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William Shatner

William Shatner has cultivated a career that has spans 50 years as professional actor, director, producer, screenwriter, author and horseman. He is one of pop culture's most recognizable figures and has also established himself as a major Hollywood philanthropist.

In September 2004, Shatner won an Emmy Award for his recurring role as eccentric law firm partner Denny Crane on The Practice. Shatner is reprising the role as a series regular on the hit ABC program Boston Legal; the portrayal garnered him his first Golden Globe in January 2005.

Shatner made his film debut in the 1957 film The Brothers Karamazov, followed by Judgment at Nuremburg and The Intruder. During the same period, he starred on Broadway in The World of Suzie Wong and A Shot in the Dark. He since guest-starred in over several hundred television programs including classics such as The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Mission: Impossible, 77 Sunset Strip and Dr. Kildare, before earning an Emmy nomination for his appearances in 3rd Rock from the Sun. Shatner also played the title role in the network television series hit T.J. Hooker before hosting the CBS series Rescue 911 for six seasons.

In 1966, Shatner originated the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the television series Star Trek. He reprised the role in seven of the Star Trek motion pictures and has since appeared in other films such as Airplane II: The Sequel, Loaded Weapon 1 and Miss Congeniality. He made his feature film directorial debut in 1989 with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Most recently, he directed, produced and starred in Groom Lake.

Shatner has authored over 20 best-selling books in both the fiction and non-fiction genres. His novel series TekWar was turned into a television series for The Sci-Fi Network, in which he also starred and directed. Some of his other popular novels include Man O' War, Star Trek Avenger, Ashes of Eden, Star Trek Memories, Star Trek Movie Memories and Get A Life!.

Shatner has also become a success at another career - horse breeding. In August 1997, he won the World Harness Championship at Louisville, Kentucky, with his Saddlebred, Revival. He continues to act, write, produce and direct while still managing to find time to work with charities and further his passion in the equestrian sports. He and his wife, Elizabeth, and his three married children live in Los Angeles.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2005.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

William Shatner Facts

OccupationActor
BirthdayMarch 22, 1931 (93)
SignAries
BirthplaceMontreal, Quebec, Canada
Height5' 11" (1m80)  How tall is William Shatner compared to you?
Awards2005 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie (for Boston Legal)
2005 Emmy Awards: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (for Boston Legal)
2004 Emmy Awards: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (for The Practice)
Social Media WilliamShatner

Selected Filmography

Classic TV Bloopers: Uncensored
The True Story of Puss'N Boots
The Man Trap
Miss Congeniality
Over the Hedge
Range 15
RiffTrax: Kingdom of the Spiders
Escape From Planet Earth
Star Trek: The Original Series
T.J. Hooker: The Complete Series
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