Deep Space with William Shatner

Resistance is futile -- Picture courtesy of Thomas Dunne Books

by blogSpotter
I just finished listening to William Shatner's autobiography, Up Till Now. I'm interested in Shatner as an actor in general, and not just as the commander of the Enterprise. But -- I do have some Trek trivia below. Shatner grew up in a religiously observant Jewish family, in Montreal, Quebec. His father was a clothing manufacturer and his mother was a homemaker. Shatner received a business degree from McGill University in '52, and broke his dad's heart by saying he wanted to be an actor. Dad assumed that Billy would follow him in the clothing trade.

Shatner started out selling tickets and managing a dinner theater; from there he managed to transition into some acting roles. He joined the Montreal Shakespeare company after a bit and landed a role in Henry V. He says that in one show he actually forgot his lines and had to have them whispered from the stage hand. His delivery this night was halting and full of pauses – the critics loved it and thought it was deliberate. Later in Star Trek, the same halting style emerged as he struggled to remember lines – again interpreted by audiences as deliberate drama. It very nearly became his signature style.

Kirk did any acting role he could get. He was on Playhouse 90, Twilight Zone and many other 60’s shows. He played cowboys, psychos, villains and many other roles. He had no particular interest in science fiction or space when he was tapped to play Captain Kirk in Star Trek at age 35. The role was first offered to Lloyd Bridges and Jack Lord but they demanded too much money. Shatner thought the role was too serious, so they decided to lighten up the role for contrast with Spock. Nimoy and Shatner had a tepid relationship at first but grew to be friends later on. Both were Jewish men who could relate to their characters’ treatment as outsiders.

In the 90’s, various cast members wrote bios where they’d say how they “hated Shatner”. Shatner apologizes in his own book for being an egomaniac control freak – didn’t mean to be. In later years, Shatner had much fun reliving his role and interacting with Trekkies. He even wrote a sci-fi series, Tek Wars, that garnered a lot of publicity. To publicize Tek Wars, Shatner did a stint of professional wrestling. Don’t ask how these relate, they really don’t. Shatner’s other career highlights have been TJ Hooker, the Giant Head on 3rd Rock, priceline.com spokesman, and an Emmy-winning role as Denny Crane on Boston Legal.

Shatner has been married 3 times, including a very troubled 2nd marriage to an alcoholic woman who drowned in their backyard pool. He says it was the greatest personal devastation he ever had to deal with. Overall, Shatner is a delight to listen to – he is witty, irreverent and completely spontaneous. He’s abundantly willing to look silly or have fun at his own expense. One must note – his music albums Transformed Man and Has-Been are serious efforts, no laughing allowed. Also, he will not disclose whether he’s wearing a toupee; it’s for the reader to find out.

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