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 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.

Sections (5)

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

1905: Birth of Ann Garmaise

In 1905, Ann Garmaise (later Ann Shatner, William 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.

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 in Montreal 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 Leslie Shatner

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

1961: Birth of Lisabeth Shatner

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

1964: Birth of Melanie Shatner

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

1967: Death of Joseph Shatner

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

1967: Possible cause of tinnitus

In 1967, during the shooting of the Star Trek episode "Arena", a pyrotechnical accident may have led to William Shatner developing tinnitus.

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.

1973: Marriage to Marcy Lafferty

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

1977: Pyramid Show Blunder

In a 1977 episode of The $10,000 Pyramid, William Shatner made a mistake that cost his partner a $20,000 prize, leading to him throwing a chair in frustration.

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 on the set of the Starship Enterprise for the British television series This Is Your Life.

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1990: Support of 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: Death of Ann Shatner

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

1993: Recollection of Disappointment with Star Trek Premiere

In his 1993 book "Star Trek Memories", William Shatner recalls being disappointed when he attended the premiere of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture".

Star Trek Memories

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1994: Grand Marshal of 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, presiding over it from horseback and participating in the coin toss before the Rose Bowl game.

1996: Divorce from Marcy Lafferty

In 1996, William Shatner and Marcy Lafferty divorced, ending Shatner's longest marriage.

1997: Marriage to Nerine Kidd and Her Struggles with Alcoholism

In 1997, William Shatner married Nerine Kidd, against advice, hoping she would overcome her alcoholism; Leonard Nimoy, who had personal experience with alcoholism, tried to help her, but she continued to struggle.

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, dead in their backyard swimming pool; her death was ruled an accidental drowning due to alcohol and diazepam.

1999: Heather Locklear comforts Shatner after his wife's death

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

2000: Plans for "The Shiva Club"

In 2000, William Shatner planned 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.

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, hugging each other, apologizing, and expressing their love and admiration.

August 2004: Doohan's final 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 the friendship as senior citizens that had eluded them as younger men.

2004: Inclusion of "What Have You Done" on "Has Been"

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.

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 raised from the cast and crew of Boston Legal, had been donated to Habitat for Humanity.

January 2007: Started Autobiographical Vlogs on LiveVideo

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.

December 2008: Experimented with the Chat Show Genre

In December 2008, William Shatner began experimenting with the chat show genre in the humorous Shatner's Raw Nerve.

2008: Memoir: Up Till Now

In 2008, William Shatner released his memoir Up Till Now, co-written with David Fisher, reflecting on his life and career.

Up Till Now: The Autobiography

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February 28, 2010: Speaker at Vancouver 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: Described Film as Wonderful

At a convention held in 2010, 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 aired its final episode.

2014: Grand Marshal of Calgary Stampede parade

In 2014, William Shatner discharged the duties of a Grand Marshal at the 102nd Calgary Stampede parade in his native Canada.

2015: Leonard Nimoy's death and Shatner's response

In 2015, upon Leonard Nimoy's death, William Shatner expressed his love for him as a brother and acknowledged the loss of his humor, talent, and capacity to love. While unable to attend the funeral due to commitments, Shatner's daughters attended in his place, and he celebrated Nimoy's life in an online memorial.

September 2016: Special guest at Salt Lake Comic Con

In September 2016, William Shatner attended the Salt Lake Comic Con as their special guest.

2016: Revelation of estrangement from Leonard Nimoy

In 2016, William Shatner revealed that he and Leonard Nimoy had not spoken to each other in the five years before Nimoy's death.

2017: Honorary captain of Star Trek cruise

In 2017, William Shatner acted as the honorary captain of "Star Trek: The Cruise", the first Star Trek cruise licensed by CBS Productions, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of Star Trek's original pilot episode.

2017: Shatner's support for Autism Speaks

In 2017, William Shatner tweeted support for Autism Speaks, a controversial charity, leading to arguments with autistic people and allies.

2018: Petition against dolphin exploitation on cruises

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".

2019: Filing for Divorce from Elizabeth Anderson Martin

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

2019: World Championship at Kentucky State Fair

In 2019, William Shatner won a world championship with his Standardbred road horse Track Star at the Kentucky State Fair World's Championship Horse Show in Louisville.

January 2020: Finalization of Divorce from Elizabeth Anderson Martin

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

2020: Arguments on Twitter over "straight white cis man" label

In 2020, William Shatner engaged in month-long arguments on Twitter regarding being called a "straight white cis man".

2020: Shatner reveals his health issues

In 2020, William Shatner revealed that he suffers from swollen joints and age-related aches and pains, which he treats with cannabidiol oil.

July 2021: Wally Funk's Spaceflight

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

October 13, 2021: Blue Origin Spaceflight

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.

2021: Dismissive of a Jewish convert of colour

In 2021, The Forward noted that William Shatner was dismissive of a Jewish convert of colour, likening it to his arguments about the term "cis" and Autism Speaks.

2021: Spaceflight 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 that time.

February 24, 2022: Expressed Support for Ukrainians

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: Beam-down to L.A. Comic Con

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

2023: Spiner's claim about Shatner's Twitter account

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 Surpasses Shatner's Record

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

2024: Ed Dwight's Spaceflight

In 2024, Ed Dwight, who is 48 days older than William 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, and Shatner is once again referring to her as his wife, despite their previous divorce.