ENTERTAINMENT
What is William Shatner’s net worth? Does he get royalties from his role on ‘Star Trek’ as Captain Kirk?
The Star Trek star is a national hero for many fans - here’s how much he’s worth.
William Shatner is one of the most famous faces in the world. A household name across the globe, ‘Captain Kirk’ graced screens in cinemas and on television in a career that has spanned over 7 decades.
As well as Star Trek, Shatner has also starred in projects such as “T.J. Hooker,” “The Practice,” and “Boston Legal.”
William Shatner was born on March 22, 1931, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to a Jewish family. He attended Willingdon Elementary School and West Hill High School as well as Montreal Children’s Theatre. Shatner was an Economics student at McGill University in Montreal; he graduated in 1952 before becoming a business manager for a playhouse in Montreal.
After playing a number of smaller roles, Shatner made his film debut in 1958 with a part in “The Brothers Karamazov.” From there, he appeared on “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, in the episode called “The Glass Eye”, before getting his big break on “Star Trek”.
When did William Shatner first appear in Star Trek?
Trekkies, give me the answer before you look...
The now 92-year-old made his debut as the captain of the starship Enterprise in the second pilot of the first “Star Trek” television series in 1966.
His final appearance as Captain Kirk came in the seventh “Star Trek” film, Star Trek Generations, in 1994.
What is William Shatner’s net worth? Does he receive Star Trek royalties?
The actor, who stands at 5 ft 9 in (1.77 m), is said to be worth around $100 million. In May 1983, as a result of his achievements on the screen, both big and small, Shatner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He also has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.
As far as any potential royalties go, Shatner revealed on Twitter that “anything before 1973 (that includes Star Trek Original Series) doesn’t pay a cent in Royalties. So please don’t think you own me or I owe you something for watching. It doesn’t work like that.”
Curiously, the mask used by Michael Myers in the Halloween franchise, is synonymous with Captain Kirk, as it was originally his mask from the “Star Trek” series. William Shatner, however, does not receive royalties from its use.
In terms of his personal life, Shatner has been married a total of four times. His first marriage was to actress Gloria Rand in August 1956 and the couple had three daughters, his only children to date.
Shatner took part in Blue Origin’s second sub-orbital human spaceflight, Blue Origin NS-18, on October 13, 2021, becoming the oldest person ever to travel to space, at the age of 90 years, 6 months and 22 days.