From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how William Shatner made an impact.
William Shatner is a celebrated Canadian actor with a career spanning seven decades. He achieved iconic status for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. His role began in 1966 with the original Star Trek television series and continued through seven feature films, concluding with Star Trek Generations in 1994. Shatner's portrayal of Kirk has cemented his place in pop culture history.
In 1951, William Shatner had a small role as "a crook" in the Canadian comedy drama, The Butler's Night Off, marking his first movie role.
In 1954, William Shatner made his first appearance on American television in a children's program called The Howdy Doody Show, playing the role of Ranger Bob.
In 1956, William Shatner made his Broadway debut with a part in Marlowe's Tamburlaine.
In the 1957-58 season, William Shatner had a leading role in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "The Glass Eye."
In December 1958, William Shatner appeared in a Hallmark Hall of Fame live television production titled The Christmas Tree.
In 1959, William Shatner received good reviews for his role in The World of Suzie Wong on Broadway, and he also played detective Archie Goodwin in the pilot for a Nero Wolfe series that was later aborted by CBS.
In 1960, William Shatner appeared in The Twilight Zone episode "Nick of Time". He also appeared twice as Wayne Gorham in NBC's Outlaws.
In 1961, William Shatner appeared on Broadway in A Shot in the Dark and was featured in two episodes of the NBC television series Thriller. He also appeared in the film The Explosive Generation.
In 1962, William Shatner took the lead role in Roger Corman's movie The Intruder.
In 1963, William Shatner appeared in The Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet".
In 1963, William Shatner appeared in an episode of the ABC series Channing and starred in the Family Theater production called "The Soldier". He also guest-starred in Route 66.
In 1964, William Shatner first appeared on screen with Leonard Nimoy in "The Project Strigas Affair" episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
In 1964, William Shatner guest-starred in The Outer Limits, The Reporter, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and played a supporting role in The Outrage. Also, he played the titular character in the pilot for a proposed series called Alexander the Great.
In 1965, William Shatner guest-starred in 12 O'Clock High and had the lead role in a legal drama, For the People.
In 1966, William Shatner debuted as Captain James T. Kirk in the second pilot of the first Star Trek television series.
In 1966, William Shatner starred in Incubus, a film with all dialogue in Esperanto, and in an episode of Gunsmoke as Fred Bateman. He also appeared in The Big Valley as Brett Skyler.
In 1966, William Shatner was cast as Captain James T. Kirk for the second pilot of Star Trek.
On November 22, 1968, Plato's Stepchildren aired, where William Shatner, as Captain Kirk, kissed Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), marking an early example of a white man kissing a black woman on scripted television in the United States.
In 1968, William Shatner made his recording debut with the release of the album The Transformed Man, featuring readings from classic plays and recitations of popular songs.
In 1968, William Shatner starred in the Spaghetti Western White Comanche, playing both a white-hat character and his black-hat evil twin.
In 1968, William Shatner started his career as a recording artist with his album, The Transformed Man.
In 1968, the pilot for Alexander the Great, in which William Shatner played the titular role, was repackaged and aired as a TV movie.
In 1969, Star Trek was canceled after three seasons and seventy-nine episodes.
In 1969, after the cancellation of Star Trek, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy reunited in Star Trek: The Animated Series.
In 1969, after the cancellation of Star Trek, William Shatner experienced difficulty finding employment and faced financial hardship, living in a truck-bed camper for a time.
In 1971, William Shatner gave a performance during a tour that was later released on a Lemli Records double album.
In 1971, William Shatner made a critically praised appearance as a prosecutor in a PBS adaptation of Saul Levitt's play The Andersonville Trial.
In 1972, William Shatner was seen in a major part in the movie The People.
In 1973, William Shatner returned to the role of Captain Kirk, in voice only, for the animated Star Trek series.
In 1973, William Shatner was seen in a major part in the movie The Horror at 37,000 Feet.
In 1974, William Shatner's film work included B-movies such as Roger Corman's Big Bad Mama.
In 1975, William Shatner appeared in the horror film The Devil's Rain and had a starring role in the western-themed secret agent series Barbary Coast.
During 1975 and 1976, William Shatner had a starring role in the western-themed secret agent series Barbary Coast.
In 1976, Mark Goodson considered William Shatner to host the pilot of Family Feud, but Richard Dawson's agent intimidated him into choosing Dawson instead.
In 1977, William Shatner's film work included the horror film Kingdom of the Spiders.
In 1977, a performance that William Shatner had given during a tour in 1971 was released on a Lemli Records double album, William Shatner Live.
In 1978, William Shatner hosted the fifth Saturn Awards and performed a version of Elton John's "Rocket Man".
In 1979, William Shatner returned as Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
In 1982, William Shatner began co-starring with Heather Locklear on T. J. Hooker, leading to a lasting friendship.
In 1982, William Shatner began playing the lead role in T.J. Hooker, a television series where he played a veteran police sergeant.
In 1982, William Shatner mocked the persona of Captain Kirk in the film Airplane II: The Sequel.
In 1982, William Shatner played Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
In 1984, William Shatner played Kirk in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
In 1986, William Shatner finished his role in T.J. Hooker.
In 1986, William Shatner played Kirk in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
In 1986, William Shatner told Trekkies to "get a life" in a Saturday Night Live sketch.
In 1989, William Shatner began hosting the dramatic re-enactment series Rescue 911.
In 1989, William Shatner played Kirk in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
In 1989, the first TekWar novel, co-written by William Shatner and Ron Goulart, was published.
Since 1990, William Shatner has been one of the most important supporters of the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, which raises money for organizations serving children.
In 1991, William Shatner played Kirk in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
In 1992, William Shatner performed versions of the five nominees in the Best Song from a Movie category at the MTV Movie Awards.
In 1993, James Doohan declined to be interviewed by William Shatner for his first memoir, Star Trek Memories.
In 1993, William Shatner mocked the persona of Captain Kirk in the film National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1.
In his 1993 book "Star Trek Memories", William Shatner recalls being disappointed when he attended the premiere of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture".
In 1994, William Shatner became the chief executive officer of the Toronto-based C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures.
In 1994, William Shatner made his final appearance as Captain Kirk in the seventh Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Generations.
In 1994, William Shatner played Kirk in Star Trek Generations, where the character died.
In 1994, William Shatner revisited Columbo to play the murderer-of-the-week in the episode "Butterfly in Shades of Grey".
In 1995, William Shatner narrated Peter Kuran's documentary film Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie.
In 1995, William Shatner's TekWar franchise expanded into computer games with a first-person shooter release, William Shatner's TekWar.
In 1996, William Shatner concluded his hosting duties on the television series Rescue 911.
In 1996, William Shatner guest-starred in Will Smith's television show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in an episode entitled Eye, Tooth.
In 1997, William Shatner's appearances as James Tiberius Kirk were in the movie sequences of the video game Starfleet Academy.
In 1998, William Shatner contributed a caricature of himself to the romantic comedy movie Free Enterprise, which satirized Trekkies' Kirk idolatry.
In 1998, William Shatner narrated a television miniseries shot in New Zealand called A Twist in the Tale.
In 1998, William Shatner was featured on two tracks, "In Love" and "Still in Love", on Ben Folds's album "Fear of Pop: Volume 1".
In May 1999, Simon & Schuster published William Shatner's book Get a Life!, a memoir of his experiences with Trekkies.
From 1999, William Shatner appeared in several episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun as the "Big Giant Head."
In 2000, William Shatner appeared in the comedy film Miss Congeniality.
In 2000, William Shatner contributed the voice of Buzz Lightyear to the Star Command anthem "To Infinity And Beyond" in the film "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins".
In 2000, William Shatner planned to write and direct "The Shiva Club", a dark comedy inspired by his wife's death.
In 2000, William Shatner played Stan Fields in the Sandra Bullock comedy movie Miss Congeniality.
William Shatner appeared in several episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun as the "Big Giant Head" through 2000.
In 2001, William Shatner voiced Mayor Phlegmming in the satirical movie Osmosis Jones.
Life imitated art in Gary, Indiana in 2001, when William Shatner visited the town to host the Miss USA Pageant for real.
On June 28, 2002, William Shatner performed with Brian Evans at the San Carlos Institute Theatre in Key West, Florida, duetting on the songs "What Kind of Fool Am I" and "The Lady Is a Tramp"; the concert was later released as an album.
In 2003, William Shatner appeared in Brad Paisley's Celebrity and Online music videos.
In October 2004, William Shatner's second studio album, Has Been, produced by Ben Folds, was released, featuring songs co-written and arranged by Folds.
In October 2004, plans for William Shatner to guest-star in a three-episode story arc on Star Trek: Enterprise were cancelled due to the show's cancellation.
In 2004, Elizabeth Anderson Martin co-wrote the song "Together" on William Shatner's album "Has Been".
In 2004, William Shatner began starring as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of The Practice and continued the role in its spinoff, Boston Legal.
In 2004, William Shatner's album "Has Been" included a spoken word piece called "What Have You Done", describing his anguish after discovering Nerine's body.
On June 9, 2005, William Shatner performed his version of "My Way" at George Lucas's AFI Life Achievement Award presentation, backed by dancers in Imperial Stormtrooper costumes.
On December 11, 2005, William Shatner launched Comedy Central's Last Laugh 2005 with a skit where he played Lucifer.
In 2005, William Shatner and Heather Locklear reunited on Boston Legal, where Locklear played Kelly Nolan, a woman being tried for killing her wealthy husband. Shatner's character became attracted to her and involved in her defense.
In 2005, William Shatner appeared in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, reprising his role as Stan Fields.
In 2005, William Shatner was heard in the track "'64 – Go" on the Lemon Jelly album '64–'95.
In 2005, William Shatner won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his role as Denny Crane on Boston Legal, becoming one of the few actors to win an Emmy while playing the same character on two different shows.
On March 29, 2006, TV Land aired a Shatner-centric episode of "Living in TV Land" titled "William Shatner in Concert," featuring footage of him working with Ben Folds and performing with Folds's band and Joe Jackson.
On May 16, 2006, William Shatner appeared on The View and announced that the $25,000 proceeds from the sale of his kidney stone to GoldenPalace.com, along with an additional $20,000 raised from the cast and crew of Boston Legal, had been donated to Habitat for Humanity.
In 2006, William Shatner appeared in a DirecTV advertisement that used footage from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
In 2006, William Shatner received an Emmy nomination for his role as Denny Crane in Boston Legal.
In 2006, William Shatner voiced Ozzie in DreamWorks' Over the Hedge and Kazar in Walt Disney's The Wild.
In January 2007, William Shatner began posting daily autobiographical vlogs on the LiveVideo platform in a project that he named ShatnerVision, marking his entry into the world of online content creation.
In July 2007, director J. J. Abrams stated that the production of the 2009 film Star Trek was "desperately trying to figure out a way to put him in", but that to "shove him in ... would be a disaster".
In 2007, Margo Sappington used William Shatner's album "Has Been" as the basis for a dance project called "Common People", created for the Milwaukee Ballet.
In 2007, William Shatner received an Emmy nomination for his role as Denny Crane in Boston Legal.
In December 2008, William Shatner began experimenting with the chat show genre in the humorous Shatner's Raw Nerve.
In 2008, William Shatner finished his run as attorney Denny Crane in Boston Legal.
In 2008, William Shatner received an Emmy nomination for his role as Denny Crane in Boston Legal.
In 2008, William Shatner released his memoir Up Till Now, co-written with David Fisher, reflecting on his life and career.
On April 17, 2009, the feature documentary "William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet", based on Margo Sappington's dance project "Common People" and William Shatner's album "Has Been", was unveiled at the Nashville Film Festival to favorable reviews.
On July 27, 2009, William Shatner opened mock-hostilities on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, with a poetry slam inspired recitation of Sarah Palin's resignation speech.
On December 11, 2009, William Shatner returned to Sarah Palin on The Tonight Show to read excerpts from her autobiography, Going Rogue: An American Life.
In 2009, Shatner was not offered a role in the Star Trek film.
In 2009, William Shatner received an Emmy nomination for his role as Denny Crane in Boston Legal.
In 2009, William Shatner voiced Don Salmonella in the animated series The Gavones, expanding his work on YouTube.
On February 1, 2010, William Shatner guest-hosted WWE Raw to promote his talk show, Shatner's Raw Nerve, performing several wrestlers' entrance theme songs.
In April 2010, William Shatner began hosting the Discovery Channel show Weird or What?.
In 2010, the special effects studio C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, where William Shatner was the CEO, ceased operations.
On March 7, 2011, the crew of STS-133 on the Space Shuttle Discovery began their last day docked to the International Space Station with William Shatner reciting an adapted version of the "Star Trek" introduction.
In March 2011, Shatner's humorous chat show Shatner's Raw Nerve aired its final episode.
In May 2011, the CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says, starring William Shatner, was cancelled three months after the first broadcast of its final episode.
In October 2011, William Shatner released his album Seeking Major Tom, featuring collaborations with various musicians and covers of astronautically themed songs.
In 2011, Walter Koenig appeared on William Shatner's interview series Shatner's Raw Nerve, indicating that the animosity he once felt towards Shatner had dissipated.
In 2011, William Shatner released his most successful album, Seeking Major Tom, which includes covers of songs by Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and Queen.
In August 2012, the Discovery Channel show Weird or What?, hosted by William Shatner, aired its final episode.
In 2012, William Shatner returned to theatre on Broadway in Shatner's World: We Just Live in It and was a guest presenter on Have I Got News for You, coining the term "pensioneer".
In October 2013, William Shatner's album "Ponder the Mystery", produced by Billy Sherwood and featuring contributions from various musicians, was released.
In 2013, William Shatner reprised his role as Captain Kirk for a comedic interlude with Seth MacFarlane at the Academy Awards.
On April 24, 2014, William Shatner performed an autobiographical one-man show on Broadway, which was filmed for subsequent screening in theatres.
In 2015, William Shatner played Mark Twain in Murdoch Mysteries and Croatoan in Haven.
In March 2016, William Shatner provided the lead vocals on Ben Craven's track "Spy In The Sky Part 3" in Craven's album "Last Chance To Hear".
On August 23, 2016, the NBC reality miniseries Better Late Than Never, featuring William Shatner, premiered.
In 2016, William Shatner starred in the first season of NBC's Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series.
On December 11, 2017, a preview episode of the second season of Better Late Than Never, featuring William Shatner, was aired.
In 2017, William Shatner starred in the second season of NBC's Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series.
In August 2018, William Shatner's first venture into country music, the album "Why Not Me", was released on Heartland Records Nashville, featuring Jeff Cook and guest vocals by Neal McCoy, Home Free, and Cash Creek.
In October 2018, William Shatner's holiday album "Shatner Claus", featuring collaborations with Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, Todd Rundgren, Billy Gibbons, and others, was released.
In 2018, William Shatner petitioned the CEO of the Norwegian Cruise Line through PETA not to include dolphins in their cruise programme, citing the "Prime Directive".
In 2018, William Shatner starred in the second season of NBC's Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series.
On New Year's Day of 2018, the official season premiere of the second season of Better Late Than Never, featuring William Shatner, was aired.
In 2019, William Shatner began hosting and executive-producing The UnXplained on History, a show that explores unexplained phenomena.
On October 2, 2020, William Shatner's ninth album, "The Blues", was released.
In March 2021, the same week he turned 90, William Shatner starred in the film Senior Moment, which co-starred Jean Smart and Christopher Lloyd, marking a significant moment in his later career.
On August 26, 2021, William Shatner announced his tenth album, "Bill".
On October 13, 2021, William Shatner flew on Blue Origin's second sub-orbital human spaceflight, Blue Origin NS-18, becoming the oldest person to fly into space at the age of 90.
In 2021, William Shatner became the focus of political controversy when it was revealed that he would host I Don't Understand with William Shatner on RT.
In 2022, William Shatner competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as Knight and was eliminated in the first episode.
In 2023, The UnXplained on History, hosted and executive-produced by William Shatner, aired its final episode.
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