Childhood and Education Journey of William Shatner in Timeline

An overview of the childhood and early education of William Shatner, highlighting the experiences that shaped the journey.

William Shatner is a Canadian actor renowned for his iconic portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. Beginning in 1966, Shatner captained the starship Enterprise through the original television series and reprised the role in seven Star Trek feature films, culminating in Star Trek Generations (1994). His career spans seven decades, securing his place as a prominent figure in television and film history.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1905: Birth of Ann Garmaise

In 1905, Ann Garmaise (Shatner's mother) was born.

1928: Birth of Joy Rutenberg

In 1928, Joy Rutenberg, William Shatner's older sister, was born.

March 22, 1931: William Shatner's Birth

On March 22, 1931, William Shatner was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to Ann and Joseph Shatner.

1940: Birth of Farla Cohen

In 1940, Farla Cohen, William Shatner's younger sister, was born.

1952: Graduation from McGill University

In 1952, William Shatner graduated from the McGill University Faculty of Management with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

August 12, 1956: Marriage to Gloria Rand

On August 12, 1956, William Shatner married Gloria Rand, a Canadian actress.

1958: Birth of daughter Leslie Shatner

In 1958, William Shatner's first daughter, Leslie, was born.

1961: Birth of daughter Lisabeth Shatner

In 1961, William Shatner's second daughter, Lisabeth, was born.

1964: Birth of daughter Melanie Shatner

In 1964, William Shatner's third daughter, Melanie, was born.

1967: Death of Joseph Shatner

In 1967, Joseph Shatner, William Shatner's father, passed away.

1967: Possible Tinnitus Trigger

In 1967, during the shooting of the Star Trek episode "Arena", a pyrotechnical accident may have triggered William Shatner's tinnitus.

April 1968: Fan Incident at 30 Rockefeller Plaza

In April 1968, a group of fans attempted to tear William Shatner's clothes off as he left 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

March 1969: Divorce from Gloria Rand

In March 1969, William Shatner divorced his first wife, Gloria Rand, after leaving her during his time acting in Star Trek: The Original Series.

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1969: Struggled to Find Employment After Star Trek Cancellation

In 1969, following the cancellation of Star Trek, William Shatner faced difficulty finding employment and experienced financial hardship, at one point living in a truck-bed camper.

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1973: Marriage to Marcy Lafferty

In 1973, William Shatner married Marcy Lafferty, the daughter of television producer Perry Lafferty.

1977: Star Trek: Phase II Planning

In 1977, Paramount began pre-producing a sequel show, "Star Trek: Phase II". However, the success of "Star Wars" led them to create a movie instead.

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1977: The $10,000 Pyramid Blunder

In 1977, William Shatner, while participating in "The $10,000 Pyramid", blurted out the word "blessed" instead of providing a hint, costing his partner a $20,000 prize. Frustrated, Shatner threw his chair out of the Winner's Circle.

1987: King of the Mardi Gras Bacchus parade

In 1987, William Shatner was king of the Mardi Gras Bacchus parade.

December 1989: This Is Your Life Appearance

In December 1989, William Shatner participated in the British television series "This Is Your Life", where he was surprised on the set of the Starship Enterprise.

1990: Supporter of Hollywood Charity Horse Show

Since 1990, William Shatner has been a supporter of the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, which raises money for organizations serving children. His horse farm also works with the Central Kentucky Riding for Hope "Horses for Heroes" program.

1992: Death of Ann Shatner

In 1992, Ann Shatner (née Garmaise), William Shatner's mother, passed away.

1993: Disappointment at 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' premiere

In his 1993 book, 'Star Trek Memories', William Shatner recalled his disappointment when attending the premiere of 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture'.

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Star Trek Memories

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1994: Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade

On New Year's Day 1994, William Shatner was the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, riding on horseback. He also took part in the coin toss before the Rose Bowl college football game.

1996: Divorce from Marcy Lafferty

In 1996, William Shatner and Marcy Lafferty divorced after being married since 1973.

1997: Marriage to Nerine Kidd despite her alcoholism

In 1997, William Shatner married Nerine Kidd, against the advice of many due to her alcoholism. Leonard Nimoy served as his best man at the Pasadena celebration. Nimoy also took Nerine to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, but she did not want to quit.

1997: Marriage to Nerine Kidd

In 1997, William Shatner married Nerine Kidd.

August 9, 1999: Death of Nerine Kidd

On August 9, 1999, William Shatner found his third wife, Nerine Kidd, deceased in their backyard swimming pool; her death was ruled an accidental drowning due to alcohol and diazepam in her system.

1999: Nerine Shatner's Death

In 1999, after the death of William Shatner's wife Nerine, Heather Locklear provided comfort to Shatner during his bereavement.

2000: Plans for 'The Shiva Club'

In 2000, a Reuters story reported that William Shatner was planning to write and direct 'The Shiva Club', a dark comedy about the grieving process inspired by the death of his wife.

2001: Marriage to Elizabeth Anderson Martin

In 2001, William Shatner married Elizabeth Anderson Martin.

November 2003: Reconciliation between Shatner and Doohan

In November 2003, at 'The Great Bird of the Galaxy' convention in El Paso, Texas, William Shatner and James Doohan reconciled. They hugged, apologized, and expressed their love and admiration for each other.

August 2004: Doohan's last convention appearance

In August 2004, at the time of James Doohan's final convention appearance, it was reported that he had forgiven William Shatner, and the two actors had achieved a friendship.

2004: Release of "What Have You Done"

William Shatner's 2004 album Has Been included a spoken word piece, "What Have You Done", that describes his anguish upon discovering Nerine's body.

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May 16, 2006: Shatner donates kidney stone sale proceeds to charity

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, were donated to Habitat for Humanity.

2008: Disclosure of Leonard Nimoy's Role in Up Till Now

In his 2008 book 'Up Till Now: The Autobiography', William Shatner disclosed Leonard Nimoy's efforts to help Nerine Kidd with her alcoholism.

Up Till Now: The Autobiography

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February 28, 2010: Speaker at the 2010 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony

On February 28, 2010, William Shatner was one of the speakers at the closing ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

2014: Grand Marshal of the Calgary Stampede parade

In 2014, William Shatner was the Grand Marshal at the 102nd Calgary Stampede parade in Canada.

2015: Death of Leonard Nimoy

In 2015, Leonard Nimoy died. William Shatner expressed his grief, stating he loved Nimoy like a brother and would miss his humor, talent, and capacity to love. Shatner was unable to attend Nimoy's funeral but held an online memorial.

September 2016: Special guest at Salt Lake Comic Con

In September 2016, William Shatner was invited as a special guest to the Salt Lake Comic Con.

2016: Shatner reveals he and Nimoy had been estranged

In 2016, William Shatner revealed that he and Leonard Nimoy had not spoken to each other in the five years before Nimoy's death the previous year, despite their long and affectionate relationship.

2017: Honorary Captain of Star Trek Cruise

In 2017, William Shatner acted as the honorary captain of "Star Trek: The Cruise", celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek's original pilot episode. Shatner expressed concern over the inclusion of swimming with dolphins.

2018: Petition against dolphin exploitation on Star Trek Cruise

In 2018, William Shatner petitioned the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line through PETA not to include dolphins in the programme of their 2018 Star Trek cruise, citing the Prime Directive.

2019: Filing for Divorce from Elizabeth

In 2019, William Shatner filed for divorce from Elizabeth Anderson Martin.

January 2020: Finalization of Divorce from Elizabeth Anderson Martin

In January 2020, William Shatner's divorce from Elizabeth Anderson Martin was finalized.

2020: Shatner treats discomfort with cannabidiol oil

In 2020, William Shatner revealed he suffers from swollen joints and age-related aches and pains, and treats the discomfort with cannabidiol oil, a dietary supplement extracted from cannabis.

July 2021: Wally Funk's Blue Origin Spaceflight

In July 2021, Wally Funk flew on Blue Origin's first crewed spaceflight at the age of 82, prior to William Shatner's flight.

October 13, 2021: Blue Origin Spaceflight

On October 13, 2021, William Shatner participated in Blue Origin's second sub-orbital human spaceflight, Blue Origin NS-18, travelling on the RSS First Step and becoming the oldest person to fly into space at age 90.

2021: Space Flight Aboard Blue Origin NS-18

In 2021, at the age of 90, William Shatner flew into space aboard Blue Origin NS-18, becoming the oldest person to fly in space at the time.

February 24, 2022: Support for Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, William Shatner issued a statement via Twitter expressing support for the Ukrainians.

December 4, 2022: Star guest at L.A. Comic Con

On December 4, 2022, William Shatner was a star guest at the L.A. Comic Con.

2023: Shatner's Twitter account management

In 2023, Brent Spiner stated that William Shatner informed him his Twitter (now X) account was managed by an employee, and that Shatner had minimal direct involvement in the account's content.

2023: Death of Joy Rutenberg

In 2023, Joy Rutenberg, William Shatner's older sister, passed away.

May 19, 2024: Ed Dwight becomes oldest person in space

On May 19, 2024, Ed Dwight, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, surpassed William Shatner's record to become the oldest person to fly into space at the age of 90 years, 253 days.