William Shatner Net Worth (Money & Salary)

Find out what the net worth of William Shatner, the multitalented Canadian personality, amounts to. With a net worth of $100 million, William Shatner has established himself as a renowned actor, author, producer, director, screenwriter, and singer. His most famous role is that of Captain James T. Kirk in the iconic “Star Trek” series. Additionally, Shatner has played leading characters in successful shows such as “T.J. Hooker,” “The Practice,” as well as “Boston Legal.” Notably, in May 1983, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and similarly, he has a place on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Shatner’s acting journey started in the 1950s, with performances in various theatrical productions and TV series in Canada. In the 1960s, he achieved global recognition with his portrayal of the leading role in “Star Trek: The Original Series,” which aired from 1966 to 1969. The innovative and daring portrayal of a starship captain not only garnered him a devoted fan base but also solidified his position as a science fiction icon. Post his time on “Star Trek,” Shatner continued his victorious television career, prominently starring as the title character in the legal drama “T.J. Hooker” (1982-1986) and hosting the widely popular reality show “Rescue 911” (1989-1996). He reprised his role as Captain Kirk in seven “Star Trek” movies between 1979 and 1994.

Besides his acting prowess, Shatner has authored numerous books, ranging from memoirs to science fiction novels. He has also released multiple spoken-word albums and featured on Broadway. In the early 2000s, Shatner gained more prominence for his comedic performances, notably winning an Emmy for his portrayal of eccentric lawyer Denny Crane on the show “Boston Legal” (2004-2008).

William Shatner regularly attends numerous conventions each year. For each convention appearance, he charges $10,000 for travel expenses plus an additional $10,000 per hour, with a minimum commitment of five hours.

There’s a long-standing misconception that William Shatner earned $600 million from being the face of Priceline.com. However, this is untrue.

In 1997, Shatner signed on as the “Priceline Negotiator” for a series of commercials for the emerging dotcom travel firm. During this period, the internet bubble was rapidly expanding, leading to astronomical stock market valuations for companies like Priceline through their IPOs. According to the rumors, Shatner opted for stock compensation rather than cash payment. At that time, receiving stocks seemed like a shrewd move; however, when the bubble eventually burst, Priceline’s shares plummeted, reaching a low of $1.80 per share in 2000. Over a decade later, Shatner was still featuring in the commercials, and Priceline’s stock had substantially recovered. Speculations arose that Shatner hadn’t liquidated any of his shares during the turbulent period post the bubble burst, implying that his stock holdings might have surged to a value exceeding $600 million.

On several public occasions, Shatner adamantly refuted these claims, particularly addressing it in an interview with Howard Stern. His response on Twitter was succinct, “‘Someone made a foolish statement about me making $600M. It isn’t accurate. Relatives are emerging from everywhere. Too bad it’s just a rumor.’

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Early Life

William Shatner, born on March 22, 1931, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to a Jewish family, had his family’s last name anglicized from Schattner to Shatner by his paternal grandfather. His parents were Ann and Joseph, and he has two sisters. Shatner attended Willingdon Elementary School and West Hill High School and is an alumnus of the Montreal Children’s Theatre. He studied Economics at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1952.

Career

After college, Shatner secured a job as the business manager for a playhouse in Montreal, following which he joined the Canadian National Repertory Theatre to train as a classical Shakespearean actor. Starting in 1954, Shatner took on various roles at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. That same year, he was cast as Ranger Bob on The Canadian “Howdy Doody Show,” making his feature film debut in 1958 in “The Brothers Karamazov.” He also landed a role on “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” in the episode “The Glass Eye.”

Shatner’s pivotal moment occurred when he was chosen to play Captain James T. Kirk in “Star Trek,” which aired from 1966 to 1969. In 1973, he returned to voice the character of Captain Kirk in the animated “Star Trek” series.

Following its cancellation, Star Trek gained a cult following in the 1970s through syndicated reruns, propelling Captain Kirk to cultural icon status. Subsequently, Shatner began making appearances at Star Trek conventions.

Personal Life

Marrying four times, Shatner’s first marriage was to Canadian actress Gloria Rand in August 1956, and they had three daughters: Leslie (1958), Lisabeth (1960), and Melanie (1964). Shatner left Rand during the original “Star Trek” series filming, ending in a divorce in March 1969.

His second marriage to Marcy Lafferty lasted from 1973 to 1996.

Shatner’s third marriage was to Nerine Kidd Shatner in 1997, but tragically, he found her drowned in their swimming pool in 1999. In 2001, Shatner married Elizabeth Anderson Martin, which ended in divorce in 2019.

Receiving honorary Doctorates from McGill University in 2011 and New England Institute of Technology in 2018, Shatner at 90 became the oldest person to fly into space aboard the Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule in 2021.

William Shatner Salary

William Shatner earns $150,000 per episode of a television show.

Real Estate

Shatner’s Los Angeles residence is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 4,016-square-foot home in Studio City, California, while he deeded properties in Malibu and Kentucky to his ex-wife Elizabeth. He also kept an 18-acre ranch in Three Rivers, California.