There Is More To William Shatner Than We Realized
Everything in the early career of William Shatner seemed to point to him being a one-hit wonder. His cult status for playing Captain James Tiberius Kirk in TV’s Star Trek made a career after that seem close to impossible. But Shatner fooled us all. He survived in the industry, even if his career choices drew brutal criticisms.
However, Shatner's unbelievable run isn't the only shocking part of his story. Behind the scenes, he has lived through some real-life nightmares.
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1. He Had Two Choices
William Shatner was born in Montreal, Quebec, on March 22, 1931—but his fate wasn't yet set in stone. When it came to his education, Shatner had a few options at his fingertips. He studied economics at McGill University but also attended the Montreal Children’s Theatre in his youth. However, his true passion eventually won out.
2. He Caught The Bug
While still in university, Shatner got an opportunity that changed his life forever: He landed an acting role. In 1951, he appeared in the comedy-drama The Butler’s Night Off. Shatner wasn't the butler. His small role was simply “a crook”. It was a small start, but Shatner had caught the acting bug.
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3. He Had A Chance
Shatner’s love of acting steered him down an exciting, yet tumultuous, path. When he graduated, he started working in Canadian theater. In Shakespeare’s Henry V, he had a small role but was also the understudy to the lead. The actor playing Henry V was fellow Canadian and future The Sound of Music star, Christopher Plummer.
However, when Plummer suddenly fell ill, Shatner stepped up to the plate in a big way.
20th Century Fox, Wikimedia Commons
4. He Took A Huge Risk
With Plummer suffering from a kidney stone, William Shatner had the chance to take on the role in Henry V. While most understudies would simply imitate the actor they were replacing, Shatner seized this rare chance and did his own rendition of the title character. This was a brave choice, and Plummer congratulated him.
Shatner took Plummer’s praise to heart and planned his next move.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
5. He Hit The Small Screen
William Shatner dreamed about the lights on Broadway and made the move to New York City. But when he got there, he was dealt a shocking hand. Though he dreamed of continuing his career on stage, he wound up taking on a role in The Howdy Doody Show, which was a TV program for children. He patiently paid his dues for an agonizing four years.
Then something big happened.
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6. He Started With A Classic
Shatner’s first Hollywood film was a doozy. He played the youngest brother in a film based on the classic novel The Brothers Karamazov, which starred Yul Brynner. This was an important first film, as it was a serious drama and a box office success. It showed Hollywood that Shatner was a serious actor.
Next, he was ready to ruffle some Hollywood feathers.
Screenshot from The Brothers Karamazov, Amazon MGM Studios (1958)
7. He Was Controversial
Over the next few years, William Shatner flip-flopped between roles on Broadway and roles in TV series. In 1962, he finally had a starring role in a feature film—and it was an extremely controversial project. In The Intruder, Shatner plays a man who enters a community and kindles hatred between white folks and Black citizens. The audience's response? Not so great.
Of course, when it came to disappointments, this was only the tip of the iceberg.
Screenshot from The Intruder, Amazon Pathe-America Distributing Company (1962)
8. He Could Have Been Great
In the beginning, the entertainment world had lofty expectations of William Shatner, even comparing him to other big actors like Robert Redford and Steve McQueen. However, there was just one problem. Writer Pat Jordan explained that Shatner was an actor who "showed up on time, knew his lines, worked cheap and always answered his phone".
This was not how a Hollywood superstar acted, and yet, Shatner seemed to break the mold every chance he got.
Screenshot from The Twilight Zone, Paramount Global (1959-1964)
9. He Met A Future Friend
Instead of capitalizing on his acting chops and doing another feature, William Shatner chose to focus on television work. In one episode he did from The Man From UNCLE, one of his co-stars was an actor named Leonard Nimoy. Neither knew at the time, but they would soon join forces on one of the most iconic TV shows of all time.
But first, Shatner had to learn a new language.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
10. He Had To Take Language Lessons
Back in 1887, a man named LL Zamenhof created a language called Esperanto, and he hoped it would become spoken worldwide. The language appeared on Shatner's radar when he got the call to appear in the horror film Incubus. For the part, he needed to learn Esperanto, and even worse? He only had 10 days to nail down his lines.
This was going to be difficult.
Screenshot from Incubus, Arrow Films (1966)
11. He Needed Subtitles
William Shatner did learn to speak Esperanto, and so did his costars. At least they thought they had. As it turned out, no one thought to hire someone who could help the actors with the proper pronunciation of this language. So, when Esperanto speakers attended the film, they filled the theater with unintentional laughter.
Sadly, there was another issue with this film—and it was no laughing matter.
Screenshot from Incubus, Arrow Films (1966)
12. It Was Marked By Tragedy
Somewhere between wrapping this film and the release, one of Shatner’s co-stars, Milos Milos, became the center of one of Hollywood's greatest tragedies. At the time, he'd been carrying on an affair with Mickey Rooney’s wife—but in an agitated state, he made the horrifying decision to end her life and then his own.
After that horrific event, no one wanted to see this film, and it only got distribution in France. Shatner had to accept the fact that this film was going nowhere. But despite this scandal, he had something big coming his way.
Screenshot from Incubus, Arrow Films (1966)
13. He Got The Lead
In 1964, NBC was in the midst of developing a sci-fi TV series—but they were having trouble getting it right. The execs thought the pilot episode was “too cerebral”. They decided they needed to try making another pilot and threw almost everything out and started fresh. William Shatner now had the lead role, but it wasn't a sure thing quite yet.
Did television lovers really want to watch a show called Star Trek?
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Global (1966-1969)
14. He Struggled
Shatner and Star Trek struggled through the first season. Ratings were low, and it looked like they would cancel it. To everyone’s surprise, NBC ordered up another season. Shatner still didn't believe the show had a future, so he started looking for another job. And then something changed.
McFadden, Strauss Eddy & Irwin for Desilu Productions, Wikimedia Commons
15. He Made Some Enemies
To many people’s surprise, the winds began to blow in Star Trek's favor, with its popularity seeing an uptick. But not everything was looking so positive. Behind the scenes, William Shatner clashed woefully with his co-stars. Reportedly, James Doohan and George Takei had a hard time dealing with him—well, more specifically, with his ego. He seemed to want all the best lines and hogged all the glory whenever he could.
But Shatner had his reasons.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
16. He Treated Them Like Extras
William Shatner later said that it wasn’t his huge ego that was the problem. He understood that the studio wanted the show to be about the three main characters: Spock, Bones, and himself. Shatner was just doing his best to please the studio, and that meant treating the other actors like they were extras.
Shatner had something to back up his arrogance.
original author: Paramount Television; cropped by: Rlevente, Wikimedia Commons
17. He Needed More
The truth was that William Shatner had a clause in his contract. According to writer Norman Spinrad, the clause stated that Shatner would have more lines than anyone else. He also further angered his co-stars by trying to get their number of lines reduced. But having the most lines wasn’t enough for Shatner.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
18. He Was Larger Than Life
It was very clear that Shatner was the star of Star Trek, but he had to make sure audiences felt this in their bones. To accomplish this, he had an outrageous demand. He wanted his name to be larger by 10 percent than his costars Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley. But there was another way that Shatner was larger than life.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Global (1966-1969)
19. He Went Green
If you’re a careful Star Trek watcher, you might have noticed that Shatner's uniform for Captain Kirk was sometimes green. This was not because Kirk was eco-friendly. As it turned out, Shatner often gained weight at some point during the filming, and the green uniform made him look slimmer. He also tried wearing a corset.
But this wasn’t the only way Shatner manipulated how he came across on screen.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Global (1966-1969)
20. He Felt Inferior
Shatner hated the fact that he was shorter than co-star Nimoy, so he did something to level the playing field. He wore heels. When that wasn’t enough, he stuck lifts inside his shoes. Sadly, the extra height actually made Shatner’s stomach stick out, so the producers asked him to stop wearing the lifts.
This petty competitiveness with Nimoy was about to come to a dramatic head.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
21. He Refused to Come Out
Reportedly, when Life Magazine sent a photographer to the studio, Shatner had a meltdown. You see, the photographer was there to take photos of Nimoy and not Shatner. Shatner demanded that the photographer go and then locked himself in his dressing room. Then, Nimoy did the same. This spat delayed the filming of that episode for hours.
However, it wasn't just Star Trek's crew who had to deal with Shatner. He also had problems with inanimate objects.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Global (1966-1969)
22. He Had Some Of The Best Bloopers
Since Star Trek was set in the future, the technology had to look like it was in the future. The automatic sliding doors were cool, but they were also a hazard. As an actor, Shatner had to behave as if he trusted the technology. In reality, if the stagehands missed their cues, Shatner would often walk face-first into a very hard door.
Another cool device on Star Trek was teleportation—and it sparked one of the most misremembered lines of the show.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Global (1966-1969)
23. He Never Said It
One of the most common Captain Kirk quotes that fans like to repeat is “beam me up, Scotty”. The weird thing is that Shatner never actually said the line, ever. He has this in common with Humphrey Bogart, who never said, “Play it again Sam” in Casablanca. I guess people remember things the way they choose to remember them.
Luckily, most real fans remember a certain kiss correctly—and it was a television moment so iconic, it really got people talking.
NBC Television, Wikimedia Commons
24. He Had A Controversial Kiss
One thing about Star Trek was that, because it was set in the future, they could push societal norms. The show decided to take a risk and have Shatner’s character kiss Black actress Nichelle Nichols. This episode received more letters from the viewing public than any other episode.
Shatner may have been kissing his co-star, but he also had a wife at home to deal with as well.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Global (1966-1969)
25. He Had A Family
Back in 1956, Shatner married Toronto-born actress Gloria Rand. The two had three children together: all girls. However, while Shatner was making Star Trek, he beamed himself out of the relationship. In 1973, he married his second wife Mary Lafferty, who was the daughter of television producer Perry Lafferty.
But though the early 1970s ushered in a new romantic chapter for the actor, it also marked the beginning of a difficult chapter.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Global (1966-1969)
26. He Was Broke
In 1969, NBC canceled Star Trek, and Shatner was out of a job. Because audiences so closely identified Shatner with Captain Kirk, he had trouble getting work as an actor. At one point, he had to live in a “truck-bed camper” due to a lack of funds. The big question was: how low would Shatner go to make a buck?
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Global (1966-1969)
27. He Had To Make A Living
The answer to this question was: pretty low. In 1974, Shatner appeared opposite Angie Dickinson in the B-movie Big Bad Mama. In a passionate scene between Shatner and Dickinson, they both agreed that all non-essential crew should leave the set. To Shatner’s surprise, Dickinson started slowly inviting many of them back to the "closed" set.
But this hot and heavy project certainly wasn't the last B-movie Shatner took on.
Screenshot from Big Bad Mama, Shout! Studios (1974)
28. His Face Was Scary
In 1975, Shatner appeared in the horror film The Devil’s Rain. During production, the filmmakers had to make a mask of Shatner’s face. Quite famously, a version of this same mask appeared in another, much more successful series of horror movies, with the iconic villain Michael Myers wearing it in Halloween.
Scraping the bottom of the barrel of acting opportunities, Shatner turned to a different side of entertainment to generate some much-needed income.
Screenshot from The Devil’s Rain, Severin Films (1975)
29. He Met Up With A Frenemy
Game shows proved to be an easy way to make money...if you were lucky. Shatner threw himself into several of these shows, including Beat the Clock, The Hollywood Squares, Match Game, and The $10,000 Pyramid. However, one of his appearances on The $10,000 Pyramid went down in television history—for all the worst reasons.
Screenshot from Beat the Clock, Fremantle (1969-1974), enhanced
30. He Made A Huge Mistake On A Game Show
William Shatner appeared on The $10,000 Pyramid several times—but in 1977, he made the most ridiculous mistake. Right at the pinnacle of the episode, Shatner intended to cite "the Virgin Mary" to clue in the contestant to guess the phrase "things that are blessed". But instead, he gave away the answer, crying out "blessed".
Based on his unbelievable reaction, he knew he'd messed up badly.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
31. He Threw A Chair
Unfortunately for Shatner, his partner was completely disqualified for his error, meaning she lost out on a whopping $20,000 prize. He was so angry at himself for mispeaking that he jumped out of his seat and hurled his chair across the set. To make matters worse, his good old frenemy Leonard Nimoy was also a guest on the show that day, witnessing Shatner's failure and blow-up firsthand.
Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons
32. He Sold Stuff
Of course, getting into advertising was another way for Shatner to scrounge up some cash. He sold everything from cars to margarine. He even returned to his home country Canada to promote grocery stores. Clearly, this was not what Shatner wanted to be doing at this stage in his life. In fact, all evidence pointed to him becoming a clichéd “has-been” actor.
And then it all changed.
Screenshot from The Devil’s Rain, Severin Films (1975)
33. He Stayed Popular
In 1977, George Lucas’s Star Wars became a huge success. Paramount saw this and also noticed that Star Trek was doing really well in reruns. People just couldn’t get enough of Shatner and his crewmates. Paramount put two and two together and came up with an idea to make a film version of the original Star Trek series.
Now they just had to decide who would be in it.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Global (1966-1969)
34. He Was A Huge Draw
By 1979, Shatner was in his late 40s and was perhaps looking a little long in the tooth to be playing the agile Captain Kirk. As it turned out, Paramount knew that he was a big draw and hired him and many of the original cast members to be in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Suddenly, Shatner had the lead role in a big-budget movie.
But unfortunately, some of his old habits bubbled to the surface.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Paramount Global (1979)
35. His Habits Resurfaced
For his role, Shatner immediately went on an extreme diet and also returned to wearing a corset. But that wasn't all. His co-star George Takei noticed that Shatner was up to his old tricks again, with script rewrites noticeably benefitting Shatner. However, this time, it was different. He and Nimoy had “script consultants” written into their contract.
It wasn't all doom and gloom, though. During filming, Shatner revealed his softer, more caring side.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Paramount Global (1979)
36. He Helped A Co-star
Shatner was one of the few cast members to stay in touch with Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand. After Star Trek ended, Whitney fell on hard times and dealt with addiction and poverty. Shatner and Nimoy worked together to get Whitney a small part in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and helped her get her life back in order.
Shatner could be proud of what he did for Whitney, but he wasn’t proud of his movie.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Global (1966-1969)
37. He Got It Wrong
When Shatner saw the finished edit of Star Trek: The Motion Picture at its world premiere, he was hugely disappointed. In fact, the outspoken actor predicted that the entire Star Trek franchise was over with this single film: "Well, that's it. We gave it our best shot, it wasn't good, and it will never happen again".
Luckily, he was completely wrong and would go on to appear in seven Star Trek films in total. But Shatner was right about one thing. His performance was not his best.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Paramount Global (1979)
38. They Called Him A Twit
Critics gave Star Trek: The Motion Picture mixed reviews. Sadly, some pointed out that Shatner himself was a major weak point. One unkind reviewer called his Captain Kirk an “old twit”. It's not really what an actor wants to hear. Strangely, Shatner ended up with a nomination for his acting from the Saturn Awards.
However, he'll never receive an award for the way he's treated his fans.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Paramount Global (1979)
39. He Bit The Hand That Fed Him
One of the reasons that Paramount went ahead and made a Star Trek movie was because of Trekkies. These are the uber-enthusiastic fans of all things related to Star Trek. In a case of biting off the hand that feeds you, Shatner infamously went on Saturday Night Live and told the Trekkies to “get a life”. In 1999, Shatner published a book for Trekkies. He called it: Get a Life!
But Shatner wasn't through with poking fun at the show that made him famous.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Paramount Global (1979)
40. He Didn’t Take It Seriously
It seemed that Shatner would take any opportunity to make light of his role as Captain Kirk on Star Trek. He did it in Airplane II: The Sequel and National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1. In 1998’s Free Enterprise, he plays himself as an actor trying to get as far away from Captain Kirk as he could.
But though his career was tinged with humor and a healthy dose of self-deprecation, tragedy darkened his personal life.
Screenshot from Airplane II: The Sequel, Paramount Global (1982)
41. He Fell For A Gorgeous Model
In 1994, William Shatner met the beautiful model, Nerine Kidd. Though she was 28 years younger than him, the chemistry between them was hard to deny, with the actor explaining how their attraction was like a "thunderbolt". Little did either of them know, their love story would end on the most horrifying note possible.
42. His Wife Was Suffering Behind Closed Doors
Shatner and Nerine married in 1997, and on the surface, they seemed to be living a Hollywood dream. However, the truth was utterly devastating. Behind closed doors, Nerine had a nefarious drinking problem, which, according to Shatner's memoirs, spiraled out of control after they wed. The consequences of her addiction were chilling.
Albert L. Ortega, Getty Images
43. He Wanted Her To Get Better
William Shatner tried his best to get Nerine the treatment she needed through excellent rehabilitation institutions, such as the Betty Ford Clinic. Even Leonard Nimoy reportedly tried to offer support as he was also recovering from his own drinking problem. Sadly, though, the worst was yet to come.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons
44. He Lived A Real-Life Nightmare
On August 9, 1999, a real-life nightmare transpired at the Shatner residence. The actor had been away from home, spending time with his daughters—but when he returned home, he couldn't find Nerine anywhere. It wasn't until he ventured out to the backyard that he made a chilling discovery.
Supercon Conventions, Wikimedia Commons
45. His Wife Tragically Drowned
Nerine was at the bottom of the swimming pool. Shater immediately plunged into the water and pulled his wife from the pool, called emergency services, and began performing CPR. Tragically, though, Nerine didn't survive. To make matters worse, in the wake of this devastating loss, public suspicion began to brew.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons
46. He Faced Public Scrutiny
From the outside looking in, the drowning of a 40-year-old woman—known to be an excellent swimmer—seemed a bit questionable. However, an official investigation ultimately concluded that Nerine's death was a tragic accident. The autopsy revealed she had a neck injury, likely caused by her hitting her head on the side or bottom of the pool while under the influence. She reportedly had both alcohol and diazepam in her system.
Shatner's response was heartbreaking.
Salvatore Capalbi from Italy, Wikimedia Commons
47. He Mourned Her
Losing Nerine devastated Shatner. The day after her passing, he told the press: "My beautiful wife is dead. She meant everything to me". He went on to encourage people to donate to Friendly House—a non-profit that specifically helps women start a fresh chapter while they recover from addiction.
However, as we'll see, when it came to his family, this wouldn't be the last harrowing chapter for Shatner.
48. He Had A Wild Opportunity
Fast forward to 2021, and William Shatner had the opportunity to do something unbelievable, and yet very on brand for what he is best known for: he traveled to space. At 90 years old, he became the oldest person to ever go to space (only for his record to be broken in 2024). However, the most shocking part of Shatner's once-in-a-lifetime trip was what he got out of it.
Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, Wikimedia Commons
49. He Was Filled With Dread
According to Shatner, going to space "filled me with dread. My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral". Being so far from home, looking down on the beauty of Earth, Shatner began to think about how fragile this existence is and that mankind is destroying its precious environment. He experienced what has been coined "the overview effect".
But this wasn't the only big life event that made Shatner so grateful for the beauty of life.
50. He And His Daughter Battled Cancer
Most recently, in 2026, Shatner revealed that both he and his daughter Melanie Shatner Gretsch came face to face with their mortality. In 2022, Melanie discovered she had Stage 4 breast cancer, and the following year, Shatner himself faced Stage 4 malignant melanoma, which had horrifyingly spread to his brain and lungs.
51. He Appreciates His Life
Thankfully, as of 2026, both Shatner and his daughter have fully recovered and are cancer-free, but this health scare has given them an even greater appreciation for their lives. Shatner has shared, “I’m thinking of the miracle of a hummingbird, and of my dog taking a ball, and my children. I’m aware of the magic of it all".
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
