Biography
A pop culture legend and one of American television's most enduring stars, the multi-talented William Shatner started out as simply an actor. By the twilight of his career, however, Shatner successfully managed to transmogrify into something more. By turning his amiable persona into a one-man, multi-million dollar cottage industry, Shatner's legacy in show business survived for more than five decades. Breaking into show business during …
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Career Milestones
| Began acting career in radio with Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) | ||
| Performed at the Shakespearean Stratford Festival of Canada in Stratford, Ontario | ||
1951 | Official movie debut in the Canadian film "The Butler's Night Off" | |
1956 | Made Broadway debut in Sir Tyrone Guthrie's production of "Tamburlaine the Great" | |
1957 | Appeared with Ralph Bellamy as a father and son legal team in "The Defender," episode of "Studio One" (CBS) | |
1958 | Hollywood feature debut, "The Brothers Karamazov" starring Yul Brynner | |
1961 | First leading role in a feature, "The Explosive Generation" | |
1965 | TV series debut, the critically acclaimed CBS drama "For the People" (lasted only 13 episodes) | |
1966 | First cast as Captain James T. Kirk in Gene Roddenberry's sci-fi series "Star Trek" (NBC) | |
1975 | Cast an undercover agent in the western-themed secret agent series "Barbary Coast" (ABC) | |
1978 | Portrayed American revolutionary Paul Revere in the syndicated miniseries, "The Bastard" | |
1979 | Reprised role of Captain Kirk for the first feature "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" | |
1981 | Directed a Los Angeles production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"; starred his then wife, Marcy Lafferty | |
1981 | Narrated the syndicated series, "This Was America" | |
1982 | Returned to series TV, starring as a police officer in "T.J. Hooker" (ABC); aired on CBS for its final season; also directed episodes | |
1989 | Hosted the dramatic reenactment series "Rescue 911" (CBS) | |
1989 | Made feature directorial debut with "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" | |
1989 | Published first novel, TekWar | |
1991 | Co-hosted (with Leonard Nimoy) "The Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special" for syndication | |
1993 | Co-wrote memoirs, Star Trek Memories | |
1993 | Hosted the First Annual TekWar Symposium | |
1994 | Executive produced the TV-movies, "TekWar" and "TekLords" | |
1995 | TV series producing debut, "TekWar" (USA); also played a recurring role and occasionally directed | |
1998 | Spoofed his image playing himself in the feature comedy "Free Enterprise" | |
1999 | Garnered an Emmy nomination for playing the Big Giant Head on an episode of the NBC sitcom "3rd Rock From the Sun" | |
2000 | Played beauty pageant host Stan Fields in the Sandra Bullock comedy "Miss Congeniality" | |
2001 | Voiced the animated character Mayor Phlegmming in "Osmosis Jones" | |
2002 | Appeared as himself in the comedy "Showtime" starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy | |
2004 | Had a small role of the Dodgeball Chancellor in the Ben Stiller comedy "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" | |
2004 | Joined the final season of ABC's legal drama "The Practice" as Denny Crane, an eccentric senior partner | |
2004 | Reprised role of attorney, Denny Crane in "The Practice" spin-off, "Boston Legal" (ABC); earned SAG (2006, 2009) and Emmy (2006, 2007, 2008) nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy Series; also earned Golden Globe (2008) and Emmy (2009) nominations for Best Supporting Actor | |
2005 | Reprised the role of Stan Fields in "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" | |
2006 | Voiced Ozzie, a dramatic possum in the animated comedy "Over the Hedge" | |
2010 | First starring role in a series, "$#*! My Dad Says" (CBS) | |
Awards
1999 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Comedy Series in 3rd Rock From the Sun |
2004 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in Boston Legal |
2004 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Drama Series in The Practice |
2005 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in Boston Legal |
2006 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in Boston Legal |
2006 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series in Boston Legal |
2006 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in Boston Legal |
2007 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in Boston Legal |
2007 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in Boston Legal |
2007 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in Boston Legal |
2008 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in Boston Legal |
2008 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in Boston Legal |
2009 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in Boston Legal |
2009 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series in Boston Legal |
2009 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in Boston Legal |