Of course, when you think of William Shatner’s career, you immediately think of Star Trek. When it premiered on NBC in September 1966, Star Trek was not your typical science fiction series. It is known for its cultural influence outside of the genre at the time, as well as its progressive civil rights positions. And the early audience, which was small at the time, had no idea what to do with it. The ground-breaking series only lasted three seasons. However, it gave birth to a franchise that will live on in perpetuity. And Shatner, as Captain James T. Kirk, quickly followed the classic hero, paving the way for an Emmy-award-winning career that continues to this day.
Shatner recently won two Primetime Emmys for his portrayal of legendary lawyer Denny Crane, first as an excellent guest actor for ABC’s The Practice in 2004, then as an outstanding support actor in a drama for the spinoff Boston Legal in 2005. Shatner, on the other hand, appeared on five other TV shows on a regular basis. The first was for people, a legal drama that aired prior to Star Trek in 1965. Following Star Trek, the West ABC Barbary coast was shown in 1975-76; the ABC crime drama T.J. Hooker from 1982 to 1986; the CBS sitcom $# * I My Dad Says in 2010-11; and the comedic two-season NBC reality series Better Late Than Never, which premiered in 2016.
In the October 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone titled “Nightmare, at 20,000 feet,” Shatner gave an outstanding performance as a man who sees a gremlin on the aircraft wing. Popular culture elements such as TV shows, films, radio, and music have been repeated and parodied numerous times.
William Shatner also had memorable film roles, including Miss Congeniality in 2000, starring Sandra Bullock, and Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous 2 in 2005, as well as seven Star Trek films to date. In 1951, he had his first credited role in a film, The Butler’s Night Off.
Willian Shatner has appeared on numerous game shows throughout his career, including The Hollywood Squares, The Match Game, Tattletales, and The $10,000 Pyramid. Before Richard Dawson was hired as the host of Family Feud in 1976, he was considered.
William Shatner also wrote and published a series of science fiction novels under his own name. He has appeared in advertisements for a variety of companies and products, including priceline.com, a travel web destination. Shatner’s World: Just Live in It has taken him to Broadway and across the country. In 2014, Shatner was awarded NASA’s Public Service Medal for his contributions to space exploration.
We wish William Shatner a very happy 90th birthday on March 22, 2021!
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