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Canadian roots -

Shatner was born in Montreal, Quebec, to a Conservative Jewish household. Instead of the arts, he studied economics at the McGill University Faculty of Management, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1952.

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Shakespearean training -

After graduating from McGill, he became manager of Mountain Playhouse in Montreal, before joining the Canadian National Repertory Theatre in Ottawa, where he trained as a classical Shakespearean actor. Shatner began performing at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 1954, with roles in productions like 'Oedipus Rex' (directed by Tyrone Guthrie), 'Henry V', and 'Tamburlaine the Great.'

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His long friendship with Christopher Plummer -

Shatner was an understudy to Christopher Plummer in 'Henry V,' and when Plummer couldn't go on due to an illness, Shatner took the chance to show off his acting chops. He impressed Plummer and critics greatly, and the two actors would later reunite on screen as adversaries in 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' (1991).

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A family man -

Shatner's first marriage (of four) was to Canadian actress Gloria Rand (née Rabinowitz) in 1956. From 1958 to 1964, they had three daughters, but they divorced in 1969. Shatner would go on to marry Marcy Lafferty, daughter of producer Perry Lafferty, which lasted from 1973 to 1996.

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Numerous small roles -

Across Broadway, television, and a few small films, Shatner was busily diversifying his resume in the early '60s. He "became a working actor who showed up on time, knew his lines, worked cheap and always answered his phone," The New York Times Magazine wrote. His motto was "Work equals work," but many think his willingness to take any role may have hindered his career.

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Then he landed his life-changing role -

Shatner was cast as Captain James T. Kirk for the second pilot of 'Star Trek,' called 'Where No Man Has Gone Before.' He landed a contract to play Kirk for the series and held the role from 1966 to 1969. At the time, however, it wasn't so monumental, as it only achieved modest ratings and was canceled after three seasons and 79 episodes.

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He made TV history -

In his role as Kirk, Shatner famously kissed actress Nichelle Nichols (who played Lt. Uhura) in the episode 'Plato's Stepchildren,' which aired on November 22, 1968. It's credited as the first instance of an interracial kiss, between a white man and a black woman, on scripted television in the US.

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The problem of being typecast -

After 'Star Trek' was canceled in early 1969, Shatner had some difficulty in finding work, particularly because the role of Captain Kirk had somewhat pigeonholed him.

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A tough period -

He had little money and few acting prospects, and ended up losing his home. He lived instead in a truck-bed camper in the San Fernando Valley, taking any odd job that came his way, including small roles, advertisements, party appearances, and so forth in order to support his family.

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Unexpected cult-favorite fandom -

In a surprise twist following its cancelation, 'Star Trek' amassed a cult following in the '70s due to its syndicated reruns. Captain Kirk quickly became a cultural icon, and Shatner began appearing at Star Trek conventions organized by Trekkies.

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Making the leap to the silver screen -

Inspired by the success of 'Star Wars,' Paramount started developing a 'Star Trek' film, for which Shatner and the other original cast members returned to their roles. 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' was released in 1979 to much success.

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Seven 'Star Trek' movies total -

After that, Shatner played Kirk in six more films: 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' (1982), 'Star Trek III: The Search for Spock' (1984), 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' (1986), 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier' (1989), 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' (1991), and finally with the character's death in 'Star Trek Generations' (1994).

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But he wasn't too pleased about Trekkies -

Shatner made it clear in interviews that he was not a willing subject of the Trekkie fandom, as early as 1968 when a group tried to rip his clothes off in New York City. Then in a 1986 'Saturday Night Live' sketch about a Star Trek convention, Shatner famously told a room full of fans to "get a life". In 1999, he published a book called 'Get a Life!' which details his experiences with the Star Trek fandom.

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Meanwhile he was also in 'T. J. Hooker' -

Shatner landed the titular role on 'T. J. Hooker,' which followed a former detective who demotes himself to street patrol, where he feels he is needed. The show ran for five seasons and 91 episodes from 1982 to 1986. Shatner tried his hand at directing during this time, including numerous episodes of the show.

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Tragedy struck -

Shatner's third marriage was to Nerine Kidd, from 1997 until that fateful day on August 9, 1999, when he came home to find her body at the bottom of their pool. She was just 40, but it was later revealed that she suffered from addiction and accidentally drowned. Shatner told Larry King in an interview that, "My wife, whom I loved dearly, and who loved me, was suffering with a disease that we don't like to talk about: alcoholism. And she met a tragic ending because of it."

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A long friendship with Leonard Nimoy -

One person who helped Shatner through what he described to The Guardian as the “searing pain” of Kidd's death was his co-star and close friend, Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in 'Star Trek,' as he had also struggled with alcoholism. Their bond was so deep that Shatner even wrote a book about Nimoy in 2016 called, 'Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship With a Remarkable Man.'

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A mix of work -

In the late '90s and early '00s, Shatner wrote numerous sci-fi novels, narrated and had small roles in various TV shows, appeared in films like 'Miss Congeniality' (2000), appeared in many advertisements, and became CEO of a Toronto-based special effects studio called C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, which operated from 1994 to 2010.

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Success as Denny Crane -

David E. Kelley cast Shatner in the final season of the legal drama 'The Practice' after reportedly seeing his ads. Shatner was cast as eccentric but effective attorney Denny Crane, a role which The New York Times described as "William Shatner the man ... playing William Shatner the character playing the character Denny Crane, who was playing the character William Shatner." Still, he won an Emmy for his role in 2004.

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Success as Denny Crane -

Shatner then took the Crane role to 'Boston Legal,' and won a Golden Globe, an Emmy in 2005, and Emmy nominations through 2006-2009. With the 2005 Emmy win, Shatner became one of the few actors to win an Emmy while playing the same character on two different series. He stayed with the series until its end in 2008, after five seasons and 101 episodes.

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'Weird or What?' and more -

For three seasons, from 2010 to 2012, Shatner hosted the Discovery Channel series 'Weird or What?' which weighed various supernatural and scientific theories that attempt to explain bizarre stories. He also took on numerous short-term jobs in the early 2010s.

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One-man show -

In 2012, Shatner performed a one-man show on Broadway called 'Shatner's World: We Just Live in It,' which toured the US. Two years later, he performed for one night only another autobiographical one-man show on Broadway, which was later broadcast in over 700 theaters across Canada, Australia, and the US, donating a large portion of the profits to charity.

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And then there's his music career -

Shatner's music career began with the spoken word album 'The Transformed Man' in 1968, which was filled with exaggerated, interpretive recitations of popular songs like 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,' as well as excerpts from famous plays. In 1977, he released a live double album called 'William Shatner Live,' which was more of the same style.

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It was widely spoofed -

In 1978, Shatner hosted the 5th Saturn Awards where he did a spoken word rendition of Elton John's 'Rocket Man,' which has since been widely spoofed. Even Shatner himself has occasionally spoofed his early musical career, like at the 1992 MTV Movie Awards while announcing the Best Song from a Movie nominees, or in 2009 on 'The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien' when reading Sarah Palin's tweets.

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A successful turn -

In 2004, Shatner released an album called 'Has Been,' which was produced and arranged by Ben Folds, with songs composed by them both. The LP received critical acclaim for its unique "pop-driven" style, and its cover of Pulp's 'Common People' was particularly praised. Shatner would go on to make numerous appearances singing covers for various shows.

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Space kept its influence on him -

Shatner released the space-themed album 'Seeking Major Tom' in 2011, which features covers of songs such as Pink Floyd's 'Learning to Fly', David Bowie's 'Space Oddity,' and Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' helped along with big-name artists like Zakk Wylde, Peter Frampton, Brian May, Ritchie Blackmore, Brad Paisley, and more.

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More albums -

Shatner released 'Ponder the Mystery' in 2013, in which all lyrics are credited to him. In 2018, he released 'Why Not Me,' his first country music album and fifth album overall, with Jeff Cook, founding member of the band Alabama. In 2018, he released a Christmas album called 'Shatner Claus,' which featured duets with established musical artists including Iggy Pop, Todd Rundgren, Billy Gibbons, and more. His seventh album, 'The Blues' was released in 2020 and peaked at no. 1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. In 2021, Shatner released his eighth, and very personal album, 'Bill.'

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His fourth marriage -

In 2001, Shatner married Elizabeth Anderson Martin, who three years later co-wrote the song 'Together' on Shatner's most famous album 'Has Been.' They were reportedly divorced in 2020.

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A lifelong passion for horses -

As if his career wasn't diverse enough, Shatner also enjoys breeding and showing American Saddlebreds and Quarter Horses on his 360-acre (150 ha) farm near Versailles, Kentucky. He told The Guardian that even at age 90 he was still riding, and that he's “a competitive rider in an equine skill called reining,” which he called, “very athletic and cowboyish.” In 2018, he was awarded the National Reining Horse Association Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Reining Horse Association Hall of Fame.

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Astronaut adventure -

On October 13, 2021, Shatner flew to space in real life on Blue Origin's second suborbital human spaceflight, Blue Origin NS-18. Aged 90 years, six months, and 22 days, he became the oldest person to fly to space, surpassing Wally Funk, who flew on Blue Origin's first human spaceflight at the age of 82 in July 2021.

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Coming full circle -

After playing a space-traveling character for years, Shatner finally got to experience a slice of it for himself. Not only is he still in great shape physically, but after the flight, Shatner said he experienced the overview effect—a term to describe a cognitive change of consciousness reported by astronauts who, after observing the planet from so far, feel deeply aware of the fragility of the plate blue dot. Who knows what this will inspire in him next!

Sources: (The New York Times) (The Guardian) (IMDb)

See also: The 30 most essential cult-favorite TV shows of all time

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