History Creator / WilliamShatner

In 2010, there was a movement about to have him appointed the next Governor-General of {{Canada|Eh}}. For those who don't know, the Governor-General is the Queen's representative in Ottawa, and one of his/her most important jobs is to deliver the "Throne Speech," which is a speech outlining the government's intended plans for the next year. It'd be worth it just to hear him read it. Alas, the government chose a far more appropriate candidate, but no doubt someone may bring this up again in the future, when it comes time to select a new viceroy.

As if his broad over-acting weren't enough, Shatner also saw fit to record an album of spoken-word readings of poetry and pop-song lyrics called ''The Transformed Man'' that has to be heard to be believed. His renditions of [[Music/BobDylan "Mr. Tambourine Man"]] and [[Music/TheBeatles "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"]] are particularly legendary and inspired the ''Golden Throats'' compilations of bad celebrity music recordings. An equally [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lul-Y8vSr0I jaw-dropping video rendition]] of [[Music/EltonJohn "Rocket Man"]] became a favorite bit of nonsense that was re-created years later by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ1JmKW08vI Chris Elliott]] on ''[[Series/LateNight Late Night With David Letterman]]'' and Stewie on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. Lesser-known is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBWOmHUvKBw his cover of Harry Chapin's "Taxi"]] on ''[[Creator/DinahShore The Dinah Shore Show]]'' circa 1973 (and yes, that's a timecode).

[[caption-width-right:250:[[SayMyName Remember my name, you'll be screaming it later...]]]]

* YourCostumeNeedsWork: According to ''Get a Life!'', he was once told that his Captain Kirk was inferior to that of Kevin Pollack. By his daughter. The next time he saw Pollack, he got some tips from him.

* BrokeTheRatingScale: A [[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/oct/01/popandrock.shopping1 review]] of Shatner's 2004 spoken-word album ''Has Been'' by Pascal Wyse of ''[[UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers The Guardian]]'' landed in this trope's "Impossible to Rate" category. Instead of using the paper's normal 1- to 5-star scale, Wyse called it "[[JustForPun beyond the star system]]".

* ''Literature/AliensAteMyHomework'' (2018) as Phil the Plant (voice)

!!{{Trope}}s Applying to William Shatner:

* DodgyToupee: It's well known that Shatner wears a hair piece, although he is reluctant to outright admit it, and part of the fun of watching his performances is to try and catch the underlying weave or the tell-tale lifting of the sides.

* FlippingTheBird: Proof Bill is [[https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152228382904163&set=a.36139779162.46701.525044162&type=1&theater full of awesome.]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Depending on who you ask, Shatner was either a prima donna who made intense rivalries with other actors, or a dedicated and loyal cast member who stood up for less well known actors when the network tried to push them around. He was probably ''both'': on multiple occasions when fellow cast members directly confronted him with how inconsiderate he'd been to them, he was [[HisOwnWorstEnemy genuinely hurt and remorseful]].
* {{Kayfabe}}: On his Twitter feed, Shatner routinely talks to NASA and [[http://www.esa.int ESA (European Space Agency).]] Not only do they share information on what missions they are conducting, they address him as "Captain".

* OfCorsetsFunny: His infamous girdle. Which he may or may not have worn.
* OlderThanTheyLook: He looks much younger than being in his ''nineties''. Really he's somewhat been like this most of his life, he was already in his mid thirties when he was first cast as Captain Kirk, and in his fifties through his sixties for most of the Star Trek movies but always looked a few years to eventually a decade or so younger. Though the hair piece probably helped significantly.

* SelfDeprecation: He's well-aware of his joked-about status, and very good-natured about it.

* YouSayTomato: The way he pronounces ''sabotage'' as "sabataage". This is not an uncommon speech pattern in Canada, where the short "a" (not to be confused with "eh") sound often appears where American accents use the broad "a" sound. For example, "pasta" may be pronounced "passed-a." Also, every time Kirk says "Nazi" in "Patterns of Force."

William Shatner [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever OC]] (born March 22, 1931 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian[[note]]although he has lived and worked in the US since TheFifties -- moving to New York City in 1954 -- he has never sought American citizenship[[/note]] actor and one of the [[NarmCharm most charming]] [[LargeHam largest hams]] of all time. Most well-known for his portrayal of [[Characters/StarTrekTheOriginalSeriesJamesTiberiusKirk Captain James T. Kirk]] in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', he has offered an assortment of [[ChewingTheScenery impossibly intense, emotive performances]], [[PunctuatedForEmphasis often...including! oddly-placed...emphasis and...pauses!]] His recitation of the Preamble to the US Constitution in the episode [[Recap/StarTrekS2E23TheOmegaGlory "The Omega Glory"]] is legendary: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b56e0u0EgQ "WEEEEE . . . the PEEEE-ple!"]]

As if his broad over-acting weren't enough, he also saw fit to record an album of spoken-word readings of poetry and pop-song lyrics called ''The Transformed Man'' that has to be heard to be believed. His renditions of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" are particularly legendary and inspired the ''Golden Throats'' compilations of bad celebrity music recordings. An equally [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lul-Y8vSr0I jaw-dropping video rendition]] of "[[Music/EltonJohn Rocket Man]]" became a favorite bit of nonsense that was re-created years later by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ1JmKW08vI Chris Elliott]] on ''[[Series/LateNight Late Night With David Letterman]]'' and Stewie on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. Lesser-known is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBWOmHUvKBw his cover of Harry Chapin's "Taxi"]] on ''[[Creator/DinahShore The Dinah Shore Show]]'' circa 1973 (and yes, that's a timecode).

In the late [[TurnOfTheMillennium 2000s]], Creator/ConanOBrien picked up the gag: "To read the speeches of UsefulNotes/SarahPalin in the style they were meant to be performed, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1pH5DGmDYY beat poetry]], please welcome Emmy-award winner and master thespian William Shatner." Shatner also read some of Levi Johnston's writings... and once, Palin went on ''Series/TheTonightShow'' to strike back, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM-mgBvCJmo reading from Shatner's autobiography.]]

An ego the size of his native UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} also did not help [[ThePrimaDonna his reputation]] among his co-stars. Details vary, but he has said that he was unaware of how arrogant he was on set. Creator/LeonardNimoy helped him understand that just being nice to them personally doesn't mean that they respected him trying to take away what little screen time they had, and most of the other cast have in the past expressed dissatisfaction with what Creator/WalterKoenig referred to as "them and us," "them" being Shatner, Nimoy, and Creator/DeForestKelley, "us" being Koenig, Creator/GeorgeTakei, Creator/NichelleNichols, and Creator/JamesDoohan. Shatner's most famous spat was with Doohan, who was one of the most distinguished character actors before his role on ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}''; Doohan once famously said "I like Captain Kirk, but I sure don't like Bill." He outright refused an interview with Shatner during the writing of ''Star Trek Memories'', but showing genuine regret for alienating the cast allowed the two to reconcile before Doohan was incapacitated by Alzheimer's Disease. ''Memories'' also allowed Shatner to settle affairs with Nichols, with Nichols shocking him by telling him "[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech how much I despise you]]," though after his willingness to listen to her critiques and offering his apologies, they reconciled and remained friends. He similarly mended fences with Takei, but apparently their relationship soured again when Shatner [[SnubByOmission did not receive an invitation]] to Takei's wedding (Takei [[PoorCommunicationKills insists that he sent an invitation]] to Shatner).

In more recent years, Shatner has developed a sense of humor, [[AdamWesting mostly about himself]], and becoming a new model of SelfDeprecation. This has included playing a ludicrous version of himself in the film ''Film/FreeEnterprise'' and parodying his "musical" stylings in a series of commercials and a new, well-received recording with Music/BenFolds (''Has Been''). He also appears in the videos for the Brad Paisley songs "Online" ("What? I can't sing?") and "Celebrity" ("I liked the end of the song. No, the end, [[BackhandedCompliment when you stopped singing]]. I liked that part").

Not to mention his famed "Get a Life" sketch on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', wherein he berated ''Trek'' fans for [[BasementDweller living in their parents' basement]]; this later became the title of his 1999 autobiography, in which he self-deprecatingly admits he didn't give ''Trek'' fans enough credit. He has since been known to show up at conventions in Klingon guise, confirming that, decades later, he is finally JustForFun/OneOfUs. Since then, he's joined {{Website/Reddit}} (username "williamshatner"), where he refuses to be treated as a celebrity.

* AdamWesting: Both regarding his role as Kirk and his singing career.

* MoneyDearBoy: The decade between the end of the original ''Star Trek'' series and the beginning of the film franchise saw him grab any work he could find. He did MadeForTVMovie roles, guest shots on TV shows, B-movies for the likes of Creator/RogerCorman, low-budget made-in-Canada features, and the notorious ''Impulse'', a cheesy [[Creator/AlfredHitchcock Hitchcock-wannabe]] tale with him as a [[TheBluebeard Bluebeard]], shot in 15 days in and around Tampa, Florida.

* ''Series/AlfredHitchcockPresents'' (1957, 1960) as John Crane and Jim Whitely (2 episodes)
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' (1960, 1963) as Bob Wilson and Don Carter (2 episodes)
* ''Series/BurkesLaw'' (1964) as Arthur Reynolds (1 episode)
* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963'' (1964) as Brig. Gen. Jeff Barton (1 episode)
* ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'' (1964) as Michael Donfield (1 episode)
* ''Series/TheFugitive'' (1965) as Tony Burrell (1 episode)
* ''Series/TheBigValley'' (1966) as Brent (1 episode)
* ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'' (1966) as Fred Bateman (1 episode)
* ''Series/Ironside1967'' (1970, 1971, 1974) as Marty Jessup, Don Brand and Bill Parkins (4 episodes)
* ''Series/TheFBI'' (1970) as Arthur Majors (1 episode)
* ''Series/CadesCounty'' (1971) as Jack Pilgrim (1 episode)
* ''Series/MissionImpossible'' (1971, 1972) as Joe Conrad and Tommy Kroll (2 episodes)
* ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'' (1972) as Sam Tolliver (1 episode)
* ''Series/BarnabyJones'' (1973) as Philip Carlisle (1 episode)
* ''Series/{{Mannix}}'' (1973) as Adam Langer (1 episode)
* ''Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan'' (1974) as Josh Lang (1 episode)
* ''Series/KungFu1972'' (1974) as Captain Brandywine Gage (1 episode)
* ''Series/PoliceStory1973'' (1974) as Sgt. Bill Keitlinger (1 episode)
* ''Series/{{Petrocelli}}'' (1974) as Adam North (1 episode)
* ''Series/PoliceWoman'' (1974) as Mark Ciprio (1 episode)
* ''Series/TheRookies'' (1975) as Luke Harris (1 episode)
* ''Series/BarbaryCoast'' (1975-1976) as Jeff Cable
* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' (1976, 1994) as Ward Fowler and Fielding Chase (2 episodes)

* ''How The West Was Won'' (1978) as Captain Harrison
* ''Series/TJHooker'' (1982-1986) as TJ Hooker
* ''Series/Rescue911'' (1989-1996) as the host
* ''Series/TheLarrySandersShow'' (1992) [[AsHimself as himself]] (1 episode)
* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' (1996) [[AsHimself as himself]] (1 episode)

* ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' (1999-2000) as The Big Giant Head
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' (2002) [[AsHimself as himself]] (1 episode)
* ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast'' (2003) [[AsHimself as himself]] (1 episode)
* ''Series/ThePractice'' (2004) as Denny Crane
** ''Series/BostonLegal'' (2004-2008) as Denny Crane

* ''Series/WeirdOrWhat'' (2010-2012) as the host
* ''Series/ShitMyDadSays'' (2010-2011) as Dr Ed Milford-Goodsen
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'' (2011, 2012) as Frank O'Hara (2 episodes)
* ''Series/RookieBlue'' (2013) as Henry [=McLeod=] (1 episode)
* ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' (2015) as Creator/MarkTwain (1 episode)
* ''Series/{{Haven}}'' (2015) as Croatoan (4 episodes)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheClangers'' (2015-present) as the Narrator (US English dub)
* ''Better Late Than Never'' (2016-2018) [[AsHimself as himself]]
* ''Series/TheIndianDetective'' (2017) as David Marlowe (4 episodes)
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' (2017) as Grand Pear (1 episode)
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' (2019) [[AsHimself as himself]] (1 episode)

* ''The {{UnXplained}}'' (2019-) as the host

* ''The UnXplained'' (2019-) as the host