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 role as Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. His career began in 1966 with the original Star Trek television series and spanned multiple films, with his final appearance as Kirk in 1994's *Star Trek Generations*. Shatner's portrayal of Kirk has solidified his place in pop culture history and cemented his legacy as a science fiction icon.
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1905: Birth of Ann Garmaise
In 1905, Ann Garmaise (later 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 Born
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: Graduated from McGill University
In 1952, William Shatner graduated from the McGill University Faculty of Management in Montreal with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
August 12, 1956: Marriage to Gloria Rand
On August 12, 1956, William Shatner married Canadian actress Gloria Rand.
1958: Birth of Daughter Leslie
In 1958, William Shatner and Gloria Rand had their first daughter, Leslie.
1961: Birth of Daughter Lisabeth
In 1961, William Shatner and Gloria Rand had their second daughter, Lisabeth.
1964: Birth of Daughter Melanie
In 1964, William Shatner and Gloria Rand had their third daughter, Melanie.
1967: Death of Joseph Shatner
In 1967, Joseph Shatner (William Shatner's father) passed away.
1967: Pyrotechnical accident during Star Trek episode "Arena"
In 1967, William Shatner believes that a pyrotechnical accident during the shooting of the Star Trek episode "Arena" may have caused his tinnitus, a hearing disorder.
April 1968: Fan Incident
In April 1968, a group of Star Trek fans attempted to tear William Shatner's clothes from him 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 while acting in "Star Trek: The Original Series".
1969: Difficulty Finding Employment After Star Trek Cancellation
In 1969, after the cancellation of Star Trek, William Shatner faced difficulty finding employment and experienced financial hardship.
1973: Marriage to Marcy Lafferty
In 1973, William Shatner married Marcy Lafferty, the daughter of television producer Perry Lafferty.
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
In December 1989, William Shatner was surprised by Michael Aspel on the set of the Starship Enterprise for the British television series "This Is Your Life".
1990: Support of the Hollywood Charity Horse Show
Since 1990, William Shatner has been a major supporter of the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, raising money for children's organizations.
1992: Death of Ann Shatner
In 1992, Ann Shatner (William Shatner's mother, née Garmaise) passed away.
1993: "Star Trek Memories" Book
In his 1993 book "Star Trek Memories", William Shatner recalls his disappointment at the premiere of the first Star Trek movie.
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 and participating in the coin toss for the Rose Bowl.
1996: Divorce from Marcy Lafferty
In 1996, William Shatner divorced his second wife, Marcy Lafferty, after a marriage lasting from 1973.
1997: Marriage to Nerine Kidd
In 1997, William Shatner married Nerine Kidd, with Leonard Nimoy as his best man, despite concerns about her alcoholism.
1999: Locklear comforts Shatner after death of Nerine Shatner
In 1999, after the death of William Shatner's wife, Nerine Shatner, Heather Locklear comforted him during his bereavement.
1999: Wrote Book About Trekkies
In the aftermath of his Saturday Night Live rebuke to Trekkies, William Shatner wrote a book about them in 1999.
2000: Plans for "The Shiva Club" Movie
In 2000, it was reported that William Shatner was planning to write and direct "The Shiva Club", a dark comedy inspired by his wife's death.
2001: Marriage to Elizabeth Anderson Martin
In 2001, William Shatner married Elizabeth Anderson Martin.
August 2004: Doohan and Shatner reconcile
In August 2004, it was reported that James Doohan had forgiven William Shatner, and the two actors had developed a friendship as senior citizens.
May 16, 2006: Appearance on The View and Donation to Habitat for Humanity
On May 16, 2006, William Shatner appeared on The View and announced that the proceeds from the sale of his kidney stone and an additional $20,000 were donated to Habitat for Humanity.
January 2007: Starts Autobiographical Vlogs on LiveVideo
In January 2007, William Shatner began posting daily autobiographical vlogs on the LiveVideo platform in a project he named ShatnerVision.
December 2008: Experimented with Chat Show Genre
In December 2008, William Shatner experimented with the chat show genre in the humorous 'Shatner's Raw Nerve'.
2008: Co-Wrote Memoir Up Till Now
In 2008, William Shatner co-wrote his memoir, 'Up Till Now', with David Fisher.
2008: Publication of "Up Till Now: The Autobiography"
In his 2008 book "Up Till Now: The Autobiography", William Shatner disclosed Leonard Nimoy's efforts to help Nerine Kidd with her alcoholism.
2009: Expanded Work on YouTube
In 2009, William Shatner expanded his work on YouTube, supplying the voice of Don Salmonella to the animated series 'The Gavones'.
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.
2010: Describes Star Trek Film as Wonderful
At a convention held in 2010, William Shatner described the film 'Star Trek' as "wonderful".
March 7, 2011: Inspirational Message to Space Shuttle Discovery Crew
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.
March 2011: Shatner's Raw Nerve Ended
In March 2011, the humorous chat show 'Shatner's Raw Nerve' concluded its run.
2011: Honorary Doctorate of Letters from McGill University
In 2011, McGill University awarded William Shatner an honorary Doctorate of Letters.
2014: Grand Marshal of the Calgary Stampede parade
In 2014, William Shatner served as the Grand Marshal at the 102nd Calgary Stampede parade in his native Canada.
2015: Leonard Nimoy's death
When Leonard Nimoy died in 2015, William Shatner expressed his grief, saying he loved Nimoy like a brother and would miss his humor and talent. Shatner was unable to attend the funeral but sent his daughters and held an online memorial.
September 2016: Special guest at Salt Lake Comic Con
In September 2016, William Shatner was a special guest at the Salt Lake Comic Con.
2016: Revelation about relationship with Nimoy
In 2016, William Shatner revealed that he and Leonard Nimoy hadn't spoken in the five years before Nimoy's death in 2015, despite their long-standing friendship.
May 2018: Honorary Doctorate from New England Institute of Technology
In May 2018, William Shatner was granted an honorary Doctorate of Letters by the New England Institute of Technology.
2018: Petition against dolphin exploitation on Star Trek cruise
In 2018, William Shatner petitioned the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line through PETA to exclude dolphins from the programme of their Star Trek cruise, opposing the exploitation of species for profit.
2019: Filing for Divorce from Elizabeth Anderson Martin
In 2019, William Shatner filed for divorce from his wife, Elizabeth.
January 2020: Finalization of Divorce from Elizabeth Anderson Martin
In January 2020, William Shatner's divorce from Elizabeth Anderson Martin was finalized.
2020: Shatner reveals health issues and treatment
In 2020, William Shatner revealed that he suffers from swollen joints and age-related aches and pains, treating his discomfort with cannabidiol oil, a dietary supplement extracted from cannabis.
October 13, 2021: Sub-Orbital Spaceflight on Blue Origin NS-18
On October 13, 2021, William Shatner participated in Blue Origin's second sub-orbital human spaceflight, Blue Origin NS-18, becoming the oldest person to fly into space at the time. He traveled on the RSS First Step.
2021: Space Flight Aboard Blue Origin NS-18
In 2021, at age 90, William Shatner flew into space aboard Blue Origin NS-18, becoming the oldest person to fly in space.
February 24, 2022: Expressed Support for Ukraine
On February 24, 2022, four days after 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 made a guest appearance at the L.A. Comic Con.
2023: Spiner claims Shatner's Twitter account is managed by employee
In 2023, Brent Spiner stated that William Shatner informed him his Twitter account was managed by an employee, with Shatner having minimal direct involvement in its content.
2023: Death of Joy Rutenberg
In 2023, Joy Rutenberg (William Shatner's older sister) passed away.
May 19, 2024: Record Surpassed by Ed Dwight
On May 19, 2024, William Shatner's record as the oldest person to fly into space was surpassed by retired U.S. Air Force pilot Ed Dwight, who was 90 years and 253 days old.
2024: Ed Dwight's Spaceflight on Blue Origin NS-25
In 2024, Ed Dwight, also age 90 but older than Shatner, flew on the suborbital Blue Origin NS-25 spaceflight.
2025: Reconciliation with Elizabeth Anderson Martin
As of 2025, William Shatner and Elizabeth Anderson Martin have reconciled after their divorce.
2025: Takei wishes Shatner happy birthday
In 2025, George Takei wished Bill Shatner a happy 94th birthday, signaling a potential shift in their long-standing feud. He posted: Just days ago, Bill Shatner celebrated his 94th birthday — wishing him continued health and happiness. Live long and prosper, my friends.
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