Little Known Facts About William Shatner

Mention the name of actor "William Shatner", and the first response you'll probably get is "Star Trek." It doesn't matter that he has played many characters since he was Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Shatner is still connected to the starship and its space age appeal. Read this informative article and learn some little known facts about William Shatner you're sure to enjoy, whether you're a Trekkie or not!

Early Years and His Career
William Alan Shatner was born on March 22, 1931 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His parents were father Joseph, who ran a hardware and furniture business, and mother Anna.

Young Shatner graduated from McGill University in 1952 with a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce. He had also trained and worked as a Shakespearean actor. A little known fact about William Shatner is, he first appeared in the movies in 1951. His debut part was in a Canadian film titled, The Butler's Night Off. His first taste of television acting was in 1954 when he played the part of "Ranger Bill" on the Canadian Howdy Doody Show.

Shatner In America
William Shatner's first movie role in America was in the 1958 film, The Brothers Karamazov. From there, his career expanded into such projects as acting on Broadway; starring in the 1962 movie The Intruder; appearing in a couple of The Twilight Zone episodes; doing an episode of The Outer Limits, and also appearing on an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., among others.

Needless to say, Shatner's big break came when he was cast for the Star Trek television show. He played the part of Captain Kirk from 1966 to 1969. Then, he went onto play Kirk in the first seven Star Trek movies.

A little known fact about William Shatner is that he has authored several books about Star Trek. A few of the titles are: The Ashes of Eden (Star Trek, 1996), Get A Life! (Atria, 1999), Captain's Peril (Star Trek, 2004), and Star Trek: The Academy--Collision Course (Star Trek, 2007).