Fun facts about the life of William Shatner

William Shatner is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the landmark science fiction television program Star Trek. Star Trek was immensely successful and became a staple in pop culture, spawning many spin-off series, books, video games and other media, along with a notoriously fanatic fanbase.

However, there are some fun facts about William Shatner that you probably didn’t know.

He can speak both English and French

Since Shatner was born in Montreal, Quebec, he was raised speaking both French and English, as many Canadians do. However, in his Hollywood career, he naturally ended up needing to use French less often.

He loves horses

Shatner has had many different hobbies across the decades, but the one that he loves most has to be raising and showing horses. He loves horse riding as well as playing tennis when he has some free time.

He has a unique singing style

Shatner has produced a fair few songs over the years, with many of the covers of other famous songs in his signature ‘spoken word’ style. Many critics say he seems to be reading the lyrics rather than actually signing them. Listen for yourself and judge it.

He has been married 4 times

Shatner has had 4 wives in his life. His third wife tragically drowned in the pool at their California home.

He has done a lot of charity work

Shatner has used his fame to do a lot of meaningful charity work, raising millions of dollars for various children’s charities.

He has a style of acting name after him

Because of Shatner’s unique style of method acting, he was used in coining the term ‘Shatnerian’.

He was a hero both on and off the screen

During the filming of Star Trek III, Shatner famously raced to fight a fire on set with a hose.