William Shatner
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1931-03-22 (94 years old)
Place of Birth
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
William Shatner
Biography
William Shatner, OC (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship Enterprise in the second pilot of the first Star Trek television series to his final appearance as Captain Kirk in the seventh Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Generations (1994).
Shatner began his screen acting career in Canadian films and television productions before moving into guest-starring roles in various American television shows. He appeared as James Kirk in all the episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, 21 of the 22 episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and the first seven Star Trek movies. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences before, during and after his time in a Starfleet uniform. He has also co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe and a series of science fiction novels, the TekWar sequence, that were adapted for television. Outside Star Trek, Shatner played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker (1982–1986), hosted the reality-based television series Rescue 911 (1989–1996), guest starred on the detective series Columbo, and acted in the comedy film Miss Congeniality (2000).
After his last appearance as Captain Kirk, Shatner's television career has embraced comedy, drama and reality shows. In seasons 4 and 5 of the NBC series 3rd Rock from the Sun, he played the alien "Big Giant Head", to which the main characters reported. From 2004 until 2008, he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of the legal show The Practice and in its spinoff Boston Legal, a role that earned him two Emmy Awards, one for his contribution to each series. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, he starred in both seasons of NBC's Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series in which a band of elderly celebrities toured East Asia and Europe.
Aside from acting, Shatner has had a career as a recording artist, beginning in 1968 with his album The Transformed Man. His cover versions of songs are dramatic recitations of their lyrics rather than musical performances: the most notable are his versions of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", and Elton John's "Rocket Man". His most successful album was his third, Seeking Major Tom (2011), which includes covers of Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly", David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".
In 2021, Shatner flew into space aboard Blue Origin NS-18, a Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule. At age 90, he became the oldest person to fly in space and one of the first 600 to do so. Minutes after the flight, he described experiencing the overview effect.
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Known For
Acting
The Atomic Bomb Collection
as Narrator
The Eagle Obsession
as Self
(2024)
(2024)
765874: Unification
as Kirk
(2023)
Full Moon's Roadshow Revisited
as Self (archive footage)
(2023)
(2022)
(2022)
Fireheart
as Mayor of New York (voice)
(2022)
(2021)
(2021)
Shatner in Space
as Self
(2021)
(2021)
Senior Moment
as Victor Martin
(2021)
WWE Hall Of Fame 2020
as Himself
(2020)
Creators: The Past
as Lord Oghma
(2019)
To Your Last Death
as The Overseer (voice)
(2019)
Devil's Revenge
as Hayes
(2018)
The Steam Engines of Oz
as Oscar "Oz" Diggs (voice)
(2018)
Aliens Ate My Homework
as Phillogenus esk Piemondum (Phil) (voice)
(2017)
Heroes Manufactured
as Self (archive footage)
(2017)
(2017)
The Truth Is in the Stars
as Self
(2017)
Batman vs. Two-Face
as Harvey Dent / Two-Face (voice)
(2016)
When Elephants Were Young
as Narrator
(2016)
Range 15
as Richard Chindler
(2016)
A Sunday Horse
as Kenneth Roubidoux
(2016)
For the Love of Spock
as Self
(2016)
(2016)
The Colorful Montreal Expos
as Narrator (voice)
(2016)
They Came from the Swamp: The Films of William Grefé
as Himself (voice only)
(2016)
(2015)
A Christmas Horror Story
as Dangerous Dan
(2015)
Just in Time for Christmas
as Coachman Nick
(2015)
Being Canadian
as Self
(2015)
Baby, Baby, Baby
as Actor
(2015)
(2014)
To Be Takei
as Self
(2014)
Chaos on the Bridge
as Self
(2014)
(2013)
Escape from Planet Earth
as General Shanker (voice)
(2013)
(2013)
Return to the Forest
as Narrator
(2013)
The Captains: Still Kicking
as Himself
(2012)
Get a Life!
as Himself
(2012)
Horrorween
as Himself
(2011)
Corman's World
as Self - Actor
(2011)
Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen
as Self - Roaster
(2011)
The Captains
as Himself
(2011)
Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored
as Captain James T. Kirk (archive footage)
(2011)
The Space Shuttle
as Narrator
(2011)
(2011)
William Shatner Sings O Canada
as Himself
(2011)
(2010)
Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey
as Core (voice)
(2010)
(2009)
Fanboys
as Himself
(2009)
(2009)
William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet
as Himself
(2008)
Gotta Catch Santa Claus
as Santa Claus (voice)
(2007)
The Pixar Story
as James T. Kirk (archive footage)
(2007)
WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary
as Himself
(2006)
Over the Hedge
as Ozzie (voice)
(2006)
The Wild
as Kazar (voice)
(2006)
Stalking Santa
as Narrator
(2006)
40 Years of Star Trek
as Self
(2006)
(2006)
William Shatner in Concert
as Self
(2005)
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
as Stan Fields
(2005)
Merry F#%$in' Christmas
as Self
(2005)
How William Shatner Changed The World
as Self - Host / Narrator (voice)
(2005)
Lil' Pimp
as Tony Gold (voice)
(2005)
Last Laugh '05
as Lucifer
(2004)
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
as Dodgeball Chancellor
(2004)
(2004)
Last Laugh '04
as Self
(2004)
(2004)
(2004)
(2003)
A Carol Christmas
as Dr. Bob / Ghost of Christmas Present
(2003)
Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
(2003)
Christmas in Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
(2003)
(2003)
William Shatner's Spplat Attack II
as Wild Bill
(2002)
American Psycho II: All American Girl
as Starkman
(2002)
Showtime
as William Shatner
(2002)
Groom Lake
as John Gossner
(2002)
Shoot or Be Shot!
as Harvey Wilkes
(2002)
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
as Self
(2002)
(2002)
(2002)
(2001)
Falcon Down
as Major Robert Carson
(2001)
(2001)
(2001)
Osmosis Jones
as Mayor Phlegmming (voice)
(2001)
Gahan Wilson's The Kid
as Professor
(2001)
Festival in Cannes
as Self
(2001)
Remembering 'The Intruder'
as Himself
(2001)
NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 1
as Narrator
(2001)
NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3
as Narrator
(2001)
NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 2
as Narrator
(2000)
Miss Congeniality
as Stan Fields
(2000)
Atomic Journeys: Welcome to Ground Zero
as Narrator (Voice)
(1999)
Nukes in Space
as Narrator
(1998)
Free Enterprise
as Bill
(1998)
Hollywood Ghost Stories
as Himself
(1998)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman
as James T. Kirk
(1998)
Land of the Free
as Aidan Carvell
(1997)
Trekkies
as Self
(1997)
Jefftowne
as Himself
(1996)
Dead Man's Island
as Chase Prescott
(1996)
The Prisoner of Zenda, Inc.
as Michael Gatewick
(1996)
Star Trek Story
as Self (archive footage)
(1996)
Corwin
as Self
(1996)
(1995)
Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie
as Narrator
(1995)
(1994)
Star Trek: Generations
as Captain James T. Kirk
(1994)
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
as Adam Harland (uncredited)
(1994)
(1994)
TekWar: TekJustice
as Walter H. Bascom
(1994)
TekWar: TekLab
as Walter H. Bascom
(1994)
TekWar: TekLords
as Walter H. Bascom
(1994)
Janek: The Silent Betrayal
as Bodosh
(1994)
TekWar
as Walter H. Bascom
(1994)
Star Trek: A Captain's Log
as Himself/Host
(1994)
(1994)
(1993)
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1
as General Mortars
(1993)
Family of Strangers
as Earl
(1993)
(1992)
Boomerang
as Captain James Tiberius Kirk (archive footage)
(1991)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
as Captain James T. Kirk
(1991)
Voices That Care
as Self - Choir Member
(1991)
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
as Self - Host
(1990)
Amazon: Land of the Flooded Forest
as Narrator
(1989)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
as Captain James T. Kirk
(1989)
Hollywood on Horses
as Self
(1988)
Broken Angel
as Chuck Coburn
(1988)
(1987)
(1987)
Seasons
as Narrator (voice)
(1986)
(1986)
Super Duper Bloopers
as Self
(1986)
(1986)
T.J. Hooker: Blood Sport
as Sgt. T.J. Hooker
(1986)
The Canadian Conspiracy
as Self
(1985)
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
as Self (archive footage)
(1985)
Night of 100 Stars II
as Self
(1985)
North Beach and Rawhide
as Rawhide MacGregor
(1984)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
as Admiral James T. Kirk
(1984)
Secrets of a Married Man
as Chris Jordan
(1982)
Airplane II: The Sequel
as Cdr. Buck Murdock
(1982)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
as Admiral James T. Kirk
(1982)
Visiting Hours
as Gary Baylor
(1982)
Night of 100 Stars
as Self
(1980)
The Kidnapping of the President
as Jerry O'Connor
(1980)
The Babysitter
as Dr. Jeff Benedict
(1980)
Hypnosis and Beyond
as Himself
(1979)
Disaster on the Coastliner
as Stuart Peters
(1979)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
as Admiral James T. Kirk
(1979)
Riel
as The Barker
(1978)
The Third Walker
as Munro Maclean
(1978)
Land of No Return
as Curt Benell
(1978)
The Bastard
as Paul Revere
(1978)
The Crash of Flight 401
as Carl Tobias
(1977)
Kingdom of the Spiders
as Dr. Robert 'Rack' Hansen
(1976)
Universe
as Narrator
(1976)
The Tenth Level
as Prof. Stephen Turner
(1976)
Mysteries of the Gods
as Host
(1976)
A Whale of a Tale
as Jack Fredericks
(1976)
Perilous Voyage
as Steve Monroe
(1976)
(1975)
Mitzi & 100 Guys
as Self
(1975)
The Devil's Rain
as Mark Preston
(1975)
The Star Trek Dream
as Self
(1974)
Pray for the Wildcats
as Warren Summerfield
(1974)
Big Bad Mama
as William J. Baxter
(1974)
Impulse
as Matt Stone
(1974)
Indict and Convict
as Sam Belden
(1973)
Pioneer Woman
as John Sergeant
(1973)
The Horror at 37,000 Feet
as Paul Kovalik
(1973)
Go Ask Alice
as Sam
(1973)
Incident on a Dark Street
as Deaver G. Wallace
(1972)
The Hound of the Baskervilles
as George Stapleton
(1972)
The People
as Dr. Curtis
(1970)
Sole Survivor
as Lt. Col. Josef Gronke
(1970)
Swing Out, Sweet Land
as John Adams
(1970)
The Andersonville Trial
as Col. Chipman
(1969)
Shadow Game
as Peter Hoyt
(1968)
Alexander The Great
as Alexander
(1968)
White Comanche
as Johnny Moon / Notah
(1966)
Incubus
as Marc
(1966)
Star Trek: The Menagerie
as Captain James T. Kirk
(1964)
The Outrage
as Preacher
(1963)
Operation Bikini
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
(1962)
The Intruder
as Adam Cramer
(1961)
Judgment at Nuremberg
as Harrison Byers
(1961)
The Explosive Generation
as Peter Gifford
(1959)
City Out of Time
as Narrator (voice)
(1958)
The Brothers Karamazov
as Alexi Karamazov
(1958)
A Town Has Turned to Dust
as Jerry Paul
(1958)
The Christmas Tree
as Philo
(1957)
Oedipus Rex
as Chorus
(1957)
The Defender (Studio One)
as Kenneth Preston
(1951)
Crew
(2024)
William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill
Executive Producer
(2024)
765874: Unification
Executive Producer
(2017)
God Woke
Executive Producer
(2017)
The Truth Is in the Stars
Executive Producer
(2014)
Chaos on the Bridge
Director, Writer, Executive Producer
(2013)
The Captains: Still Kicking
Director
(2012)
Get a Life!
Director, Executive Producer
(2011)
The Captains
Director, Writer, Executive Producer
(2007)
Fire Serpent
Creator, Executive Producer
(2002)
Groom Lake
Director, Story
(2000)
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins
Theme Song Performance
(1994)
TekWar: TekLords
Novel
(1994)
TekWar
Director, Novel
(1994)
TekWar: TekJustice
Characters
(1989)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Director, Story