Happy Birthday: William Shatner

William Shatner

Born: March 22, 1931 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Married to: Elizabeth Shatner (13 February 2001 – present)
Nerine Kidd (15 November 1997 – 9 August 1999) (her death)
Marcy Lafferty (20 October 1973 – 11 December 1996) (divorced)
Gloria Rand (12 August 1956 – 4 March 1969) (divorced) (3 children)

On his most memorable money mistake: When I was a young actor at Canada’s Stratford Festival, one of the older actors told me that Canadian uranium is the future and you must buy into it. So I bought it on Thursday with the entire $500 I had saved. The following day, the Canadian prime minister said the country would no longer buy uranium. I was wiped out. It actually hurt my performance on stage. Since then, I’ve led a very conservative financial life.

I’m not going to have a tombstone. I’m going to be tossed in the air. Ashes, tossed like a salad.

[on the popularity of Star Trek (1966)] It has action-adventure, with lots of fights and villains, so the kids like it. On another level, we deal with a philosophical concept – that what’s alien isn’t necessarily evil – so we reach their parents. Many of our episodes deal with scientific concepts, so our program entertains the technicians and space scientists. And with the hippies, we have a far-out show. They think we’re psychedelic.

[on the pyrotechnic opening to the 2012 Juno Awards] Sure there were flames, but if the drummer survived, what’s the point?

[on the death of Leonard Nimoy] I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent and his capacity to love.

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