans at a Star Trek convention with the phrase "Get a life!" Many Trekkers asked him later if he had meant anything by the sketch. He claimed he had not, but that that had been written by the comedy writers of Saturday Night Live. Shatner later made "Get a Life!" the title of his Star Trek fan memoir.

Did a concert with crooner Brian Evans in Key West, Florida, 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." , "Mission: Impossible" , "Star Trek" , "Star Trek" , "T.J. Hooker" and "Futurama" .

Had some worries about appearing in "Futurama" {Where No Fan Has Gone Before (#4.12)} . He spoke with Billy West , who told Shatner that the cast and crew had nothing but respect for him. He agreed to continue.

Has joined Sylvester Stallone , Prince , Kevin Costner , Roberto Benigni and Tom Green as being the few actors who have directed themselves in performances that "won" them Razzie Awards for "Worst Actor".

He once bought a horse from the father of Chelsea Field , a man 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" , "Star Trek" and "Futurama" .

His paternal grandparents, Volf Schattner and Fruma Freyda Lecker, were Jewish immigrants from Kuty, Ukraine and Bukovina, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, respectively. Williams father, Joseph Shatner, was born in Bukovina. Williams maternal grandparents, Yaakov Garmaise and Yetta Kahn, were Jewish immigrants from Vilkaviskis, in Lithuania. He was mentioned in the episode "The Simpsons" {Like Father, Like Clown } as being a famous Jewish entertainer. He was also mentioned by Adam Sandler in "The Hanukkah Song" ("You dont 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.

He was one of the guests at the wedding of Sandra Bullock and Jesse James.

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

Suffers from tinnitus (ringing in the ears), along with "Star Trek" co-star Leonard Nimoy. Nimoys right ear and Shatners left ear are affected. Their hearing was apparently damaged during the filming of the episode, "Star Trek" {Arena (#1.18)} , when they were both too close to a special effects explosion.

Auctioned a kidney stone to GoldenPalace.com for $75,000. The money went 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 . Co-star Patrick Stewart , despite his classical background, had very little experience with horses, so Shatner helped teach him. One of Shatners tips was to wear pantyhose under his pants, to reduce chafing.

Wrote the TekWar series of science fiction books, completely unrelated to Star Trek. These were turned into several made-for-TV movies and a short-lived series. Shatner himself co-starred 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 ATTACK!", a paintball recreation center in the United States, and sometimes participates in the competitions.

To this day, he still has not 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 (episode "Star Trek" {The Devil in the Dark (#1.25)} ) for him to attend funeral and return within a week.

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

Money from his fathers Laval, Quebec hardware and furniture business supported him during the actors job hunt in the United States.

He wielded a lightsaber towards the ending 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 Captain Kirk (original series episode "Star Trek" {Arena (#1.18)} ) 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 .

Nearly ten years after acting in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , whose plot involved rescuing humpback whales, he narrated a television documentary about endangered species (including humpbacks), in which he became emotional to the point of weeping.

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

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

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

One of his favorite restaurants to eat at while in Montreal is Vichys.

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 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and the rise of "The X Files" , he was interviewed as believing in UFOs 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.

(June 2008) Underwent right hip replacement surgery.

Once resided on Giraud Street in Montreal, Quebec.

When recording the narration for his "Shatnerverse" Trek novels, he pronounces the name "Cardassian" (normally pronounced "car-DASS-ian") as with Kim Kardashian West.

Reprised the title character of "T.J. Hooker" for the comedy films Showtime and Fanboys .

He and his wife, Elizabeth Shatner , have two Dobermans.

In the June 17, 2009 episode of "The Tonight Show with Conan OBrien" , this was revealed he cannot perform the Vulcan salute ("live long and prosper") hand gesture.

He expressed his sadness at not being asked to reprise his iconic role of Captain James T. Kirk for the Star Trek remake. In response, Shatner wrote "Star Trek: Academy Collision Course" (with Judith and Garfield Reeves) as his own version of how Kirk and Spock met. In his version of the story, a teenaged Kirk gets into criminal trouble and is given a choice: Go to prison or join Starfleet. Of course, he joins Starfleet and meets Spock. But he does not meet any other major character from the original "Star Trek" series. However, the story does tie into the first season episode "Star Trek" {The Conscience of the King (#1.13)} and Kirk meets his Starfleet bully, Finnigan, from "Star Trek" {Shore Leave } .

Once performed in Incubus , a movie whose entire dialogue was in Esperanto.

Grew up in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace (NDG) section of Montreal, Quebec.

Remained friends with Heather Locklear during and after "T.J. Hooker" .

Remained friends with Leonard Nimoy during and after "Star Trek" .

His fondness for motorcycle riding in the 1950s and 1960s influenced the same for young James T. Kirk in the Star Trek remake.

Recorded a special message for the crew of NASAs Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-133 that woke up them at 3:23 a.m. (EST), March 7, 2011. The message included the Star Trek theme song along with Shatners narration: "Space, the final frontier. These have been the voyages of the Space Shuttle Discovery. Her 30 year mission: To seek out new science. To build new outposts. To bring nations together on the final frontier. To boldly go, and do, what no spacecraft has done before.".

Attended and graduated from West Hill High School in Montreal, Quebec.

Received the 2011 Governor Generals Lifetime Achievement Award in the Performing Arts. Received an honorary doctorate of letters from his alma mater, McGill University in June 2011.

His Priceline commercials have not only reunited him with Leonard Nimoy , but have also paired him with Robert Pine , the father of Chris Pine , who succeeded him in the role of James T. Kirk.

Owned a red Doberman in the 1970s, nicknamed "Kirk".

Friends with: Shirley Jones , Florence Henderson , Leonard Nimoy , Angie Dickinson , James Drury , Doug McClure , Betty White , Adam West , Bill Bixby , Candice Bergen , James Darren , DeForest Kelley , George Takei , Nichelle Nichols , Patrick Stewart , LeVar Burton , Richard Herd , Gene Roddenberry , Aaron Spelling , David E. Kelley , Bob Hope , Frank Sinatra , Sammy Davis Jr. , Dean Martin , Paul Reubens , Martin Short , Jim Varney , Regis Philbin , John Lithgow , Raymond Burr , Lee Majors , Peter Graves , Majel Barrett , Grace Lee Whitney , Richard Chamberlain , Gene Rayburn , Peter Marshall , Dick Clark , E.G. Marshall , Robert Reed , Joan Collins , Edward Asner , Efrem Zimbalist Jr. , Buddy Ebsen , Dick Van Dyke , Mickey Rooney , Larry Hagman , Robert Wagner and Reese Witherspoon.

Acting mentor and friends with Adrian Zmed , Heather Locklear and James Spader.

Best known by the public for his starring roles as Captain James T. Kirk on "Star Trek" and as the title character on "T.J. Hooker" .

Was reunited with ex- "T.J. Hooker" co-star, Heather Locklear , on one episode of "Boston Legal" .

In 1981, he directed a stage production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" starring his wife Marcy Lafferty in Los Angeles, California.

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on May 19, 1983.

Received a star on Canadas Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario in 2000.

On February 28, 2010, he made an appearance at the 2010 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony. Shatner used his camera time to tell the audience how great a country Canada truly is, citing their "magnificent lakes" and "stunning sunsets" as reasons why the country demands so much appreciation.

In an episode of "American Dad!" , Roger the Alien is caught by the FBI and strapped down to be vivisected. He cries out: "I cant die! Not before Shatner!".

Celebrity spokesperson for Priceline.com since 1997.

His series "T.J. Hooker" was parodied as "T.J. Lazer" in RoboCop . Lead actor Peter Weller later appeared in the Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan remake, Star Trek: Into Darkness , as the future grandfather of Kirks son.

He did not attend Leonard Nimoy s funeral. Nimoy was the best man at Shatners wedding to Nerine Kidd.

With the death of Grace Lee Whitney on May 1, 2015, he is now the oldest living cast member of the original "Star Trek" series.

"Captain Kirk" is the only lyric that is identical in both the English and German mixes of the song "99 Red Balloons".

Was considered for the role of Detective Buddy Russo in The French Connection , which went to Roy Scheider.

Pictured as the character Captain James T. Kirk on one of a set of five Canadian commemorative postage stamps celebrating the 50th anniversary of the television series "Star Trek" , issued May 5, 2016. Price on day of issue was 85. Other stamps in the set honored Leonard Nimoy , James Doohan , DeForest Kelley and John Colicos.

Was one of the many celebrities who liked to make weekend visits to Ralph Helfer s "Africa U.S.A." Ranch in Soledad Canyon, California.

Along with Patrick McGoohan , Jack Cassidy , Robert Culp and George Hamilton , he is one of only five actors to play two or more murderers on "Columbo" : Ward Fowler in "Columbo" {Fade in to Murder (#6.1)} and Fielding Chase in "Columbo" {Butterfly in Shades of Grey (#12.2)} .

He is widely known to be a social butterfly.

Alongside Norman Lloyd , William Daniels , Angela Lansbury , Ernest Borgnine , Mickey Rooney , Christopher Lee , Betty White , Dick Van Dyke , Larry Hagman , Adam West , Edward Asner , Marla Gibbs , Florence Henderson , Shirley Jones and Alan Alda , Shatner is one of the few actors in Hollywood who lived into their 80s and/or 90s without ever either retiring from acting or having stopped getting work.

Apprehensive about using a cell phone in public due to constant cat calls i.e., "Beam me up Scotty!". Badgering by passerbys, especially in Airports, restaurants.

Ashes, tossed like a salad.

Given the freedom to create, everybody is creative. All of us have an innate, instinctive desire to change our environment, to put our original stamp on this world, to tell a story never told before. I’m absolutely thrilled at the moment of creativity – when suddenly I’ve synthesized my experiences, reality, and my imagination into something entirely new. But most people are too busy working on survival to find the opportunity to create. Fortunately, I’ve been freed by reputation, by the economics of success, and by emotional contentment to turn my ideas into reality. I’ve discovered that the more freedom I have to be creative, the more creative I become.

I watch movies and sports. I can count on the fingers of my hand the number of times I have watched an hour show. I never watch a half-hour show, and I never watch myself.

Sci-fi films are the epic films of the day because we can no longer put 10,000 extras in the scene - but we can draw thousands of aliens with computers.

I find age such a foreign concept. I have to be reminded. I still have the extraordinary feeling of adventure, striking out into unknown fields.

I love to go to a movie, get a Diet Coke and a barrel of popcorn, and sit there with my kids and watch a film.

You need to be silly to be funny.

When I did the film Generations, in which the character died, I felt like a guest for the first time. That made me very sad.

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.

My dad was good with actions.

My dad died of a stroke. .