Entertainment TV William Shatner's Fascinating Life, from Star Trek Icon to Real-Life Astronaut The original Captain Kirk has been thriving in Hollywood for more than seven decades, and recently made history as the oldest person to go to space By Diane J. Cho Diane J. Cho Diane J. Cho is the former features editor of PEOPLE, covering news, features, human interest and more. She left PEOPLE in 2022 People Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 21, 2024 02:48PM EDT Close William Shatner on 'Star Trek'. Photo: CBS via Getty Happy Birthday, William Shatner! The small screen icon turns 93 years old on March 22, 2024, and has lived quite the life in that time. Perhaps best known for his role as steady Captain Kirk on Star Trek, he has a career that extends through decades of movies and television series, plus work in music, books and most recently — outer space! Here, as he marks another trip around the sun, celebrate William Shatner's life in photos. 01 of 15 William Shatner's Early Years A young William Shatner. John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Born on March 22, 1931 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, William Shatner grew to fame as a television star, most famously as the original Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, and expanded his repertoire into film, books and video games. 02 of 15 William Shatner on 'For the People' William Shatner on 'For the People'. CBS via Getty His early roles included John Crane and Jim Whitley on Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1957-1960), Bob Wilson and Don Carter on The Twilight Zone (1960-1953) and New York City assistant district attorney David Koster on For the People (1965). 03 of 15 William Shatner on 'Star Trek' William Shatner on 'Star Trek'. CBS via Getty Shatner landed the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek series in 1966, which ran until 1969. The show, which also starred Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, James Doohan and George Takei, went on to become the most successful TV sci-fi franchise ever and spawned a loyal fan base who call themselves Trekkies. 04 of 15 William Shatner in the 'Star Trek' Films William Shatner on 'Star Trek'. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty The actor went on to voice Kirk in 1973's Star Trek: The Animated Series, and starred in the 1979 motion picture. 05 of 15 William Shatner in the 'Star Trek' Films William Shatner on 'Star Trek'. CBS via Getty Years later, he got back in the saddle as Kirk in the next two film installments of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and The Search for Spock (1984). 06 of 15 William Shatner on 'Barbary Coast' William Shatner on 'Barbary Coast'. ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty In 1975, the star led the TV western Barbary Coast as Jeff Cable, alongside Doug McClure (Cash Conover, pictured), Richard Kiel (Moose Moran) and Dave Turner (Thumbs). 07 of 15 William Shatner on 'T.J. Hooker' William Shatner on 'T.J. Hooker'. ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty He took the lead on the action-crime drama T.J. Hooker (1982-1986) with Heather Locklear (Officer Stacy Sheridan), James Darren (Officer Jim Corrigan) and Adrian Zmed (Officer Vince Romano). 08 of 15 William Shatner in 'Miss Congeniality' William Shatner in 'Miss Congeniality'. Warner Brothers/Getty He also joined Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality (2000) as Stan Fields. 09 of 15 William Shatner's Music Career In addition to acting, Shatner has a passion for music. He released his album Bill in September 2021; it includes appearances from music stars Joe Jonas, Brad Paisley and Joe Walsh. 10 of 15 William Shatner Receives the Order of Canada In 2019, the star was inducted into the Order of Canada — the second-highest merit honor in the country — in recognition of his decades-long acting career and philanthropic efforts. 11 of 15 William Shatner's Books He's also authored several books, including a memoir called William Shatner: Live Long and ... What I learned Along the Way, Leonard, a look into Shatner and Star Trek costar and late friend Leonard Nimoy's friendship, and The TekWar Series, which was later adapted into comics. 12 of 15 William Shatner's Personal Life William Shatner and Elizabeth Shatner. John Salangsang/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Off-screen, Shatner has been married four times, most recently to Elizabeth (right), whom he divorced in 2020, and has three adult daughters, Leslie, Lisabeth and Melanie. 13 of 15 William Shatner Goes to Space William Shatner on Blue Origin. Blue Origin On Oct. 13, 2021, the real-life Captain Kirk made history as the oldest person to travel to space at 90 years old. Shatner was one of four crew members who completed the 11-minute journey on the New Shepard rocket for the NS-18 mission, thanks to Jeff Bezos' aerospace company Blue Origin. 14 of 15 William Shatner Goes to Space William Shatner on Blue Origin. Blue Origin/UPI/Shutterstock "It's life-changing in its way, not because of the aerial adventure, but because of the people I'm meeting," Shatner said in a video that aired during Blue Origin's livestream about fellow space travelers Audrey Powers, Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries. 15 of 15 William Shatner Goes to Space William Shatner on Blue Origin. BLUE ORIGIN/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Upon landing, Shatner and his crew were met with applause and a hug from Jeff Bezos. "In a way, it's indescribable," the actor told Bezos, who made his own trip to space the July prior. "Not only is it different from what you thought, it happens so quickly," he added during Blue Origin's livestream. The star got emotional, sharing his wish for all humans to experience the wonders of space travel. "Everybody in the world needs to do this," Shatner said. "Everybody in the world needs to see."