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William Shatner

Actor

About This Interview

William Shatner was interviewed for three-and-a-half hours (in two interview parts) in Studio City, CA. Shatner described his early years in Canadian theater, and his debut on American television. He discussed appearances on many live shows including Playhouse 90, Studio One, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Omnibus, and others. Shatner went on to star as Captain Kirk in Star Trek and subsequent feature films. He starred in T.J. Hooker and later hosted Rescue 911.  In part two of his interview, Shatner talked about his work as “Denny Crane” on Boston Legal.  The interviews were conducted by Ramin Fathie on September 15, 1999 and Stephen J. Abramson on January 22, 2009.

Related To This Video

  • Shows
  • People
  • Topics
  • Genres

Shows

  • 3rd Rock From the Sun
  • Boston Legal
  • Star Trek
  • T.J. Hooker
  • Twilight Zone, The
  • Twilight Zone, The: "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

People

  • Candice Bergen
  • Leonard Nimoy
  • James Spader

Topics

  • Choose ..
  • Creative Influences and Inspiration
  • Pop Culture

Genres

  • Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series

Featured Content

William Shatner was inducted into the 17th Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.Emmy Hall of Fame Logo

Embeddable clip: William Shatner on his legacy

Resources

Autobiography

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Watch Interview Highlights

  • William Shatner on the pressures of production during Star Trek
  • William Shatner on why he felt Star Trek  has had such a following
  • William Shatner on Star Trek  co-star Leonard Nimoy
  • William Shatner on his legacy
  • William Shatner on his experience starring in T.J. Hooker, and how he wished it could have sustained fully its original premise
  • William Shatner on Boston Legal  co-star Candice Bergen
  • William Shatner on his Boston Legal  character “Denny Crane’s” penchant for saying his name as a non sequitur
  • William Shatner on his rationale for "breaking the fourth wall" while playing "Denny Crane" on Boston Legal

Discussed In This Interview

  • shows
  • people
  • topics
  • genres

shows

  • 3rd Rock From the Sun
    • Clip 1
  • Boston Legal
    • Clip 1
    • Clip 2
    • Clip 3
    • Clip 4
  • Star Trek
    • Clip 1
    • Clip 2
    • Clip 3
  • T.J. Hooker
    • Clip 1
  • Twilight Zone, The
    • Clip 1
    • Clip 2
    • Clip 3
  • Twilight Zone, The: "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"
    • Clip 1
    • Clip 2
    • Clip 3
    • Clip 4

people

  • Candice Bergen
  • Leonard Nimoy
  • James Spader

topics

  • Choose ..
  • Pop Culture
  • Characters & Catchphrases
  • Characters & Catchphrases
  • Creative Influences and Inspiration

genres

  • Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series
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