William Shatner Movies
For an actor almost universally associated with a single character -- Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise -- William Shatner has found diverse ways to stay active in the public eye, even spoofing his overblown acting style in a way far more hip than desperate. Years after he last uttered "warp speed," Shatner remains a well-known face beyond Star Trek conventions, re-creating himself as the spoken-word pitchman for priceline.com, and starring in a popular series of smoky nightclub ads that featured some of the most cutting-edge musicians of the day.The Canadian native was born on March 22, 1931, in Montréal, where he grew up and attended Verdun High School. Shatner studied commerce at McGill University before getting the acting bug, which eventually prompted him to move to New York in 1956. He initially worked in such live television dramatic shows as Studio One and The United States Steel Hour in 1957 and 1958, as well as on Broadway. His big screen debut soon followed as Alexei in the 1958 version of Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.
Throughout the 1960s, Shatner worked mostly in television. His most memorable appearance came in a 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone entitled "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," in which he plays a terrified airline passenger unable to convince the crew that there's a mysterious gremlin tearing apart the wing. He also appeared in such films as Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) and the bizarrely experimental Esperanto-language horror film Incubus (1963). In 1966, he got his big break, though neither he nor anyone else knew it at the time. Shatner was cast as the macho starship captain James Kirk on Star Trek, commanding a crew that included an acerbic doctor, a Scottish engineer, and a logician with pointy ears, on a mission "to boldly go where no man has gone before." However, the show lasted only three seasons, considered by many to be high camp. After providing a voice on the even shorter-lived animated series in 1973, Shatner must have thought Star Trek too would pass. A costly divorce and a lingering diva reputation from Star Trek left him with few prospects or allies, forcing him to take whatever work came his way.
But in 1979, after a decade of B-movie labor in such films as The Kingdom of Spiders (1977) and a second failed series (Barbary Coast, 1975-1976), Shatner re-upped for another attempt to capitalize on the science fiction series with Star Trek: The Motion Picture. This time it caught on, though the first film was considered a costly disappointment. With dogged determination, the producers continued onward with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), at which point fans finally flocked to the series, rallying behind the film's crisp space battles and the melodramatic tête-à-tête between Shatner and Ricardo Montalban.
Shatner had to wrestle with his advancing age and the deaths of several characters in Star Trek II and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), but by Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), the actor got to indulge in his more whimsical side, which has since characterized his career. As the series shifted toward comedy, Shatner led the way, even serving as director of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), which many considered among the series' weaker entries. During this period, Shatner also began parodying himself in earnest, appearing as host of Saturday Night Live in a famous sketch in which he tells a group of Trekkies to "Get a life." He also turned in a wickedly energetic mockery of a moon base captain in Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). Shatner made one final appearance with the regular Star Trek cast in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), then served as one of the crossovers to the new series of films in Star Trek: Generations (1994), in which endlessly theorizing fans finally learned the fate of Captain Kirk.
The success of the Trek movies reenergized Shatner's TV career, even if it didn't immediately earn him more film roles. Shatner played the title role on the successful police drama T.J. Hooker from 1982 to 1987, directing some episodes, then began hosting the medical reality series Rescue 911 in 1989. Shatner returned to the movies with another parody, Loaded Weapon I, in 1993, and in 1994 began directing, executive producing, and acting in episodes of the syndicated TV show TekWar, based on the popular series of Trek-like novels he authored.
In the later '90s, Shatner was best known for his humorously out-there priceline.com ads, but also guested on a variety of TV shows, most notably as the "Big Giant Head" on the lowbrow farce Third Rock From the Sun. He also appeared as game show hosts both in film (Miss Congeniality, 2000) and real life (50th Annual Miss America Pageant, 2001). In 1999, Shatner suffered public personal tragedy when his third wife, Nerine, accidentally drowned in their swimming pool. The champion horse breeder and tennis enthusiast owns a ranch in Kentucky and remains active in environmental causes. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Amy Prentiss: Baptism of Fire stars Jessica Walter in the title role. Mrs. Prentiss is the new chief of detectives in a big, tough city. As if she doesn't have enough trouble battling the resentment of her male subordinates, Amy is stuck with two delicate dilemmas during her first week on the job. A mad bomber has the city in his maniacal grip, and an old friend of Amy's has been accused of murder. William Shatner and Peter Haskell guest star in this 2-hour premiere episode of the Amy Prentiss TV series; it was originally telecast December 1, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Chief of detectives Amy Prentiss (Jessica Walter) tries to get to the bottom of a seemingly open-and-shut murder case. An alcoholic (Don Murray) behaves horribly at a party, then passes out. He awakens the next morning to find an unidentified dead girl in his apartment. Homicide detective Andrew Prine is convinced that the drunk is the killer, but Mrs. Prentiss is unsatisfied with this instant deduction. Originally telecast December 22, 1974, the 2-hour The Desperate World of Jane Doe was the second installment in the Amy Prentiss TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
The made-for-TV Barbary Coast is a tongue-in-cheek western in the Maverick tradition, produced by a former writer-director of that series, Douglas Heyes. Dennis Cole plays Cash Conover, a San Francisco saloonkeeper of the 1870s. William Shatner co-stars as Jeff Cable, an undercover policeman who works hand in glove with Conover to fight crime on the Coast. Conover and Cable team up with the lovely Cleo (Lynda Day George) to tackle a vicious mob, headed by one Diamond Jack Bannister (Michael Ansara). Throwing a bit of Wild Wild West into the stew, Cable pops up from time to time wearing disguises and sporting outrageous accents. First telecast May 4, 1975, Barbary Coast was the pilot for the short-lived TV series of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Impulse, is a tawdry, low-budget exploitation film about a maniacal murderer possessed by evil demons. Matt Stone (William Shatner) is a paranoid, con-man and gigolo who seduces lonely women and then bilks them of their savings using an investment scam. Then he kills them. When he begins seeing an attractive widow, her daughter Tina (Kim Nicholas) becomes suspicious of his motives. Then Tina herself is in danger. Impulse, directed by William Grefe, is the absolute nadir of Shatner's acting career and consequently has become a camp, cult classic and a must see for fans of Shatner. All others beware. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- 1974
The two-hour final episode of Ironside's seventh season serves as the pilot film for the spinoff cop series Amy Prentiss. Jessica Walter plays the title character, a hardworking San Francisco police woman who aspires to the position of Chief of Police. Though up against a lot of resistance from the all-male establishment, Amy has a staunch supporter in the form of former chief Robert Ironside (Raymond Burr. Originally telecast as a single extended episode, "Amy Prentiss: AKA The Chief has been divided into a brace of one-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In the conclusion of Ironside's two-part Season Seven finale (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), new San Francisco police chief Amy Prentiss (Jessica Walter) runs up against a wall of hostility and resistance from the town's all-male establishment. Fortunately, Amy can count former chief Ironside (Raymond Burr) and his team among her supporters. But even Ironside may not be able to help Chief Prentiss as she is assigned a "make-or-break" murder case. This episode served as the pilot for the spinoff series Amy Prentiss, with supporting player Art Metrano retained in the series proper as Amy's aide Tom Pena. Johnny Seven, here seen in his standard Ironside role as Lt. Carl Reese, would join the Amy Prentiss cast as Detective Contreras, while the role of Joan, here played by Joan Pringle, would be taken over by Gwen Mitchell (Pringle would be compensated with a recurring Ironside role as the new wife of Chief Ironside's former bodyguard Mark Sanger [Don Mitchell]). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In this made-for-television drama, a trio of advertising executives take a motorcycle trip across the desert and end up in a life-threatening situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
District Attorney Sam Belden (William Shatner) is accused of murdering his wife and lover. Belden claims it was impossible, because he was 150 miles from the murder scene and he can prove it. It is up to prosecutor Bob Mathews (George Grizzard) to blow holes into Belden's alibi -- a difficult and painful assignment, since Mathews is Belden's best friend. Myrna Loy makes a rare TV appearance as the judge in the case. Indict and Convict made its ABC "Movie of the Week" premiere on January 6, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Angie Dickinson essays the title role in Big Bad Mama. This Depression-era crime caper casts the future star of Police Woman as sexy Ma Barker type Wilma McClatchie, who forces her nubile daughters (Susan Sennett, Robbie Lee) into participating in a robbery/kidnapping/murder spree. Wilma seems to be as motivated by the erotic thrill of lawbreaking as she is by the financial gains. She evens hops in the sack with her daughters, as does her common-law husband, played by William Shatner. A sequel appeared in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angie Dickinson, William Shatner, (more)
- 1973
Though set in Wyoming, Pioneer Women was lensed in the unspoiled wilderness of Alberta, Canada. Joanna Pettet plays the title role, one of many Wyoming homesteaders of the post-Civil War era. Joanna endures the death of her husband (William Shatner), then must decide whether or not to make a go of her new home with only the help of her children. The supporting cast is dotted with past and future TV series stars: The Fugitive's David Janssen, Werewolf's Lance LeGault, and Mad About You's Helen Hunt, here cast as Pettet's 10-year-old daughter. Made for television, Pioneer Woman first aired December 19, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joanna Pettet, William Shatner, (more)
- 1973
"Alice" was the pseudonymous name of the teenaged author who wrote the book upon which this above-average TV movie was based. Jamie Smith-Jackson portrays a shy, slightly overweight high schooler who is so anxious for acceptance that she falls in with the drug crowd. In a methodical, almost casual matter, we see how Alice descends into a nether world of pushers, pimps and prostitution. Perhaps to make the point that this could be the story of any impressionable youth, few of the characters are identified by name: Julie Adams plays "The Mother," William Shatner "The Professor," Andy Griffith "The Priest," and so on. Filmed in a cinema-verite fashion, Go Ask Alice makes excellent use of relatively unfamiliar Los Angeles locations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
This oft-filmed Conan Doyle story is given the TV-quickie treatment, with Stewart Granger as master sleuth Sherlock Holmes. The Great Detective is engaged to protect the life of Henry Baskerville, a young man whose life has been put in jeopardy, ostensibly by an ancient family curse. Holmes sends his assistant Dr. Watson (Bernard Fox) to investigate at Baskerville Hall, a desolate estate surrounded by the forbidding Grimpen Mire. Though Watson doesn't know it, Holmes has come to the Mire in disguise, to burrow through the case undetected. Working together, Holmes and Watson discover that a distant Baskerville relative plans to use a giant hound to kill young Henry and claim the estate for himself. If not the weakest film version of this classic suspense tale, Hound of the Baskervilles is certainly the shoddiest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
Featuring a smorgasbord of has-beens and never-weres only a Love Boat casting director could love, this silly '70s movie-of-the-week involves a demonically-possessed Druid artifact from an English monastery coming to supernatural life aboard a transatlantic airline flight, taking control of one of the passengers, and causing lots of made-for-TV mayhem. Panicked personnel include William Shatner as a besotted former priest, Buddy Ebsen as a boisterous tycoon and Chuck Connors as the gung-ho pilot. Even Gilligan's Island alum Russell Johnson is along for the ride. Shatner's performance falls a bit short of his eye-popping histrionics as another terrorized air traveler on an episode of The Twilight Zone. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1972
This TV movie was the pilot for a series that would have been titled The Prosecutors...had it sold. David Canary and Robert Pine play two green law school graduates, sent to work at the Department of Justice's office in Manhattan. The standard-issue "gruff but lovable" father figure is US attorney James Olson (who would have been the star of the subsequent series). The first case-load: Getting the goods on a mafia boss, while simultaneously exposing City Hall corruption and tracking down a narcotics operation. Richard Castellano, late of The Godfather, shows up as a minor mafioso. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
The IMF has only 72 hours to intercept a huge shipment of cocaine, which is being delivered to supplier Carl Reid (Stephen McNally) by smuggler Fernando Lorca (Gregory Sierra). In order to undermine the main villains, agents Phelps and Willy prey upon the gullibility of Reid's second-in-command, Joe Conrad (William Shatner, in the second of his Mission: Impossible guest appearances). The gimmick: a "miraculous" new computerized machine which purportedly manufactures synthetic cocaine. Barbara Anderson again appears as IMF operative Mimi Davis, subbing for series regular Lynda Day George. Scripted by Harold Livingston from a story by Livingston and Norman Katkov, "Cocaine" was first broadcast on October 21, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1971
Writer Zenna Henderson's science-fiction stories were the basis for this made-for-TV movie. A young teacher goes to a remote area to work with secluded and backwards inhabitants. She accidentally discovers, though, that the residents are actually aliens with psychic-powers who escaped their own now-destroyed planet and are hiding here on Earth, hoping to blend in. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Pattern of Morality is the syndicated title of the made-for-TV Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law. Arthur Hill stars as Owen Marshall, a crusading attorney, who defends hippie Bruce Davidson, accused of murdering a wealthy housewife. Though all characters and names are fictitious, the film was clearly inspired by the Tate-LaBianca killings of 1969. The supporting cast includes Joseph Campanella as the husband of the murdered woman, William Shatner as the DA, and Dana Wynter as the judge. First telecast September 12, 1971, Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law served as a preview for the series of the same name, which premiered on September 16 and ran until August 24, 1974. Carried over the pilot film were Arthur Hill as Marshall and future producer/director Joan Darling as Marshall's secretary Frieda Krause. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
William Shatner guest stars as Don Brand, a hard-nosed parole officer with an obsessive hatred of drug pushers. When Brand's life is threatened, he insists that a paroled dope dealer is responsible--even though he has many, many other enemies. Ironside (Raymond Burr), however, suspects that Brand is his own worst enemy, and that he may be using phony death threats to railroad an ex-con back into prison. This final episode of Ironside's fourth season also marks the last appearance of series regular Barbara Anderson (Eve Whitfield). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
In this courtroom drama, an attorney investigates the murder of a woman and comes up with some very interesting findings. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
William Shatner delivers a bravura performance as septugenarian hoodlum Thomas Kroll. In order to solve a 34-year-old mob murder for which Kroll was responsible, the IMF has to stage a meticulous re-enactment of the crime. The easy part is constructing a realistic replica of a 1937 Chicago neighborhood (actually the familiar Paramount Pictures backlot); the hard part is convincing Kroll that he is nearly four decades younger! Stephen Elliot makes his final Mission: Impossible appearance as IMF agent Dr. Dougl Lane, here posing as Kroll's victim. First telecast September 25, 1971, "Encore" was written by Harold Livingston. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Greg Morris, (more)
- 1970
The only witness to a woman's murder is the victim's son, 13-year-old Jerry Jessup (Mitch Vogel). Unfortunately, Jerry refuses to cooperate with the investigation spearheaded by Ironside (Raymond Burr), holding the Chief responsible for the arrest of his bank-robber father Marty (William Shatner). Ironside's only hope of finding the woman's murderer is to arrange for Marty Jessup to get a temporary pass from prison--and then hope against hope that Jessup won't use the opportunity to escape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
The Glory Shouter is played by William Shatner. A fire-and-brimstone televangelist, Shatner is plagued by gremlins from within his organization who are tapping his till. Dan Farrell (Robert Stack), editor of Crime magazine, investigates, only to deduce that Shatner himself may be siphoning from his flock's donations. Dina Merrill and Don Scardino, respectively, play Shatner's wife and son, while Howard Duff and Jackie Coogan appear in supporting roles. The Glory Shouter was the December 18, 1970 episode of the TV weekly Name of the Game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
