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William Shatner

William Shatner

Acting · Sound · Crew · Production

Born March 22, 1931, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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 productions before moving into guest-starring roles in various American television shows. He appeared as James Kirk in all the episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, 21 of the 22 episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and the first seven Star Trek movies. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences before, during and after his time in a Starfleet uniform. He has also co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe and a series of science fiction novels, the TekWar sequence, that were adapted for television. Outside Star Trek, Shatner played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker (1982–1986), hosted the reality-based television series Rescue 911 (1989–1996), guest starred on the detective series Columbo, and acted in the comedy film Miss Congeniality (2000). 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.

Filmography

Appearances as themselves (131)
  • 2026For the Love of Star Trek — Self
  • Hey Jonas! — Self-Guest
  • Star Trek: Legenden — Self - James Tiberius Kirk
  • 2026The Sixty Year Mission: How Star Trek Changed Television and the World — Self
  • 2025The Eagle Obsession — Self
  • The D-Con Chamber — Self
  • 2023Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic — Self
  • 2023Full Moon's Roadshow Revisited — Self (archive footage)
  • Stars on Mars — Self - Host
  • Piers Morgan Uncensored — Self
  • Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg — Self
  • 2022Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies — Self - (archive footage)
  • 20212021 and Done with Snoop Dogg & Kevin Hart — Self
  • 2021Expedition Unknown: Shark Trek — Self
  • 2021Shatner in Space — Self
  • 2021WWE Hall Of Fame 2020 — Self
  • The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self
  • 2017Heroes Manufactured — Self (archive footage)
  • Better Late Than Never — Self
  • 2016For the Love of Spock — Self
  • 2016Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People — Self (archive footage)
  • 2016Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault — Self
  • 2016They Came from the Swamp: The Films of William Grefé — Himself (voice only)
  • Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed — Self
  • 2015Being Canadian — Self
  • StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson — Self
  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self - Guest
  • 2015Tom Felton Meets the Superfans — Self
  • WWE Breaking Ground — Himself (narrator)
  • 2014A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con — Self
  • Last Week Tonight with John Oliver — Self - Guest
  • The Real History of Science Fiction — Self
  • 2014To Be Takei — Self
  • 2013Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale — Self
  • Comic Book Men — Self
  • Gotham Comedy Live — Self - Host
  • 2012Horrorween — Self
  • 2011Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen — Self - Roaster
  • 2011Corman's World — Self - Actor
  • 2011William Shatner Sings O Canada — Himself
  • 2010Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man — Self
  • The Talk — Self
  • 2010Vancouver 2010 Olympic Closing Ceremony — Himself
  • 2009Fanboys — Himself
  • 2009Star Trek: The Captain's Summit — Self
  • The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien — Self - Guest
  • 2009William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet — Himself
  • Shatner's Raw Nerve — Self - Host
  • 2007WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary — Himself
  • 200640 Years of Star Trek — Self
  • 2006Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner — Self
  • 2006William Shatner in Concert — Self
  • Hell's Kitchen — Self
  • 2005Merry F#%$in' Christmas — Self
  • The Annie Awards — Self - Host
  • The Colbert Report — Self - Guest
  • The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson — Self
  • The Reichen Show — Self - Guest
  • 2004Last Laugh '04 — Self
  • 2004The Rose Parade: A Pageant for the Ages — Self
  • The Tony Danza Show — Self - Guest
  • 2003Christmas from Hollywood — Self (archive footage)
  • Comedy Central Roasts — Self
  • 2003Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self - Guest
  • 2003Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special — Self
  • Real Time with Bill Maher — Self
  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Self
  • After They Were Famous — Self
  • 2002Christopher Plummer: A Man For All Stages — Self
  • 2002NBC 75th Anniversary Special — Self
  • 2002Star Wars vs. Star Trek: The Rivalry Continues — Self
  • 2001Festival in Cannes — Self
  • Good Day Live — Self
  • 2001Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime — Self
  • 2001Remembering 'The Intruder' — Self
  • 2001Whale Shark Hunters of the Philippines — Self
  • Click — Self
  • 1999Saturday Night Live: Christmas — Self (archive footage)
  • The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn — Self - Guest
  • 1998Hollywood Ghost Stories — Self
  • 1997Jefftowne — Self
  • Space Cadets — Self
  • 1997TV Guide Looks at Science Fiction — Self
  • The View — Self, Self - Guest
  • 1997Trekkies — Self
  • 1996Corwin — Self
  • E! True Hollywood Story — Self
  • Muppets Tonight — Self
  • 1996Star Trek Story — Self (archive footage)
  • 1996Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond — Self
  • 1994Star Trek: A Captain's Log — Self - Host
  • 1994UFO Cover-Up Live with Larry King — Self
  • 1994William Shatner: Captain's Log — Self
  • Late Night with Conan O'Brien — Self - Guest, Self - Musical Guest
  • Late Show with David Letterman — Self - Guest
  • 1993Your Guide to Star Trek: Generations — Self
  • Gottschalk Late Night — Self
  • 1992The Twenty-Five Year Mission Tour — Self
  • 1991Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special — Self - Host
  • 1991The Horror Hall of Fame II — Self - Presenter
  • 1991Voices That Care — Self - Choir Member
  • 1990Happy Birthday, Bugs! 50 Looney Years — Self
  • Have I Got News for You — Self - Host
  • 1989Hollywood on Horses — Self
  • Rescue 911 — Self - Host
  • LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self
  • 1988The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next — Self
  • 1987Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood — Self
  • 1986Super Duper Bloopers — Self
  • 1986The Canadian Conspiracy — Self
  • 1985Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers — Self (archive footage)
  • 1985Night of 100 Stars II — Self
  • Prime Times — Self
  • Late Night with David Letterman — Self - Guest
  • Madame's Place — Self
  • 1982Night of 100 Stars — Self
  • Fridays — Self - Guest Host
  • 1980Hypnosis and Beyond — Self
  • 1975Mitzi & 100 Guys — Self
  • Saturday Night Live — Self - Host, Self (uncredited)
  • 1975The Star Trek Dream — Self
  • Miss USA — Self - Host
  • The Merv Griffin Show — Self
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
  • The Mike Douglas Show — Self
  • The Oscars — Self
  • The Ed Sullivan Show — Self
  • Golden Globe Awards — Self - Presenter, Self - Nominee, Self - Host
  • Have I Got a Bit More News for You — Self - Presenter
  • Science Fiction Film Awards — Self
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