William Shatner
William Shatner, OC 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article William Shatner, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · 765874: Unification as Kirk
- 2024 · William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill as Self
- 2023 · Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic as Self
- 2022 · 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! as Self
- 2021 · WWE Hall Of Fame 2020 as Himself
- 2016 · Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People as Self
- 2014 · A Star Is Drawn: Rob Simone's Look Inside Comic-Con as Self
- 2013 · Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale as Self
- 2012 · Horrorween as Himself
- 2011 · The Space Shuttle as Narrator
- 2011 · Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored as Captain James T. Kirk (archive footage)
- 2009 · William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet as Himself
- 2007 · WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary as Himself
- 2006 · Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner as Self
- 2006 · 40 Years of Star Trek as Self
- 2005 · Last Laugh '05 as Lucifer
- 2005 · How William Shatner Changed The World as Self - Host / Narrator (voice)
- 2004 · Last Laugh '04 as Self
- 2004 · The Rose Parade: A Pageant for the Ages as Self
- 2004 · Kiss 'N' Tell: Romance in the 23rd Century as
- 2002 · Christopher Plummer: A Man For All Stages as Self
- 2002 · Star Wars vs. Star Trek: The Rivalry Continues as Self
- 2001 · Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime as Himself
- 2001 · Remembering 'The Intruder' as Himself
- 1998 · Free Enterprise as Bill
- 1997 · Jefftowne as Himself
- 1996 · Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond as Self
- 1996 · Star Trek Story as Self (archive footage)
- 1996 · Dead Man's Island as Chase Prescott
- 1994 · William Shatner: Captain's Log as Self
- 1993 · Family of Strangers as Earl
- 1990 · Amazon: Land of the Flooded Forest as Narrator
- 1989 · Hollywood on Horses as Self
- 1988 · The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next as Self
- 1988 · Broken Angel as Chuck Coburn
- 1987 · Seasons as Narrator (voice)
- 1986 · T.J. Hooker - Blood Sport as Sgt. T.J. Hooker
- 1985 · Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers as Self (archive footage)
- 1984 · Secrets of a Married Man as Chris Jordan
- 1980 · The Babysitter as Dr. Jeff Benedict
- 1976 · A Whale of a Tale as Jack Fredericks
- 1976 · The Tenth Level as Prof. Stephen Turner
- 1976 · Perilous Voyage as Steve Monroe
- 1975 · Mitzi & 100 Guys as Self
- 1974 · Impulse as Matt Stone
- 1974 · Indict and Convict as Sam Belden
- 1973 · Go Ask Alice as Sam
- 1973 · Incident on a Dark Street as Deaver G. Wallace
- 1970 · The Andersonville Trial as Col. Chipman
- 1969 · Shadow Game as
- 1968 · Alexander The Great as Alexander
- Future · Keeper of the Cup as
- 2022 · A Tear in the Sky as
- 2022 · Fireheart as Mayor of New York (voice)
- 2021 · 2021 and Done with Snoop Dogg & Kevin Hart as Self
- 2021 · Shatner in Space as Self
- 2021 · Expedition Unknown: Shark Trek as Self
- 2021 · Senior Moment as Victor Martin
- 2020 · Creators: The Past as Lord Oghma
- 2019 · To Your Last Death as The Overseer (voice)
- 2019 · Devil's Revenge as Hayes
- 2019 · The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
- 2018 · The Steam Engines of Oz as Oscar "Oz" Diggs (voice)
- 2018 · Aliens Ate My Homework as Phillogenus esk Piemondum (Phil) (voice)
- 2017 · Batman vs. Two-Face as Harvey Dent / Two-Face (voice)
- 2017 · Not a War Story as
- 2017 · The Truth Is in the Stars as Self
- 2017 · Heroes Manufactured as Self (archive footage)
- 2016 · Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault as Self
- 2016 · For the Love of Spock as Self
- 2016 · When Elephants Were Young as Narrator
- 2016 · Range 15 as Richard Chindler
- 2016 · They Came from the Swamp: The Films of William Grefé as Himself (voice only)
- 2016 · A Sunday Horse as Kenneth Roubidoux
- 2015 · Just in Time for Christmas as Coachman Nick
- 2015 · Baby, Baby, Baby as Actor
- 2015 · Being Canadian as Self
- 2015 · The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- 2015 · A Christmas Horror Story as Dangerous Dan
- 2015 · Tom Felton Meets the Superfans as Self
- 2014 · Chaos on the Bridge as Self
- 2014 · To Be Takei as Self
- 2013 · Escape from Planet Earth as General Shanker (voice)
- 2013 · The Captains: Still Kicking as Himself
- 2012 · Get a Life! as Himself
- 2011 · Corman's World as Self - Actor
- 2011 · Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen as Self - Roaster
- 2011 · William Shatner Sings O Canada as Himself
- 2011 · The Captains as Himself
- 2011 · Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories as
- 2010 · Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey as Core (voice)
- 2010 · Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man as Self
- 2009 · Star Trek: The Captain's Summit as Self
- 2009 · Fanboys as Himself
- 2008 · Gotta Catch Santa Claus as Santa Claus (voice)
- 2007 · The Pixar Story as James T. Kirk (archive footage)
- 2006 · Over the Hedge as Ozzie (voice)
- 2006 · The Wild as Kazar (voice)
- 2006 · Stalking Santa as Narrator
- 2006 · William Shatner in Concert as Self
- 2005 · Merry F#%$in' Christmas as Self
- 2005 · Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous as Stan Fields
- 2005 · Lil' Pimp as Tony Gold (voice)
- 2005 · The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
- 2004 · DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story as Dodgeball Chancellor
- 2004 · Sci-Fi Visionaries as
- 2004 · Birth of a Timeless Legacy as
- 2003 · A Carol Christmas as Dr. Bob / Ghost of Christmas Present
- 2003 · Christmas in Hollywood as Self (archive footage)
- 2003 · Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special as Self
- 2003 · Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2003 · Real Time with Bill Maher as Self
- 2002 · Spplat Attack as
- 2002 · Groom Lake as John Gossner
- 2002 · American Psycho II: All American Girl as Starkman
- 2002 · NBC 75th Anniversary Special as Self
- 2002 · Showtime as William Shatner
- 2002 · Shoot or Be Shot! as Harvey Wilkes
- 2001 · Festival in Cannes as Self
- 2001 · Gahan Wilson's The Kid as Professor
- 2001 · Whale Shark Hunters of the Philippines as Self
- 2001 · Osmosis Jones as Mayor Phlegmming (voice)
- 2001 · Falcon Down as Major Robert Carson
- 2001 · NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 3 as Narrator
- 2001 · NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 2 as Narrator
- 2001 · NASA: A Space Odyssey Vol. 1 as Narrator
- 2000 · Miss Congeniality as Stan Fields
- 2000 · Atomic Journeys: Welcome to Ground Zero as Narrator (Voice)
- 1998 · Land of the Free as Aidan Carvell
- 1998 · Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman as James T. Kirk
- 1997 · Trekkies as Self
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1996 · The Prisoner of Zenda, Inc. as Michael Gatewick
- 1995 · Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie as Narrator
- 1995 · William Shatner's Star Trek Memories as Host
- 1994 · Janek: The Silent Betrayal as Bodosh
- 1994 · Science Fiction: A Journey Into the Unknown as
- 1994 · Star Trek: A Captain's Log as Himself/Host
- 1994 · Star Trek: Generations as Captain James T. Kirk
- 1994 · City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold as Adam Harland (uncredited)
- 1994 · TekWar: TekJustice as Walter H. Bascom
- 1994 · TekWar: TekLords as Walter H. Bascom
- 1994 · TekWar as Walter H. Bascom
- 1994 · UFO Cover-Up Live with Larry King as Self
- 1993 · National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 as General Mortars
- 1993 · Raw as
- 1993 · Raw as William Shatner
- 1993 · Your Guide to Star Trek: Generations as Self
- 1992 · Boomerang as Captain James Tiberius Kirk (archive footage)
- 1991 · Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as Captain James T. Kirk
- 1991 · Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special as Self - Host
- 1991 · Voices That Care as Self - Choir Member
- 1989 · Star Trek V: The Final Frontier as Captain James T. Kirk
- 1988 · LIVE with Kelly and Mark as
- 1986 · Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home as Kirk
- 1986 · William Shatner's Mysteries of the Way We Feel as Host
- 1986 · The Canadian Conspiracy as
- 1985 · North Beach and Rawhide as Rawhide MacGregor
- 1985 · Night of 100 Stars II as Self
- 1984 · Star Trek III: The Search for Spock as Admiral James T. Kirk
- 1982 · Airplane II: The Sequel as Cdr. Buck Murdock
- 1982 · Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as Admiral James T. Kirk
- 1982 · Visiting Hours as Gary Baylor
- 1982 · Night of 100 Stars as Self
- 1982 · Late Night with David Letterman as Self
- 1980 · The Kidnapping of the President as Jerry O'Connor
- 1980 · Hypnosis and Beyond as Himself
- 1979 · Star Trek: The Motion Picture as Admiral James T. Kirk
- 1979 · Disaster on the Coastliner as Stuart Peters
- 1978 · The Crash of Flight 401 as Carl Tobias
- 1978 · Land of No Return as Curt Benell
- 1978 · The Bastard as Paul Revere
- 1978 · The Third Walker as Munro Maclean
- 1977 · Kingdom of the Spiders as Dr. Robert 'Rack' Hansen
- 1976 · Mysteries of the Gods as Host
- 1976 · Microworld as
- 1975 · The Star Trek Dream as Self
- 1975 · The Devil's Rain as Mark Preston
- 1974 · Big Bad Mama as William J. Baxter
- 1974 · Pray for the Wildcats as Warren Summerfield
- 1973 · Pioneer Woman as John Sergeant
- 1973 · The Horror at 37,000 Feet as Paul Kovalik
- 1972 · The Hound of the Baskervilles as George Stapleton
- 1972 · The People as Dr. Curtis
- 1970 · Sole Survivor as Lt. Col. Josef Gronke
- 1970 · Swing Out, Sweet Land as John Adams
- 1968 · White Comanche as Johnny Moon / Notah
- 1966 · Incubus as Marc
- 1964 · The Outrage as Preacher
- 1963 · Operation Bikini as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- 1962 · The Intruder as Adam Cramer
- 1961 · Judgment at Nuremberg as Harrison Byers
- 1961 · The Explosive Generation as Peter Gifford
- 1958 · The Christmas Tree as Philo
- 1958 · A Town Has Turned to Dust as Jerry Paul
- 1958 · The Brothers Karamazov as Alexi Karamazov
- 1957 · The Defender (Studio One) as Kenneth Preston
- 1957 · Oedipus Rex as Chorus
- Future · The Atomic Bomb Collection as Narrator
- 2022 · Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg as Self
- 2019 · WWE Backstage as William Shatner
- 2019 · The UnXplained as Self - Host
- 2019 · The Masked Singer as Knight
- 2019 · The Masked Singer as Knight (archive footage)
- 2018 · Star Trek: Short Treks as Capt. James T. Kirk (voice) (archive footage)
- 2016 · Private Eyes as Norm Glinski
- 2015 · StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson as Self
- 2014 · Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as Self
- 2012 · Gotham Comedy Live as Self - Host
- 2012 · Comic Book Men as Self
- 2010 · The Talk as
- 2010 · My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as Grand Pear (voice)
- 2010 · Haven as Croatoan
- 2010 · Rookie Blue as Henry McLeod
- 2010 · Hot in Cleveland as Sally
- 2008 · Shatner's Raw Nerve as Self - Host
- 2008 · Murdoch Mysteries as Mark Twain
- 2007 · The Big Bang Theory as William Shatner
- 2006 · Psych as Frank O'Hara
- 2006 · The Henry Rollins Show as
- 2005 · The Reichen Show as Self - Guest
- 2005 · The Colbert Report as
- 2005 · Hell's Kitchen as Self
- 2004 · Boston Legal as Denny Crane
- 2004 · The Tony Danza Show as Self - Guest
- 2003 · The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- 2003 · Comedy Central Roasts as Self
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- 2001 · Good Day Live as Self
- 2000 · Click as Self
- 1999 · The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn as Self - Guest
- 1999 · Futurama as William Shatner (voice)
- 1997 · The View as Self - Guest
- 1997 · The Practice as Denny Crane
- 1996 · 3rd Rock from the Sun as Big Giant Head
- 1993 · Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- 1993 · seaQuest DSV as Milos Tezlof
- 1992 · Eek! The Cat as Santa Claus (voice)
- 1992 · Eek! The Cat as Commander Berzerk (voice)
- 1990 · The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as Himself
- 1989 · Rescue 911 as Self - Host
- 1985 · The Ray Bradbury Theater as Charles Underhill
- 1982 · T. J. Hooker as Sgt TJ Hooker
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
- 1974 · Police Woman as
- 1974 · Police Woman as Mark Ciprio
- 1974 · Petrocelli as Adam North
- 1973 · Barnaby Jones as Phil Carlyle / Fred Williams
- 1972 · The Rookies as
- 1971 · Columbo as Ward Fowler
- 1971 · Columbo as Fielding Chase
- 1968 · The Name of the Game as Peter
- 1966 · Mission: Impossible as Joseph Conrad
- 1966 · Star Trek as James T. Kirk
- 1965 · The F.B.I. as Arthur Majors
- 1965 · The Big Valley as Brett
- 1964 · The Man from U.N.C.L.E. as
- 1963 · Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre as
- 1963 · Burke's Law as Arthur Reynolds
- 1963 · The Fugitive as Tony Burrell
- 1963 · The Outer Limits as Gen. Jeff Barton
- 1963 · Arrest and Trial as Larry Tavener
- 1963 · Miss USA as Host
- 1961 · The Mike Douglas Show as Self
- Future · Have I Got a Bit More News for You as Self - Presenter
- 2024 · Masters of the Universe: Revolution as Keldor (voice)
- 2023 · The UnXplained Special Presentation as Self - Presenter
- 2023 · Stars on Mars as Self - Host
- 2022 · Piers Morgan Uncensored as Self
- 2019 · My Life Is Murder as Barton Wallwork
- 2017 · The Indian Detective as David Marlowe
- 2016 · Better Late Than Never as Self
- 2016 · The Shannara Chronicles as Captain Kirk (archive footage)
- 2013 · The Captains Close Up as Self
- 2012 · Honest Trailers as James T. Kirk (archive footage)
- 2010 · $#*! My Dad Says as Dr. Edison Milford Goodson III
- 2010 · Aftermath with William Shatner as Self - Host
- 2010 · William Shatner's Weird or What? as
- 2004 · Atomic Betty as Jim
- 2003 · Chilly Beach as The President
- 2002 · After They Were Famous as Self
- 1999 · A Twist in the Tale as
- 1998 · Hercules as Jason of the Argonauts (voice)
- 1997 · Space Cadets as Self
- 1997 · Perversions of Science as Admiral Kornfeld
- 1994 · TekWar as Walter H. Bascom
- 1994 · Space Ghost Coast to Coast as
- 1992 · The Larry Sanders Show as William Shatner
- 1990 · Dream On as
- 1982 · Madame's Place as Self
- 1982 · Police Squad! as Poisoned Man
- 1977 · The Oregon Trail as
- 1977 · How the West Was Won as Captain Harrison
- 1976 · Battle of the Network Stars as
- 1974 · Flick Flack as Host
- 1973 · The Magician as Ed Cassidy
- 1973 · Star Trek as James T. Kirk (voice)
- 1973 · Police Story as
- 1972 · The Sixth Sense as
- 1967 · Off to See the Wizard as Alexander the Great
- 1967 · Ironside as
- 1967 · Ironside as Bill Parkins
- 1967 · Ironside as Marty Jessup
- 1963 · Channing as Tom Ericson
- 1962 · The Virginian as Luke Milford
- 1959 · One Step Beyond as Carl Bremer
- 1958 · 77 Sunset Strip as Paul DeVinger
- 1958 · Naked City as Roger Barmer
- 1958 · Naked City as Maung Tun
- 1955 · Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Jim Whitely
- 1955 · Alfred Hitchcock Presents as John Crane
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Fred Bateman
- 1954 · On Camera as
- 1948 · Lamp Unto My Feet as
- Future · Inner Space as Narrator
- 2024 · The D-Con Chamber as Self
- 2024 · The UnXplained: Mysteries of the Universe as Self - Presenter
- 2023 · Full Moon's Roadshow Revisited as Self (archive footage)
- 2016 · Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed as Self
- 2016 · The Colorful Montreal Expos as Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · WWE Breaking Ground as Himself (narrator)
- 2014 · The Real History of Science Fiction as Self
- 2011 · Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner as
- 2010 · The Fran Drescher Show as
- 2008 · Everest as Norman Kelly
- 2008 · Million Dollar Password as
- 2008 · Extraordinary Animals as
- 2007 · Mars Rising as Narrator (voice)
- 2006 · Show Me the Money as
- 2005 · Invasion Iowa as Col. Shane Yeager
- 2004 · Best Week Ever as
- 2002 · One-Hit Wonders as
- 2002 · Cosmic Odyssey as
- 2001 · Bob Patterson as Warren Wellman
- 1999 · Nukes in Space as Narrator
- 1998 · Hollywood Ghost Stories as Himself
- 1996 · E! True Hollywood Story as Self
- 1996 · Corwin as Self
- 1996 · Muppets Tonight as Self
- 1994 · TekWar: TekLab as Walter H. Bascom
- 1992 · The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as
- 1987 · Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood as Self
- 1986 · Super Duper Bloopers as Self
- 1983 · Prime Times as Self
- 1978 · Little Women as Friedrich Bhaer
- 1977 · Testimony of Two Men as Adrian Ferrier
- 1976 · Universe as Narrator
- 1975 · Barbary Coast as Jeff Cable
- 1974 · Amy Prentiss as
- 1974 · Kodiak as Buzz Howard
- 1974 · The Six Million Dollar Man as Josh Lang
- 1972 · Kung Fu as Capt. Brandywine Gage
- 1971 · Vanished as Dave Paulick
- 1968 · Hawaii Five-O as Sam Tolliver
- 1967 · Mannix as Adam Langer
- 1966 · CBS Playhouse as
- 1966 · Star Trek: The Menagerie as Captain James T. Kirk
- 1966 · Star Trek: Where No Man Has Gone Before as Captain James T. Kirk
- 1965 · For the People as David Koster
- 1964 · Reporter as Horner
- 1961 · Alcoa Premiere as Dr William Grant
- 1961 · Dr. Kildare as Dr. Toby Cunningham
- 1961 · Dr. Kildare as Dr. Carl Noyes
- 1961 · The Dick Powell Show as Eric Tegman
- 1961 · The Defenders as Jim McCleery
- 1961 · The Defenders as Charles Terranova
- 1961 · The Defenders as Gil Rawson
- 1961 · The Defenders as Cliff Sellers
- 1961 · The Defenders as Assistant District Attorney Earl Rhodes
- 1960 · Route 66 as
- 1960 · Insight as Mike Burnett
- 1960 · Outlaws as
- 1960 · Thriller as Gil Thrasher
- 1960 · Thriller as Paul Graves
- 1960 · Police Surgeon as Joe Flatt
- 1959 · The Twilight Zone as Bob Wilson
- 1959 · The Twilight Zone as Don Carter
- 1959 · City Out of Time as Narrator (voice)
- 1957 · Suspicion as Eli
- 1954 · Climax! as Ben Tate
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self
- 1953 · Space Command as
- 1952 · Omnibus as
- 1952 · Omnibus as Palace Messenger
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Philo
- Future · Science Fiction Film Awards as Himself
- 1951 · The Butler's Night Off as
- 1948 · Studio One as Dr. David Coleman
- 1948 · Studio One as Dr. Franck
- 1948 · Studio One as Kenneth Preston
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- 1947 · Kraft Television Theatre as
- 1947 · Kraft Television Theatre as Charles Best
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Winner
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Host