What is William Shatner's net worth?
William Shatner is a Canadian-born actor, author, producer, director, screenwriter, and singer who has a net worth of $100 million. William Shatner is best known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the "Star Trek" franchise. Shatner has also had leading roles in other hit shows, including "T.J. Hooker," "The Practice," and "Boston Legal." In May 1983, Shatner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He also has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
He began his acting career in the 1950s, performing in various theater productions and television shows in Canada. In the 1960s, Shatner gained international recognition when he was cast as the lead in "Star Trek: The Original Series," which aired from 1966 to 1969. His portrayal of the charismatic and bold starship captain earned him a devoted fan following and cemented his status as a science fiction icon. After "Star Trek," Shatner continued his successful career in television, notably starring as the title character in the legal drama series "T.J. Hooker" (1982-1986) and hosting the popular reality show "Rescue 911" (1989-1996). He also reprised his role as Captain Kirk in seven "Star Trek" feature films between 1979 and 1994.
In addition to his acting career, Shatner has authored numerous books, including memoirs and science fiction novels. He has also released several spoken-word albums and has performed on Broadway. In the 2000s, Shatner gained further popularity for his comedic roles, particularly his Emmy-winning performance as eccentric lawyer Denny Crane on the series "Boston Legal" (2004-2008).
Convention Earnings
William Shatner appears at dozens of conventions every year. To appear at a convention he charges $10,000 for travel expenses then $10,000 per hour with a five hour minimum.
Did Shatner Make $600 Million off Priceline?
There is a persistent rumor that William Shatner made $600 million as the commercial pitchman for Priceline.com. It's not true.
Back in 1997, Shatner signed on to be the "Priceline Negotiator" in a series of commercials for the upstart dotcom travel company. At the time, the internet bubble was still growing bigger, and companies like Priceline were getting insane stock market valuations from their IPOs. According to the rumor, Shatner insisted on receiving stock as compensation instead of cash. At the time, getting stock seemed like a brilliant move, but soon, the bubble burst, and Priceline shares lost nearly all their value. The stock eventually fell to a low of $1.80 per share in 2000. Fast forward a little more than a decade later, and Shatner was still doing commercials, and Priceline's stock had made a huge comeback.. Rumors swirled that Shatner didn't sell any of his stock during the decade after the bubble bursting, leading some to speculate that his shares were now supposedly worth over $600 million.
Shatner has vehemently denied these rumors on several public occasions, most notably in an interview with Howard Stern. He even took to Twitter with the following:
"Someone stupid said a stupid thing about me making $600M. It ain't so. Relatives are coming out of the woodwork. Too bad it never happened."
Imeh Akpanudosen / Getty Images
Early Life
William Shatner was born on March 22, 1931, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to a Jewish family. The family's last name had been anglicized from Schattner to Shatner by his paternal grandfather. His parents were Ann and Joseph. He has two sisters. Shatner attended Willingdon Elementary School and West Hill High School and is an alumnus of the Montreal Children's Theatre. He studied Economics at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 1952.
Career
After college, Shatner got a job as the business manager for a playhouse in Montreal. From there, he joined the Canadian National Repertory Theatre to train as a classical Shakespearean actor. Starting in 1954, Shatner played a number of roles at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. That same year, Shatner was cast as Ranger Bob on The Canadian "Howdy Doody Show." He made his feature film debut in 1958 in "The Brothers Karamazov." He landed a role on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" in the episode called "The Glass Eye."
Shatner's big break came, of course, when he was cast as Captain James T. Kirk in "Star Trek," which ran from 1966 to 1969. In 1973, he returned to the role of Captain Kirk, albeit only in voice, in the animated "Star Trek" series.
After its cancellation, Star Trek developed a cult following in the 1970s thanks to syndicated reruns, and Captain Kirk became a cultural icon. Shatner began appearing at Star Trek conventions.
Star Trek in 1966 (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
Shatner landed a starring role on "T. J. Hooker," which ran from 1982 to 1986. Also, in the 1980s, he reprised his role as James T. Kirk in five "Star Trek" movies. He also began directing film and television during this time. Shatner directed several episodes of "T. J. Hooker" and the feature film "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier."
Shatner co-starred in the 2000 movie "Miss Congeniality." He reprised the role in the 2004 sequel "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous."
David E. Kelley cast Shatner as Denny Crane on the final season of the legal drama "The Practice." Shatner took the Crane role to "Boston Legal;" he remained with the series until its end in 2008. From 2016 through 2018, he starred in both seasons of NBC's "Better Late Than Never."
Aside from acting, Shatner has had a career as a recording artist. His first album, "The Transformed Man," was released in 1968. His most successful album was his third, "Seeking Major Tom," in 2011, which included covers of David Bowie's "Space Oddity," Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly," and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
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Personal Life
Shatner has been married four times. His first marriage was to Canadian actress Gloria Rand in August 1956. They had three daughters: Leslie (1958), Lisabeth (1960), and Melanie (1964). Shatner left Rand while he was filming the original "Star Trek" series. Rand divorced him in March 1969.
Shatner's second marriage was to Marcy Lafferty and lasted from 1973 to 1996.
His third marriage was to Nerine Kidd Shatner. They married in 1997. She was 38, and he was 66. On August 9, 1999, Shatner got home late one night and discovered Nerine's body at the bottom of their swimming pool. The autopsy found alcohol and Valium in her blood, and the coroner ruled the cause of death as an accidental drowning.
In 2001, Shatner married Elizabeth Anderson Martin. Shatner filed for divorce from Elizabeth in 2019 and it was finalized in January 2020. Upon their divorce, following the terms of their prenuptial agreement, Shatner paid Elizabeth a lump sum of $2 million for spousal support, and deeded her properties in Malibu and Kentucky. William kept a home in Studio City, California, a ranch in Three Rivers, Ca, several horses… AND "all horse semen" collected and stored by the former couple.
In June 2011, McGill University awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Letters. Shatner was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters from the New England Institute of Technology in May 2018.
In 2021, William Shatner became the oldest person to fly into space at the age of 90 years old when he boarded the Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule.
William Shatner Salary
How much does William Shatner make per episode of a television show? $150,000
Real Estate
William Shatner's longtime residence in Los Angeles is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 4,016-square-foot home in Studio City, California. As part of his 2020 divorce settlement with ex-wife Elizabeth, he deeded her a in Malibu and their Belle Reve Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. Shatner kept an 18-acre ranch in Three Rivers, California, which he bought in 1979 with wife Marcy.
