Photo: Kevin Paul / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
William Shatner earns my respect for refusing to be embarrassed. He won a Golden Globe and a pair of Razzies, played the most iconic captain in television history, and then spent decades cheerfully parodying himself. A seven-decade career stretching from McGill University and Canadian stages to global fame requires more than luck; it requires a total absence of fear about looking ridiculous. That, I think, is his real genius. Captain Kirk made him famous, but it is Shatner's shameless, joyful commitment to whatever he happens to be doing — acting, singing, directing — that has kept him fascinating well into his nineties.
Overview
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of Captain 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).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- William Shatner
- Name (Japanese)
- ウィリアム・シャトナー
- Reading
- うぃりあむ・しゃとなー
- Born
- March 22, 1931 (age 95)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Goat
- Origin
- Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Quebec, Canada
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / singer / film director / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- West Hill High School
- University
- McGill University
Awards & achievements
- Governor General's Performing Arts Award
- 1959 Theatre World Award
- 2017 Officer of the Order of Canada
- 2000 Canada's Walk of Fame
- 1990 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor
- 1990 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director
- 2004 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
- 10th Saturn Awards
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Star Trek series | — | |
| Notable work | T. J. Hooker | — | |
| Notable work | The Practice | — |
6. Links
Television actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from Canada →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.