The Canadian-born actor portrays Captain James T. Kirk in the science fiction adventure Star Trek.
Shatner attended McGill University and during his senior year, Shatner produced the school's nationally famous campus variety show and spent summer vacations acting with a summer stock company, the Mount Royal Playhouse. When he graduated in 1952 with a B.A., Shatner began work at the National Repertory Theater of Ottawa with roles in plays such as The Merchant of Venice and Henry V, winning the Most Promising Actor award. After a run in New York in the play, Tamburlaine, Shatner was signed to a seven-year contract by 20th Century Fox. He guest starred on numerous series, including Goodyear Playhouse, Circle Theater, Philco Playhouse, Studio One and The Defenders. Then came his movie debut, The Brothers Karamazov. Not wanting to miss out on the Western genre that was so prominent in Hollywood, Shatner learned to ride a horse and rope. Shatner landed the starring role in the two-year Broadway run of The Secret Life of Suzie Wong, followed by A Shot in the Dark. Film roles followed in The Intruder and Judgment at Nuremberg.
Then came the role for which he is undoubtedly best known; Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek. After the original series ended in 1969, Shatner went on to star in the first seven Star Trek feature films. His other film credits include Sole Survivor, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Andersonville Trial, Miss Congeniality and Miss Congenialty 2: Armed and Fabulous. He made guest appearances on series like, The Sixth Sense, Barnaby Jones, Hawaii Five-O, 3rd Rock from the Sun and The Practice. Shatner's portrayal of Crane on The Practice earned him an Emmy award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama and a lead in the spin-off, Boston Legal.
He has also lent his voice to the animated movies Osmosis Jones, Over the Hedge and The Wild. Shatner is also the author of several books of a biographical nature, including Star Trek Memories and Star Trek Movie Memories.
William Shatner not only keeps busy with his yearly charity horse show, his TV shows, movie appearances and book writing, but also his convention appearances alongside Nimoy. Together on stage, the two provide a highly enjoyable hour of entertainment.