14 Facts About William Shatner You May Not Know

At age 90, William Shatner broke a record by becoming the oldest man to travel to space. The "Star Trek" star spent 10 minutes on the edge of space during a flight with Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos. The actor wasn't content on simply enjoying the once-in-a-lifetime experience. He used the publicity to bring attention to the environment, telling reporters (via Time): "I was moved to tears by what I saw, and I come back filled with...overwhelmed by sadness and empathy for this beautiful thing we call Earth."

Shatner, most known for the '60s sci-fi series "Star Trek," has done many things during his nine decades on Earth. He's appeared in numerous film and television productions, has released several albums, and has been successful in the horse riding, competition, and breeding industries. He's not afraid to go into the boxing ring with champions, sing with famous musicians, or fly into space at an advanced age. Shatner continues to work and shows no sign of stopping, despite being a nonagenarian. While you may know a lot about Shatner's life and career, there are some facts you may find surprising.

In 2018, Shatner, who has released his share of music over the years, dropped his first Christmas album, called "Shatner Claus – The Christmas Album." It includes the actor's unique version of 13 holiday favorites, such as "Blue Christmas," "Run Rudolph Run," and "Silver Bells," according to Consequence. Like many artists, Shatner chose some high-profile collaborators to make the music even more appealing. For example, Henry Rollins joined the star on "Jingle Bells," while Iggy Pop helped him out with "Silent Night."

ZZ Top star Billy Gibbons lent his talents to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," while Todd Rundgren and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Artimus Pyle joined Shatner on "Winter Wonderland." Other collaborators included Brad Paisley, Jethro Tull, flutist Ian Anderson, Cars' guitarist Elliot Easton, Rick Wakeman of Yes, and folk artist Judy Collins, according to Style Weekly. Shatner appeared to have a lot of fun making the album, interjecting his own personality on classic songs and not taking himself too seriously. He leans hard into his persona, but he somehow made it work. Oh, and did we mention he was raised Jewish? That makes this album an odd production but an interesting one nonetheless.

Shatner was 35 years old when he landed the role of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek" in 1966. He talked about the strange set, the tight-fitting costumes, and the weird dialogue to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The sci-fi series that earned a cult following years later lasted just three years on air and was marginally successful. In the early 1970s, after the show was canceled, Shatner lived in a truck outside of Los Angeles for a while, so he was effectively homeless. The actor didn't have any money due to "life's circumstances," and one way to save money to support his three children was to forgo a traditional living arrangement.

"I did, indeed, live in a truck after "Star Trek", the star admitted. His family, meanwhile, was living in Beverly Hills at the time. Shatner told Metro that he had recently gotten divorced and was "totally broke." He worked on some jobs on the east coast but was not able to afford a hotel. He outfitted his pickup truck with a stove and toilet, and he would drive himself to work. He also had a dog who served as his faithful companion.

William Shatner loves horses and is an accomplished equestrian. He has been involved in the Saddlebred and Quarter horse industries for many years and has bred, owned, and shown a variety of horses, according to Horsey Hooves. The star has won several awards at the Kentucky State Fair World Championship Horse Show and was inducted into the World Championship Horse Show Hall of Fame in 2016. As recently as 2019, Shatner and his Standardbred road horse Track Star won the Amateur Roadster to Bike Championship.

Shatner has received ribbons in the three-gaited, five-gaited, and western pleasure classes and earned the 2018 NRHA (National Reining Horse Association) Dale Wilkinson Lifetime Achievement Award in reining. The Saddle & Bridle ASB Shatner Western Pleasure Finals were named after the actor, and the Shatner Western Pleasure Finals are held every year in St. Louis, Missouri. The national finalist at this show wins the William Shatner Perpetual Trophy. In 1990, Shatner and his then-wife Elizabeth Martin founded the annual Hollywood Charity Horse Show. Shatner also wrote a book about horses in 2017. "For most people — perhaps all? — wherever they love to be, that place is a cathedral to them ... For me, it's a stable," Shatner has said of his love of horses.

It's hard to imagine anyone else playing Captain Kirk, but William Shatner was not the sci-fi show creator's first pick for the role. The pilot episode of "Star Trek," dubbed "The Cage," starred an actor named Jeffrey Hunter playing Captain Christopher Pike. The pilot was rejected by network execs, so creator Gene Roddenberry retooled it, according to MeTV. What was wrong with Hunter? Shatner wrote in his memoir, "Star Trek Memories," that Hunter was replaced because his wife constantly interfered and interjected about camera angles. In addition, NBC wanted major changes to the show's characters and cast.

Roddenberry decided to make Captain James Kirk the lead character instead of Captain Pike. In addition, three scripts were written with more focus on action scenes: "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "The Omega Glory," and "Mudd's Women." The creator's first pick to play Kirk was Jack Lord, who had an impressive acting resume. However, Lord wanted to produce as well as act, and he wanted a cut of the profits. Execs decided to go with their second choice for Kirk: Shatner. The actor happened to be a lot less expensive than their first choice, so that likely helped in their decision-making process.

In 2006, William Shatner donated a very personal item to raise money for charity. The actor sold a kidney stone for $25,000, according to the Chicago Tribune. Kidney stones are hard deposits that form inside the kidneys. They can be difficult to pass, and they can get stuck in the urinary tract, which can be quite painful, according to the Mayo Clinic. Yet, Shatner had no problem selling one that he passed in 2005 to the online casino GoldenPalace.com. He joked, "This takes organ donors to a new height, to a new low, maybe. How much is a piece of me worth?"

It wasn't entirely out of left field, however, as GoldenPalace.com was known for collecting strange and unusual items, such as a cheese sandwich that looked like the Virgin Mary. The casino initially offered Shatner $15,000 for the kidney stone, but the star got the company to increase the cost by $10,000 after telling them that some of his "Star Trek" costumes sold for over $100,000. The money from the sale went to Habitat for Humanity.

"Star Trek" celebrated its 55th anniversary in 2021, and friendship has been one of the series' underlying themes over the years. When the original series debuted in 1966, William Shatner and his costar Leonard Nimoy bonded and had a friendship that lasted nearly five decades. Shatner once told the New York Post that Nimoy was his dearest friend, whom he loved very much. "I loved Leonard as my dearest brother," he explained, noting that when Nimoy died in 2015 at age 83 it was as though a piece of him died as well. But like most friendships, it had its ups and downs. For example, Shatner did not attend Nimoy's funeral, although he claimed it was because he had committed to a charity event.

The pair were also at odds towards the end of Nimoy's life. Shatner revealed in one of his books that the rift may have occurred because he included his friend in a documentary about "Star Trek" even though he didn't have Nimoy's permission to do so. Still, Shatner was confused by Nimoy's decision to stop talking to him and was saddened by it. Shatner has rubbed other people the wrong way over his career. Former "Star Trek" star George Takei has called Shatner self-centered, but Shatner shrugged it off, calling Takei's attitude "a sickness."

Of all the items that keep William Shatner's name in the news, it seems a safe bet that his unhappy relationship with George Takei isn't his favorite. While Shatner has characterized the feud as a sick and one-sided obsession, Takei has maintained for decades that Shatner is an unpleasant egotist who alienated his co-stars. And indeed, it isn't only Takei who's had harsh words for Shatner publicly and privately.

Takei named James Doohan as one actor who'd complained about Shatner. Doohan himself told The Boston Globe, "I like Captain Kirk, but I sure don't like Bill." Unlike Takei, Doohan and Shatner may have reconciled before the former's death. At a 2004 tribute for Doohan, who was then suffering from Alzheimer's disease, the two men were said to exchange hugs and apologies backstage. They were joined by the rest of the surviving "Star Trek" cast for photos. But Shatner chose not to join Doohan and the others onstage, something Takei criticized him for.

Another "Star Trek" alum to express frustrations with Shatner is Walter Koenig. His comments have been more muted than Takei's or Doohan's. But in an interview with the Archive of American Television, he said Shatner was fun and civil but distant from everyone besides Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley. Elsewhere (via an interview with TrekMovie.com), Koenig described Shatner as committing social misdemeanors, but not felonies. "We don't have closure," he said, adding that he wasn't badly affected by Shatner either.