William Shatner: A star's trek to fame

When William Shatner was young, he's said all he wanted was to be an announcer on the CBC. He got his start as an actor on CBC radio. But in the decades since he first appeared on CBC, Shatner has gone far beyond his home country -- and his home planet -- in the sci-fi favourite Star Trek on TV and in film.

Shatner was born and raised in Montreal. He graduated from McGill University in 1952 and joined the National Repertory Theatre in Ottawa and began to perform at the Stratford Festival in 1954. In the same year, he was cast as Ranger Bob on the Canadian Howdy Doody Show. He appeared in several other CBC television productions early in his career, including Space Command, CBC's first dramatic series, and The Black Eye (1954), where he is pictured above. Some other productions Shatner appeared in on CBC-TV's General Motors Presents are: The Big Leap (1954), The Coming Out of Ellie Swan (1955), The Big Dig (1955), Billy Budd (1955) and The Well (1960).

Listen to a 1965 CBC interview with Shatner:


Hear Shatner reflect on his early days at CBC in an anniversary interview on Q:


Shatner first appeared on Broadway in New York City in 1956 and made his movie debut in 1957. By 1962, he'd begun his long string of television and film roles in the United States before he accepted the role of Capt. James T. Kirk in 1966. The role has since made Shatner a pop culture icon.

While Star Trek did not do well during its initial three year run from 1966-1969, it became a cult classic in re-runs, and Shatner reprised his role as Kirk in several films. Although the role has defined him over the years, Shatner's career includes almost 200 roles in film and television. He starred in his own series, cop drama T.J. Hooker in the 1980s, and has received critical acclaim for his recurring role in The Practice and Boston Legal, winning Emmy Awards in 2004 and 2005. He has also served as an executive producer, recorded several songs and has authored fiction and non-fiction books.

Shatner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983 and on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000.

In May 2011, he was awarded the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.

Hear Shatner chat with Jian Ghomeshi on QTV about his career:

Posted on Aug 24, 2011 6:00:00 AM