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William Shatner: Post-Star Trek career
Shatner had a long dry spell in the decade between the original
Star Trek series and the Star Trek movies, which he attributes to his being typecast as Captain Kirk, making him unable to find other work. He says this period was a humbling one, as he would take any odd job, including small party appearances to support his family. In 1970, Shatner appeared as the prosecutor in a PBS television film of the Broadway play The Andersonville Trial. This was directed by
George C. Scott and received excellent reviews. The dry spell ended for Shatner (and the other
Star Trek cast members) when Paramount produced ' in 1979, under pressure from long loyal fans of the series. Its success re-established Shatner as an actor, and Captain Kirk as a cultural icon.
While continuing to film the successful series of
Star Trek movies, he returned to television in the 1980s, starring as a uniformed police officer in the T.J. Hooker series from 1982 to 1986;this show became a popular hit.He then hosted the popular dramatic reenactment series
Rescue 911from 1989 to 1996.
As the unwilling central public figure of a widespread geek-culture of Trekkies, Shatner is often humorously critical of the sometimes "annoying" fans of
Star Trek. He also has found an outlet in spoofing the cavalier, almost superhuman character persona of Captain Kirk, in films such as ' (1982), National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon I
(1993) and Saturday Night Live
, in which he advised Star Trek fans to "Get a life!", repeating a popular catch-phrase.
Shatner has enjoyed success with a series of "Tek" science fiction novels. The first—published in 1990—was entitled TekWar. This popular series of books led to a number of television movies, in which Shatner played a role, and to a short-lived television series. In 1995 a first-person shooter game named
William Shatner's TekWar was released, and was the first game to use the Build engine.
In the 1990s Shatner appeared in several plays on American National Public Radio, written and directed by Norman Corwin.
Shatner has appeared in several episodes of the television series Third Rock from the Sun as The Big Giant Head, a fat, womanizing, substance-abusing, higher-ranked officer from the same alien planet as the show's protagonists.
In 2004, Shatner was cast as the eccentric but highly capable attorney Denny Crane for the final season of the legal drama The Practice, for which he was awarded an Emmy, and then its subsequent spin-off, Boston Legal, for which he won a Golden Globe in 2005.
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Latest Film News
Latest news on William Shatner
LiteratureShatner Takes Aim at Takei, Again
George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Walter Koenig celebrate the 25th anniversary of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in October, 2007.© Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesGo to larger...
Published: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:20:18 GMT - Source: Scifi.About.Com - Read the articleNewsCaptain's log: I'm annoyed - Shatner angry at snub by co-star
Actor William Shatner feels "nothing but pity" for his Star Trek co-star George Takei after failing to be invited to his wedding.
Published: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:22:28 GMT - Source: News.Bbc.Co.Uk - Read the articleLiteratureVideo: Shatner Blasts Takei
William Shatner, apparently finished chiding Star Trek director J.J. Abrams over a perceived snub, has turned his video camera against former Trek co-star George Takei for not inviting him to Takei's recent wedding to his longtime partner.
Published: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:00:00 GMT - Source: Scifi.Com - Read the article
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