William Shatner
William Shatner, OC (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship Enterprise in the second pilot of the first Star Trek television series to his final appearance as Captain Kirk in the seventh Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Generations (1994).
Shatner began his screen acting career in Canadian films and television
After his last appearance as Captain Kirk, Shatner's television career has embraced comedy, drama and reality shows. In seasons 4 and 5 of the NBC series 3rd Rock from the Sun, he played the alien "Big Giant Head", to which the main characters reported. From 2004 until 2008, he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of the legal show The Practice and in its spinoff Boston Legal, a role that earned him two Emmy Awards, one for his contribution to each series. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, he starred in both seasons of NBC's Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series in which a band of elderly celebrities toured East Asia and Europe.
Aside from acting, Shatner has had a career as a recording artist, beginning in 1968 with his album The Transformed Man. His cover versions of songs are dramatic recitations of their lyrics rather than musical performances: the most notable are his versions of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", and Elton John's "Rocket Man". His most successful album was his third, Seeking Major Tom (2011), which includes covers of Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly", David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".
In 2021, Shatner flew into space aboard Blue Origin NS-18, a Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule. At age 90, he became the oldest person to fly in space and one of the first 600 to do so. Minutes after the flight, he described experiencing the overview effect.
Born
Mar 22, 1931
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Known For
Acting
Movies
214 acting
24 crew
Popularity
3.2
Known For
Over the Hedge
2006
as Ozzie (voice)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
1979
as Admiral James T. Kirk
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story
2004
as Dodgeball Chancellor
Miss Congeniality
2000
as Stan Fields
The Wild
2006
as Kazar (voice)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
1986
as Admiral James T. Kirk
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
1989
as Captain James T. Kirk
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
1982
as Admiral James T. Kirk
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
2005
as Stan Fields
Escape from Planet Earth
2013
as General Shanker (voice)
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