William Shatner (born on March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor, author, producer, director, screenwriter, singer, and space tourist. He is best known for his iconic role as Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise.
As of May 2025, William Shatner is 94 years and 1 months old, his estimated net worth is $100 million, and he stands at a height of 5 feet 10 inches (177 cm or 1.77 m) tall.
Bio / Wiki
Full Name
William Shatner
Nickname
Bill, Billy
Profession
Actor, Voiceover Artist, Author, Producer, Director, Screenwriter, Singer
Career
Debut
Film
Butler’s Nigh Off (1951)
TV Show
Star Trek (1966)
Best Known for
His roles on Boston Legal and Star Trek
Awards
Personal Profile and Background Details
Date of Birth
March 22, 1931
Age
As of today, William is 94 years, 1 months, and 23 days old.
Zodiac sign
Aries
Signature
Nationality
Canadian
Birth Place
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Residence
Los Angeles, California, United States of America
School / College / University
Willingdon Elementary School
West Hill High School
McGill University in Montreal (Graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree)
Religion
Jewish
Race / Ethnicity
Ashkenazi Jewish
Food Habits
Non-vegetarian
Hobbies
Horseback-riding, Playing Tennis
Tattoo
No tattoos on his body
Physical Attributes and Measurements
Height
- In feet: 5′ 9½”
- In Centimeters: 176.5 cm
- In meters: 1.76 m
Weight
- In kilograms: 82 kg
- In Pounds: 181 lbs
Body Measurements
- Chest Size: 44″
- Biceps Size: 14″
- Waist Size: 34″
Shoe size
9 (US)
Eye color
Hazel
Hair Color
Salt and Pepper
Family
Wife
Gloria Rand (1956–1969)
Marcy Lafferty (1973–1996)
Nerine Kidd (1997–1999)
Elizabeth Shatner (2001–2020)
Father
Joseph Shatner
Mother
Ann Shatner
Siblings
Joy Shatner (Sister)
Farla Shatner (Sister)
Farla is the Youngest sister of William. Like her brother, Farla also studied at McGill University. She has 3 children and 9 grandchildren. Now she lives in Montreal, Quebec with her family.
Children
Melanie Shatner (Daughter) (Born on August 1, 1964) (Actress)
Leslie Carol Shatner (Daughter) (Born on August 31, 1958)
Lisabeth Shatner (Daughter) (Born on June 6, 1961)
Relationship & More
Marital Status
Single
Marriage Date
August 12, 1956 – Gloria Rand
October 20, 1973 – Marcy Lafferty
November 15, 1997 – Nerine Kidd
February 13, 2001 – Elizabeth Shatner
Girlfriend and Dating History
Gloria Rand (1956–1969)
William Shatner met Gloria Rand on the set of a television play he wrote called Dreams. He cast Rand in the production, and the two started dating, becoming engaged four months later. They married on August 12, 1956, while Shatner was still in Toronto before his Star Trek days and remained married for 13 years. They had three daughters: Leslie, Lisabeth, and Melanie.
The more Shatner’s career launched, especially with Star Trek, the more their marriage suffered. In his words, Shatner called their marriage “lopsided” because he was away most of the time working, whereas Rand stayed at home. The stressors of fame and growing emotional distance resulted in their divorce in 1969, the very same year Star Trek ended.
Nancy Kovack (1968–1969)
William Shatner and Nancy Kovack were said to have a love affair, mainly during the prime years of their respective careers. Kovack, a beauty and wit alumna, emerged through different films and television shows, including the Star Trek episodes where both professionals met on the spot. It was during that moment when their personal relationship was said to have bloomed.
But their love was short-lived because Shatner’s highly demanding career and personal life, including his previous marriage to Gloria Rand, introduced complexities. Indeed, not much has been widely documented about their relationship.
Marcy Lafferty (1972–1996)
William Shatner and Marcy Lafferty began their romance during the early 1970s when Shatner’s life and career were at their most critical moments. She is an actress, a producer, and the daughter of Hollywood producer Perry Lafferty. She met Shatner shortly after his first divorce from Gloria.
Lafferty married Shatner in 1973; it was his second marriage. Shatner, at this period of time, was following a series of acting appearances in television and film during the post-Star Trek era of his career. Marcy Lafferty was quite supportive, being very present throughout these changing years of his life. She even acted in a few of his shows, which included Star Trek: The Motion Picture, released in 1979, and T.J. Hooker.
They had been married over 20 years. Despite the long period of their marriage, it was troubled. As a matter of fact, Shatner and Lafferty divorced in 1996. Shatner would later regret, in his 2008 memoir Up Till Now, how his professional life took a toll on his marriage.
Angie Dickinson (1973–1974)
Vera Montez (1994–1996)
Nerine Kidd (1997–1999)
William Shatner met Nerine Kidd in the early 1990s, and they fell in love. Kidd was a model and an actress who captivated Shatner with her good looks and appeal. They were married on November 15, 1997. It was the third marriage of Shatner.
The marriage was far from being trouble-free with most of the issues attributed to Kidd’s addiction to alcohol. Shatner claimed he was ‘madly’ in love and previously had enrolled her in rehabilitation programs, but her addiction caused heavy strain on the marriage. Despite the problem, he remained hopeful about her recovery.
Tragically, on August 9, 1999, Nerine Kidd drowned in the couple’s swimming pool at their Los Angeles home. Her death was ruled accidental, with alcohol being a contributing factor. Shatner felt her loss hard, his fall to probably one of the darkest moments in his life.
Elizabeth Martin (2001–2019)
William Shatner and Elizabeth Martin, a horse trainer, met for the first time in 2001, shortly after the tragic death of Shatner’s third wife, Nerine Kidd. They came together because of their love for horses. As such, they found a bond in this mutual passion. Shatner was still grieving over the tragic loss of his previous wife and thus found comfort in Elizabeth’s company.
The couple married in 2001, which was a fourth marriage for Shatner. In their relationship, the important thing was that Elizabeth understood Shatner’s lifestyle and they both shared the same interests in horses and philanthropy. However, after happy years together, Shatner filed for divorce in 2019 after 18 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
Shatner said he still respected Elizabeth because she had been an important part of a very significant period in his life, though the divorce was in early 2020.
Favorite Things
Favorite Episode From Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) – Star Trek: The Original Series: The Devil in the Dark
Net Worth 2025
$100 million
As of May 2025, it’s estimated that William Shatner has a net worth of about $100 million, based on information from different reliable sources. William has built an incredibly diverse career as an actor, writer, director, and entrepreneur-arguably one of the most recognized celebrities of his time. He has sources of income from many aspects of his several-decade-long career. Let’s break this down:
1. Acting Career
Star Trek
Until today, Shatner’s most famous role is that of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek. Although his salary for the original series in the 1960s was modest-roughly $5,000 per episode-the Star Trek franchise became wildly popular. Eventully, royalties and residuals from reruns and a portion of profits brought in from Star Trek conventions, endorsements, and merchandise more than greatly increased his income.
With the Star Trek movies, he earned more considerable amounts: reportedly as high as $2 million per film at the height of the later films like Star Trek V: The Final Frontier – which he also directed – and Star Trek VI.
Television and Film Work:
Aside from Star Trek, he did a great deal of work in various television series, such as T.J. Hooker and Boston Legal, in which he made upwards of over $150,000 an episode toward the end of the series. His role as Denny Crane in Boston Legal arguably accounted for one of his most significant roles aside from Star Trek and added an estimated several million to his net worth.
Voice Acting:
Shatner has done voice work for various animated films and series, including the Overwatch video game franchise and animated versions of Star Trek. This generates a steady stream of money from voice work, specifically in popular media that streams and sells.
Current Acting Work:
He is now 90+ and still acts in TV shows, films, and documentaries at lesser but consistent pay.
2. Royalties and Residuals
Shatner receives a great deal of money off his residuals from Star Trek television episodes and movies. Licensing merchandise, everything from toys to clothing, of Star Trek also brings in a pretty penny for him. In 2015, he stated in interviews that his residuals from Star Trek continue to bring in a decent income, although exact figures remain private. With the global nature of the franchise, though, he’s believed to take in many millions each year in residuals and royalties.
3. Writing and Directing
Books: Shatner has written several books, covering both fiction and non-fiction. His most read series is the TekWar series of novels. These led to a few best-sellers that even spawned a TV series. He has also written a couple of memoirs entitled Up Till Now and Live Long and. What I Learned Along the Way. The sales of his books, along with the advances, royalties, and speaking that he does related to his bookwriting, have added up to millions during the years.
Directing and Producing: Perhaps most notably, Shatner has also directed films and TV projects, including Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. While some of these projects enjoyed mixed reviews, they all went toward his total incomes.
4. Personal Appearances and Conventions
Shatner continues to be among the hottest convention guests, especially in Star Trek’s fandom. Prices vary from $50,000 to $100,000 for a single appearance depending on event size and location. Times dozens of events over the years amount to millions of dollars, not to mention the fact that Star Trek appears to be gaining more and more popularity with time.
5. Endorsements and Commercials
Shatner is pretty well-known for his commercial work, notably his many-year collaboration with Priceline.com. He had been paid initially in stock options for his work with the company, which proved to be extremely lucrative when Priceline’s stock price began to shoot up during the early 2000s internet boom.The exact value of these options isn’t publicly known, but several reports quote Shatner as having made approximately $600 million from Priceline stock sales over time-a windfall that ranks as one of the greatest in his life.
Apart from that, he has done various other commercials and endorsements, from insurance companies to voiceovers, which add to his earnings.
6. Business Ventures
Shatner has invested in a variety of businesses over time. His earnings from Priceline are probably his best-known investment success. He went on to create a line of merchandise under the Shatner brand name and continued to invest in both startups and technology companies.
7. Real Estate
Shatner has properties in California, Kentucky, and Canada. The appreciations of his investments in real estate over the decades have risen a lot and have really bloated his current account. This is because his sole house in Studio City, California, is approximated to be worth several million dollars. His income from real estate comes both in appreciation and potential rental income.
8. Other Income Sources
Speaking Engagements: Shatner requires a significant honorarium for conferences, corporate engagements, and charity events. The amounts range from $25,000 to $100,000 for every appearance.
Licensing Deals: The image and likeness of Shatner are licensed for everything from action figures to video games. This means added income in a more regular stream.
Summary of Estimated Earnings
- Star Trek (TV, Films, and Residuals): Estimated to have raked in between $50 million to $100 million over the years.
- Boston Legal: Around $15 million to $20 million total.
- Priceline Endorsement: Estimated to have earned around $600 million.
- Books and Writing: Estimated to have earned around $10 million.
- Personal Appearances: Estimated to have earned around $5 million to $10 million over the years.
- Other Ventures and Real Estate: Earnings and investments equaled $30-50 million.
Vehicles Collection
- 1937 Studebaker Dictator Coupe
- 1951 Chrysler New Yorker
- Mercedes-Benz and
- Jaguar
- Toyota Prius hybrid
