Happy 80th Birthday William Shatner

William Alan Shatner was born on March 22 1931 in Côte Saint-Luc, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. While attending school he also attended the Montreal Children’s Theatre before going to McGill University in Montreal. He trained as a Shakespearean actor and performed at the Stratford Festival in Canada. His first film role was in "The Butler’s Night Off" in 1951. His first feature role didn’t come until 1958's "The Brothers Karamazov" with Yul Brynner. For most of the ‘50s Shatner appeared in many television series as a guest star. He also continued to appear on stage in such plays as "A Shot in the Dark" (1961) with Julie Harris. His motto during the ‘60s was "Work equals work" and he appeared in almost every role offered to him in films, stage and TV. In 1966 he was offered the role of Captain Kirk on the TV series "Startrek" replacing Jefferey Hunter who starred in the pilot. After "Stratrek" was cancelled in 1969, Bill found it difficult to get work. He returned to taking small parts and appearing in ‘B’ films, evening appearing in Canadian TV commercials. Eventually "Startrek" became a cult classic and Shatner a cult hero. He reprised his role as Kirk and appeared in six "Startrek" films. Further fame came when he starred in the successful TV series "T.J. Hooker" (1982-1986). He’s continued to work and again gained fame with his Emmy winning performance as Danny Crane in "The Practice" (2004) television series. In 2005 he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy as Best Supporting Actor for his work in the TV series "Boston Legal". In 2009 he was awarded the prestigious Canadian ‘Governor General’s Performing Arts Award’ for lifetime achievement. Shatner appeared in one Euro-western as twin brothers Johhny Moon and Notah in "White Comanche" (1968). Today we celebrate William Shatner’s 80^th birthday.