William Shatner is a Canadian actor, producer, director, and author that is best known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the “Star Trek” franchise. His acting career spanned over seven decades and he has written a series of books revealing his experiences playing Captain Jakes T. Kirk, including his life after playing the character. William Shatner has also co-written a number of novels set in the Star Trek world, as well as a series of other science fiction novels called “TekWar”.
William Shatner lives in a gorgeous mansion in Los Angeles, California full-time. He also used to own a 360-acre ranch in Kentucky, although following his divorce from his ex-wife Elizabeth Shatner, he gave up the Kentucky home in 2020.
William Shatner’s net worth is estimated to be around $100 million and he seems to be living a lavish and happy life in his Southern California home. The actor has reached many milestones and achievements throughout his very long career in Hollywood.
The Star Trek Legend’s Career
William Shatner is originally from Montreal, Canada, and as a young child, he began a career as a performer in radio programs. He worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and it sparked his interest in the arts.
He continued to further his education as a college student at McGill University but continued acting throughout his undergraduate career. He spent his time away from school performing with the Royal Mount Theatre Company and graduated from college in 1952.
Right after graduation, he joined the National Repertory Theater of Ottawa and appeared in productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario before making his Broadway debut.
William Shatner made his first Broadway debut in 1956 in “Tamburlaine the Great”, directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie. He also made a few television appearances in shows such as “Studio One”, “Playhouse 90” and “Goodyear Television Playhouse”.
His film debut was in 1958 for “The Brothers Karamazov” where Shatner actually had one of the main roles.
Shatner returned to Broadway in 1958 for two years to perform in “The Secret Life of Suzie Wong” and in 1959, won the Theatre World Award for his acting skills.
In 1966, William Shatner had been given the role of Captain James T. Kirk for “Star Trek” which would make him famous everywhere. The science fiction series was created by Gene Roddenberry and lasted for three seasons, but was a hit later on.
The show itself was canceled, although it continued and become more popular through many other versions. “Star Trek” was turned into a cartoon that ran during the mid-70s, was resurrected as a live-action film in 1979, and in the 1980s, sequels.
William Shatner continued to play his role as Captain James T. Kirk for the many movies that were made afterward, but he did take on other projects in between such as “T.J Hooker” and “Rescue 911”.
In the early 2000s, Shatner played a role in “Miss Congeniality” and “Miss Congeniality 2”, and received his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor for his performance on “The Practice”.
Throughout the next decade, William Shatner continued his acting career and stayed a popular figure in Hollywood. In 2019, he started being the host and producer for the nonfiction series, “The UnXplained” on the HISTORY channel.
William Shatner House in Southern California
William Shatner lives in Los Angeles, California full time and fans were able to take a look inside of his home during his DIY Network series, “The William Shatner Project” a few years ago.
Shatner bought his gorgeous home using his Star Trek money back in the 80s but decided that it needed renovating in 2015. He decided to tackle a home renovation project in which he transformed the Mediterranean-style home to have more updated rooms.
The house sits on Berry Dr in Studio City, California, and features 4,016 square feet of living space, along with four bedrooms and four bathrooms.
William Shatner filed for a divorce from his ex-wife, Elizabeth Martin, in December of 2019, and records show that Shatner gave up his Kentucky horse ranch. He and his ex-wife were horse breeders and lovers of the American Saddlebred, so they shared many horses on their massive ranch.
The horse ranch was given to his ex-wife, and the couple split up their horses, with Shatner receiving half and his ex-wife receiving the other. The ranch is in Versailles, Kentucky, and spans over 360 acres.