Rise to Success: Career Highlights of William Shatner
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how William Shatner made an impact.
William Shatner is a Canadian actor whose career spans seven decades. He is most famous for his iconic role as Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. He began portraying Kirk in 1966, as the captain of the USS Enterprise, and continued in the role until his last appearance in the film *Star Trek Generations* in 1994. Shatner's portrayal of Captain Kirk has made him a cultural icon.
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William Shatner, the 'Star Trek' icon, stipulated a condition for appearing in 'The Big Bang Theory.' His 'Sexy Sci-Fi' series aimed to surpass 'The Matrix.' Shatner's influence expands beyond 'Star Trek'.
1951: Small Role in The Butler's Night Off
In 1951, while attending college, William Shatner had a small role as "a crook" in the Canadian comedy drama The Butler's Night Off, credited as Bill Shatner.
1954: First American Television Appearance
In 1954, William Shatner made his first appearance on American television in The Howdy Doody Show as Ranger Bob.
1956: Broadway Debut in Tamburlaine
In 1956, William Shatner made his Broadway debut in Marlowe's Tamburlaine as part of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
1957: Alfred Hitchcock Presents
In 1957, William Shatner had a leading role in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "The Glass Eye".
December 1958: Appearance in The Christmas Tree
In December 1958, William Shatner appeared in The Christmas Tree, a Hallmark Hall of Fame live television production, as a Roman tax collector.
1959: Role in The World of Suzie Wong and Nero Wolfe Pilot
In 1959, William Shatner received good reviews for his role as Lomax in The World of Suzie Wong on Broadway and played detective Archie Goodwin in a Nero Wolfe series pilot.
1960: Twilight Zone Episode and Outlaws
In 1960, William Shatner appeared in The Twilight Zone episode "Nick of Time" and in two episodes of the Western series Outlaws.
1961: Broadway role in A Shot in the Dark
In 1961, William Shatner appeared on Broadway in A Shot in the Dark, also starred in Thriller TV series and the film The Explosive Generation.
1962: Lead Role in The Intruder
In 1962, William Shatner took the lead role in Roger Corman's movie The Intruder.
1963: Twilight Zone Episode
In 1963, William Shatner appeared in The Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet".
1963: Guest Starring roles
In 1963, William Shatner appeared in an episode of Channing and in Route 66.
1964: First on-screen appearance with Leonard Nimoy
In 1964, William Shatner first appeared on screen with Leonard Nimoy in an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. titled "The Project Strigas Affair."
1964: Guest Starring roles
In 1964, William Shatner guest-starred in The Outer Limits, The Reporter and played a supporting role in The Outrage. He was also cast in a pilot for a series called Alexander the Great alongside Leonard Nimoy.
1965: Guest Starring roles
In 1965, William Shatner guest-starred in 12 O'Clock High and had the lead role in a legal drama, For the People.
1966: Debut as Captain Kirk
In 1966, William Shatner debuted as Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise in the second pilot of the first Star Trek television series, beginning his iconic role in the franchise.
1966: Starring in Incubus
In 1966, William Shatner starred in Incubus (Esperanto: Inkubo) the second feature-length movie ever made with all dialogue spoken in Esperanto, starred in an episode of Gunsmoke and in an episode of The Big Valley.
November 22, 1968: First Interracial Kiss on TV
On November 22, 1968, in the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren", a kiss that Captain Kirk (William Shatner) planted on the lips of Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) is cited as the first example of a white man kissing a black woman on scripted television in the United States.
1968: Recording Debut
In 1968, William Shatner made his recording debut with the release of the album The Transformed Man, featuring readings from classic plays and covers of popular songs.
1968: Starring in White Comanche
In 1968, William Shatner starred in the Spaghetti Western White Comanche, playing both Johnny Moon and Notah.
1968: Release of The Transformed Man
In 1968, William Shatner started his career as a recording artist with his album, The Transformed Man, featuring dramatic recitations of song lyrics.
1968: Alexander the Great Pilot Airs as TV Movie
In 1968, the unaired pilot for Alexander the Great, in which William Shatner played the titular role, was repackaged and aired as a TV movie.
1969: End of Star Trek's Original Run
In 1969, Star Trek was cancelled after three seasons and seventy-nine episodes.
1969: Star Trek cancellation
In 1969, after the cancellation of Star Trek, William Shatner reunited with Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek: The Animated Series, marking a continuation of their professional relationship after the original show's end.
1971: William Shatner Live Performance
In 1971, William Shatner gave a performance during a tour which was later released in 1977 as the live album, William Shatner Live.
1973: Return to the Role of Kirk in Animated Series
In 1973, William Shatner returned to the role of Captain Kirk, in voice only, in the animated Star Trek series.
1977: William Shatner Live Album Release
In 1977, William Shatner Live, a performance from a 1971 tour, was released as a Lemli Records double album, including reminiscences about Star Trek and excerpts from various works.
1978: Performance of "Rocket Man" at Saturn Awards
In 1978, while hosting the fifth presentation of Saturn Awards, William Shatner performed a version of Elton John's "Rocket Man" that became a comedic parody staple.
1982: Co-starring with Heather Locklear on T. J. Hooker
In 1982, Heather Locklear began co-starring with William Shatner on T. J. Hooker. She also had a semi-regular role in Dynasty. Locklear spoke about working with Shatner and her experienced colleagues on Dynasty could be daunting.
1982: T. J. Hooker
In 1982, William Shatner began playing the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker.
1986: End of T. J. Hooker
In 1986, William Shatner finished his role as the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker.
1989: Hosting Rescue 911
In 1989, William Shatner began hosting the reality-based television series Rescue 911.
1990: Support for Hollywood Charity Horse Show
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.
1992: Performances at the MTV Movie Awards
In 1992, William Shatner offered self-mockery performances of the five nominees in the Best Song from a Movie category at the MTV Movie Awards.
1993: Doohan declines Shatner interview
In 1993, James Doohan declined to be interviewed by William Shatner for his first memoir, Star Trek Memories, highlighting the strained relationship between the two actors.
1993: Publication of "Star Trek Memories"
In his 1993 book "Star Trek Memories", William Shatner recalls his disappointment at the premiere of the first Star Trek movie, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture".
1994: Final Appearance as Captain Kirk
In 1994, William Shatner made his final appearance as Captain Kirk in the seventh Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Generations.
1994: Filming Star Trek Generations
In 1994, while filming Star Trek Generations, William Shatner had to work with George Takei, Walter Koenig and James Doohan, with whom he had a difficult relationship.
1996: End of Hosting Rescue 911
In 1996, William Shatner ended his role as host of the reality-based television series Rescue 911.
1998: Appearance on Ben Folds's Album
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".
1999: Book About Trekkies
In 1999, William Shatner wrote a book about Trekkies after his Saturday Night Live rebuke to them. That book would become the basis for the 2012 documentary film Get a Life!.
2000: Plans for "The Shiva Club" Dark Comedy
In 2000, Reuters reported that William Shatner was planning to write and direct "The Shiva Club", a dark comedy inspired by his wife's death.
2000: Acting in Miss Congeniality
In 2000, William Shatner acted in the comedy film Miss Congeniality.
2000: Voice of Buzz Lightyear in "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command"
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".
June 28, 2002: Performance with Brian Evans
On June 28, 2002, William Shatner appeared with Brian Evans at the San Carlos Institute Theatre in Key West, Florida, and duetted in the songs "What Kind of Fool Am I" and "The Lady Is a Tramp". The concert was later released as an album.
October 2004: Release of Has Been
In October 2004, William Shatner's second studio album, Has Been, produced by Ben Folds, was released, featuring collaborations and a cover of Pulp's "Common People".
2004: Collaboration on "Together" Song
In 2004, Elizabeth Anderson Martin co-wrote the song "Together" on William Shatner's album "Has Been".
2004: Starring as Denny Crane
In 2004, William Shatner began starring as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of the legal show The Practice and the entire run of its spinoff, Boston Legal.
2004: "What Have You Done" on "Has Been" Album
William Shatner's 2004 album "Has Been" included a spoken word piece titled "What Have You Done", which describes his anguish upon discovering Nerine Kidd's body.
June 9, 2005: Performance at George Lucas's AFI Life Achievement Award
On June 9, 2005, William Shatner contributed his version of "My Way" to the presentation of George Lucas's AFI Life Achievement Award, backed by a chorus line of dancers in Imperial Stormtrooper costumes.
December 11, 2005: Appearance on Comedy Central's Last Laugh 2005
On December 11, 2005, William Shatner launched Comedy Central's Last Laugh 2005 with a skit where he played Lucifer.
2005: Reunion with Heather Locklear on Boston Legal
In 2005, William Shatner and Heather Locklear worked together again on Boston Legal, where Locklear played Kelly Nolan, a woman on trial for killing her wealthy husband, and Shatner's character became attracted to her.
2005: Featured on Lemon Jelly's Album
In 2005, William Shatner was heard in the track "'64 - Go" on the Lemon Jelly album "'64 - '95".
March 29, 2006: TV Land's "William Shatner in Concert" Episode
On March 29, 2006, TV Land aired a Shatner-centred episode of their "Living in TV Land" series subtitled "William Shatner in Concert," featuring footage of him working with Ben Folds and performing with Folds's band and Joe Jackson.
May 16, 2006: Sale of kidney stone for charity
On May 16, 2006, William Shatner appeared on The View and announced that he had sold his kidney stone to GoldenPalace.com for $25,000 and donated the proceeds, along with an additional $20,000 raised from the cast and crew of Boston Legal, to Habitat for Humanity.
2006: Animated Pictures Released
In 2006, William Shatner voiced Ozzie in DreamWorks' Over the Hedge and played the villain Kazar in Walt Disney's The Wild.
January 2007: ShatnerVision Vlog
In January 2007, William Shatner began posting daily autobiographical vlogs on the LiveVideo platform in a project that he named ShatnerVision.
July 2007: No Role in Star Trek Film
In July 2007, J.J. Abrams stated that they were "desperately trying to figure out a way to put him in" the 2009 film Star Trek, but that to "shove him in ... would be a disaster".
2007: Dance Project "Common People" Based on "Has Been" Album
In 2007, Margo Sappington created "Common People", a dance project for the Milwaukee Ballet based on William Shatner's album "Has Been".
December 2008: Shatner's Raw Nerve Chat Show
In December 2008, William Shatner experimented with the chat show genre in the humorous Shatner's Raw Nerve, which aired until March 2011.
2008: End of Denny Crane Role
In 2008, William Shatner ended his role as attorney Denny Crane in Boston Legal.
2008: Publication of Up Till Now
In 2008, William Shatner's memoir, Up Till Now, co-written with David Fisher, was published.
April 17, 2009: Premiere of "William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet"
On April 17, 2009, the feature documentary "William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet" was unveiled at the Nashville Film Festival, receiving favorable reviews.
July 27, 2009: Poetry Slam Inspired Speech
On July 27, 2009, William Shatner opened mock-hostilities with a poetry slam inspired recitation of the speech in which Sarah Palin had resigned the governorship of Alaska on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.
December 11, 2009: Excerpt from Palin's Autobiography
On December 11, 2009, William Shatner returned to Palin once more to read excerpts from her autobiography, Going Rogue: An American Life, and she, taking his teasing in good part, responded by reciting extracts from his own memoir, Up Till Now on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.
2009: Voice of Don Salmonella
In 2009, William Shatner supplied the voice of Don Salmonella to the animated series The Gavones on YouTube.
2009: No Role in Star Trek Film
In 2009, William Shatner was not offered a role in the Star Trek film.
February 1, 2010: Guest Hosting WWE Raw
On February 1, 2010, William Shatner guest-hosted World Wrestling Entertainment's flagship show WWE Raw and performed several wrestlers' entrance theme songs to promote his Biography Channel talk show "Shatner's Raw Nerve".
April 2010: Hosting Weird or What?
In April 2010, William Shatner began hosting the Discovery Channel show Weird or What?, which aired until August 2012.
2010: Convention Describing the Film
At a convention held in 2010, William Shatner described the 2009 Star Trek film as "wonderful".
March 2011: End of Shatner's Raw Nerve
In March 2011, Shatner's humorous chat show Shatner's Raw Nerve ended its run.
May 2011: $#*! My Dad Says Cancelled
In May 2011, the CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says, starring William Shatner, was cancelled three months after the first broadcast of its final episode.
October 2011: Release of Seeking Major Tom
In October 2011, William Shatner released his album Seeking Major Tom, featuring collaborations with notable musicians and covers of space-themed songs.
2011: Koenig appears on Shatner's Raw Nerve
In 2011, Walter Koenig accepted William Shatner's invitation to appear on his interview series Shatner's Raw Nerve, indicating that the animosity he once felt had dissipated.
2011: Release of Seeking Major Tom
In 2011, William Shatner released his most successful album, Seeking Major Tom, which included covers of songs like "Learning to Fly" by Pink Floyd and "Space Oddity" by David Bowie.
August 2012: End of Weird or What?
In August 2012, the Discovery Channel show Weird or What?, hosted by William Shatner, concluded its run.
2012: Return to Theatre
In 2012, William Shatner returned to his roots in theatre, appearing on Broadway in a one-man show called Shatner's World: We Just Live in It, which then toured throughout the United States after a three-week run.
October 2013: Release of "Ponder the Mystery" Album
In October 2013, William Shatner's fifteen-track album "Ponder the Mystery", produced by Billy Sherwood, was released featuring collaborations with several musicians.
April 24, 2014: One-Man Show on Broadway
On April 24, 2014, William Shatner performed an autobiographical one-man show on Broadway, which was filmed for subsequent screening in more than 700 theatres across Australia, Canada and the United States with a large portion of the revenue of the project going to charity.
2015: Role in Murdoch Mysteries
In 2015, William Shatner played Mark Twain in an episode of the Canadian historical crime drama series Murdoch Mysteries, and Croatoan in the last episodes of SyFy channel's fantasy series Haven.
March 2016: Featured on Ben Craven's Album
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".
August 23, 2016: Premiere of Better Late Than Never
On August 23, 2016, the NBC reality miniseries Better Late Than Never, starring William Shatner, premiered, following celebrities on a tour around Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia.
2016: Starring in Better Late Than Never
In 2016, William Shatner began starring in Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series on NBC.
December 11, 2017: Preview Episode of Better Late Than Never
On December 11, 2017, William Shatner appeared in a preview episode of the second season of Better Late Than Never.
2017: Starring in Better Late Than Never Season 2
In 2017, William Shatner starred in the second season of Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series on NBC.
August 2018: Release of "Why Not Me" Album
In August 2018, William Shatner released "Why Not Me", his first venture into country music, in partnership with Jeff Cook.
October 2018: Release of "Shatner Claus" Album
In October 2018, William Shatner released "Shatner Claus", a holiday collection, featuring collaborations with several artists.
2018: Starring in Better Late Than Never Season 2
In 2018, William Shatner starred in both seasons of Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series on NBC.
2018: Official Season Premiere of Better Late Than Never
In 2018, the official season premiere of the second season of Better Late Than Never, starring William Shatner, was aired.
2019: Hosting and Executive Producing The UnXplained
From 2019, William Shatner hosted and executive-produced The UnXplained on History.
October 2, 2020: Release of "The Blues" Album
On October 2, 2020, William Shatner's ninth album, "The Blues", was released.
March 2021: Release of Senior Moment
In March 2021, William Shatner's film Senior Moment, co-starring Jean Smart and Christopher Lloyd, was released on the same week Shatner turned 90.
August 26, 2021: Announcement of "Bill" Album
On August 26, 2021, William Shatner announced his tenth album, "Bill".
2021: Political Controversy
In 2021, William Shatner faced political controversy when his show, I Don't Understand with William Shatner, was scheduled to air on RT, formerly known as Russia Today.
2022: The Masked Singer
In 2022, William Shatner competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as "Knight", and was eliminated in the first episode.
2023: End of Hosting The UnXplained
In 2023, William Shatner concluded his role as host and executive producer of The UnXplained on History.
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