William Shatner William Shatner , an Emmy Award - winning Canadian actor , became most famous for portraying Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the starship " Enterprise " in all 79 aired episodes of " , " 21 of the 22 episodes of " , " and the first seven " Star Trek " movies . He also directed and co - wrote the story for . His image also appeared in , in a photograph that was among Spock ' s possessions bequeathed to . In addition , Shatner appeared indirectly ( through archive footage ) in the episode and his archive voice - over was used in the final episode , . He has also voiced the role of Kirk in a number of video games and he is the credited author for a series of " Star Trek " novels involving Kirk , the first of which was " The Ashes of Eden " . ( His primary " ghost " writers are Judith and Garfield Reeves - Stevens . ) Outside of the " Star Trek " franchise , Shatner is well - known for his roles on several other television shows , including Bob Wilson in the " Nightmare at 20 , 000 Feet " episode of " The Twilight Zone " , the title character on the 1980s police drama series " T . J . Hooker " , and his Emmy Award - winning portrayal of famed attorney Denny Crane on the ABC drama " The Practice " and its spin - off , " Boston Legal " . He is also remembered for hosting the informational program " Rescue 911 " from 1989 through 1996 and is currently recognized as the official spokesperson for , having appeared in advertisements for the company since 1998 . Prior to his work on " Star Trek " , he starred in " Incubus " , one of the only movies to be filmed primarily in the constructed language known as Esperanto . Biography . Shatner was born in , Quebec , Canada , of Ukrainian - Jewish ancestry . A native English speaker , he is also fluent in French . He received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from in Montreal , where the Student Center was unofficially renamed " The Shatner Center " in the 1990s in a student popular election . As of 2014 , a flimsy sign was hanging in the lobby , but the university administration had not officially accepted the name change . Famous for his clipped , dramatic , and often imitated narration and dialogue delivery , Shatner has become one of the most recognizable stars in Hollywood . In a career spanning five decades , he has become a household name not only for his role as James T . Kirk , but also for playing T . J . Hooker in the series of the same name , the host of " Rescue 911 " , and for his Emmy Award - winning role as legendary but senile lawyer Denny Crane on " Boston Legal " . He is also an accomplished writer , producer , director and host . On 14 December 2006 , Shatner was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame for his many accomplishments in the field of television . Shatner has three daughters : Leslie , Lisabeth , and Melanie . All are from his first marriage to Gloria Rand , whom Shatner married in 1956 but divorced in 1969 , following the cancellation of " Star Trek . " Shatner subsequently married actress Marcy Lafferty in 1973 . Shatner and Lafferty remained together until their divorce in 1994 . Shatner then married Nerine Kidd in 1997 , but this marriage ended tragically with Kidd ' s death in a drowning accident in 1999 . He is currently married to Elizabeth Martin , who shares Shatner ' s passion for horses . They live together in Los Angeles , California . In his spare time , he plays paintball and tennis and is a professional horse breeder . In this latter profession , he founded the annual Hollywood Charity Horse Show in 1990 , which he continues to host . Early career . Shatner began his screen acting career in Canadian films and television productions , including the role of Ranger Bob during the first year of the popular children ' s show " Howdy Doody " . He was also seen in a 1952 episode of " Omnibus " with future co - star Christopher Plummer , who also hails from Montreal . One of Shatner ' s earliest American television appearances was a 1956 episode of " The Kaiser Aluminum Hour " called " Gwyneth , " in which he co - starred with Joanne Linville , who played the title role . Shatner later reunited with Linville in episodes of " The United States Steel Hour " and " The Defenders " before co - starring together in the " Star Trek " episode . Shatner ultimately landed several guest roles on the TV series " Studio One " in 1957 . His first appearance on that program was in a 1957 two - parter entitled " The Defender " ( featuring Ian Wolfe ) , which served as the basis for the aforementioned TV show " The Defenders " , on which Shatner had a recurring role ( albeit as a different character than the one he played on " Studio One " ) . The following year , Shatner landed his first American film role , playing Alexi Karamazov in 1958 ' s " The Brothers Karamazov " . Among his co - stars in this film were future TOS guest stars David Opatoshu and Harry Townes . On Broadway , Shatner performed with his future co - star France Nuyen in " The World of Suzie Wong " , with Nuyen playing the title role . This play ran for a total of 508 performances from 14 October 1958 through 2 January 1960 . Shatner ' s performance won him a Theatre World Award in 1959 . He and Nuyen performed an excerpt from the play on " The Ed Sullivan Show " in 1958 . His next Broadway play was the comedy " A Shot in the Dark " , which ran for 389 performances between October 1961 and September 1962 . Fritz Weaver joined the cast late in the run , replacing actor Walter Matthau . In the meantime Shatner continued co - starring with a number of future " Star Trek " guest - stars in several popular American television programs throughout the 1950s and ' 60s , including " Playhouse 90 " ( with James Gregory ) , " Kraft Television Theatre " ( with Richard Kiley ) , " Outlaws " ( with John Anderson , John Hoyt , and Ken Lynch ) , " Naked City " ( with Theodore Bikel and Lou Antonio ) , " The Dick Powell Show " ( with Frank Overton ) , " The Nurses " ( with Stephen Brooks and Madlyn Rhue ) , " 77 Sunset Strip " ( with Brian Keith ) , " Route 66 " ( with Glenn Corbett and Louise Sorel ) , " Burke ' s Law " ( with Michael Ansara and Bill Catching ) , " The Outer Limits " ( with Lawrence Montaigne , James B . Sikking , and Malachi Throne ) , " Twelve O ' Clock High " ( with Robert Lansing , Frank Overton , and Bert Remsen ) , and " The Big Valley " ( with Bill Quinn and Jason Wingreen ) . He even appeared along with his future co - star Leonard Nimoy in a 1964 episode of " The Man from U . N . C . L . E . " called " The Project Strigas Affair . " He also appeared with George Takei ( as well as Keye Luke and Abraham Sofaer ) on " Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre " that same year . Other popular TV shows Shatner appeared on during this time include " Alfred Hitchcock Presents " , " Thriller " , " The Fugitive " , " Gunsmoke " , and " The Virginian " . He also had a recurring role as Dr . Carl Noyes on " Dr . Kildare " in early 1966 , during which he co - starred with Bruce Hyde and Diana Muldaur – both of whom he was reunited with on " Star Trek . " Most notably , however , he starred in two episodes of , both written by Richard Matheson , including the famous " Nightmare at 20 , 000 Feet " , in which he played Bob Wilson , a man released from a mental hospital who seemingly suffers a relapse aboard an airliner after seeing a creature on the plane ' s wing . Shatner also continued acting in films during the 1960s . In 1961 , he appeared as Captain Harrison Byers , the aide to Judge Dan Haywood , in the classic Academy Award - winning drama " Judgment at Nuremberg " with future TOS guest actor Rudy Solari . That same year , he had the starring role as a revolutionary and controversial high school teacher in " The Explosive Generation " , and the following year he starred as a bigot in the classic " The Intruder " ( with George Clayton Johnson ) . He then appeared as a preacher in 1964 ' s " The Outrage " ( co - starring Paul Fix ) and starred in 1965 ' s " Incubus " . In 1968 , while " Star Trek " was still in production , he starred in the dual role of brothers Johnny Moon and Notah in the Western " White Comanche " . He also did a television movie entitled " Perilous Voyage " in 1968 , again working alongside Louise Sorel . For unknown reasons , NBC sat on this film for eight years , not airing it until 29 July 1976 . Shatner ' s first television series , the crime drama " For the People " , aired in 1965 but failed to gain the attention needed to keep it on the air past the initial thirteen episodes . Also in 1965 , Shatner played the title role in a pilot , " Alexander the Great " , which co - starred Robert Fortier and featured music by Leonard Rosenman . However , the pilot was not picked up for a series . ( It was finally aired on television in 1968 . ) Fortunately , however , Shatner gained a new opportunity for stardom when , that same year , he starred as Captain James Tiberius Kirk in the second pilot for a show by Gene Roddenberry called " Star Trek " , . Playing James T . Kirk . Stardom was not immediate for Shatner or the rest of the " Star Trek " cast . Ratings for the series were low and , after only three years , resulted in its cancellation in 1969 . But that same year , the " Apollo 11 " moon landing transformed the vision of interplanetary travel from fantasy to a more realistic possibility . " Star Trek " reruns gained new popularity and thrust Shatner and the cast into television immortality . By 1973 " Star Trek " had gained an extensive amount of popularity thanks to reruns . There was such a high demand for more " Star Trek " that a new animated series was put together , reuniting most of the original cast members to lend their voices to their now famous characters . The series lasted for two seasons , with Shatner voicing Captain Kirk in all but one of the 22 episodes . Although the animated series came to an end in , " Trek " had still not died ; pre - production began on a new , live - action " Star Trek " series in 1977 . Although this new series was never made , it resulted in the first " Trek " feature film , , in . And , for the first time in ten years , Shatner was back , in the flesh , in the role that had made him famous . Shatner continued playing the Kirk character through the next six features , concluding with his character ' s demise in ' s . Although Shatner enjoyed working on the film , he later displayed regret at having Kirk killed off and commenced to look for the opportunity to once again play the legendary Starfleet captain , although he did play him during a pre - period for video cutscenes along with Walter Koenig and George Takei for Interplay ' s " Starfleet Academy " in 1997 . He did not appear in ' s , however . In 2006 , a commercial for DirectTV aired in which Shatner reprises his role as Captain Kirk , complete with a " Trek " film Starfleet uniform . The commercial takes place during the events of but it has Kirk stepping out of character to promote DirectTV . Shatner has also reprised the role of Kirk – albeit , in voice over only – for the video game " . " Also giving voice to their respective captains in this game are Patrick Stewart ( Jean - Luc Picard ) , Avery Brooks ( Benjamin Sisko ) , Kate Mulgrew ( Kathryn Janeway ) , and Scott Bakula ( Jonathan Archer ) . Shatner has been contacted about a possible role in . Along with Shatner , Leonard Nimoy was also rumored to appear before his death in 2015 , in a scene with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto , as the future alternate reality versions of the characters . Post - TOS career . 1970s . In the aftermath of " Star Trek " s cancellation Shatner continued to work steadily in film and television ; because his marriage to Gloria Rand had failed , he was no longer living to pursue his career as a direct result , but instead pursuing his career to live . The year after " Trek " s apparent demise , Shatner starred in the made - for - TV movies " Sole Survivor " ( which also featured a former " Star Trek " co - star , John Winston ) and " The Andersonville Trial " ( with John Anderson , Harry Townes , Whit Bissell , Robert Easton , Dick Miller , Kenneth Tobey , and Ian Wolfe ) . He also made guest appearances in such shows as " The F . B . I . " ( with Lawrence Montaigne ) , " The Name of the Game " ( with William Smithers ) , " Storefront Lawyers " ( with Robert Foxworth ) , " Ironside " ( with Gene Lyons , Barbara Anderson , Roger C . Carmel , Barry Atwater , and Robert Ito ) , " The Sixth Sense " ( written by Gene L . Coon ) " , " ( with Barbara Anderson ) , " Barnaby Jones " ( with Darleen Carr , Vince Howard , and Lee Meriwether ) , " Mannix " ( with Yvonne Craig and Phillip Pine ) , " The Six Million Dollar Man " ( with Alan Oppenheimer ) , " Kung Fu " ( with Rosemary Forsyth , Keye Luke , and France Nuyen ) , " Petrocelli " ( with Glenn Corbett , Susan Howard , David Huddleston , and Susan Oliver ) , and " Police Story " ( with Dean Stockwell ) . In 1971 he co - starred with Barry Atwater , Robert Hooks , and Michael Strong in the TV movie " Vanished " and with Bruce Davison in the pilot movie for " Owen Marshall , Counsellor at Law " . The following year , he was reunited with his co - star Kim Darby in the science fiction telefilm " The People " . He also co - starred with Anthony Zerbe in the TV version of the Sherlock Holmes adventure " The Hound of the Baskervilles " . He had several more TV movie credits throughout the 1970s , including " Incident on a Dark Street " ( 1973 , with Robert Pine ) , " Horror at 37 , 000 Feet " ( 1973 , with Darleen Carr , France Nuyen , and Paul Winfield ) , " Indict and Convict " ( 1974 , with Susan Howard ) , " The Tenth Level " ( 1975 , with Stephen Macht ) , " Columbo : Fade in to Murder " ( 1976 , with his former " Trek " co - star Walter Koenig ) , " The Bastard " ( 1978 , with Kim Cattrall , John Colicos , John de Lancie , James Gregory , and Alex Henteloff ) , " Little Women " ( 1978 , also with John de Lancie ) , " Crash " ( 1978 , co - starring Adrienne Barbeau , Ron Glass , George Murdock , and then - wife Marcy Lafferty ) , and " Riel " ( 1979 , with Christopher Plummer ) . In 1975 Shatner became the star of another series , a Western comedy - drama called " Barbary Coast " . However , the series was canceled after its first season . Afterward , Shatner starred in two TV mini - series , both of which co - starred fellow " Star Trek " performers : 1977 ' s " Testimony of Two Men " , with Theodore Bikel , Jeff Corey , John de Lancie , and Logan Ramsey , and " How the West Was Won " , with Robert DoQui , Fionnula Flanagan , Brian Keith , Ed Lauter , Ricardo Montalban , George D . Wallace , and Morgan Woodward . During this time , Shatner appeared in a three cult feature films : the very adult 1974 action film " Big Bad Mama " , co - starring Dick Miller and Noble Willingham , the 1975 horror movie " The Devil ' s Rain " , and the 1977 sci - fi / horror picture " Kingdom of the Spiders " , co - starring wife Marcy Lafferty . Another movie from the 1970s was titled " Want a Ride , Little Girl ? " This film , also called " Impulse " and " I Love to Kill " , and in which he again co - starred with wife Lafferty , has been so critically condemned that Shatner himself has come forward and said that it was a " bad time " for him , and he has also denied being able to remember why he agreed to join its cast . 1980s . Unlike many actors who have become identified to specific characters in film and television , Shatner has been able to escape typecasting and continued to find roles outside the realm of " Trek " which have also been popular ; this is due at least in part to , as having been pointed out above , his having pursued his career to live rather than his living to pursue his career . From 1982 to 1986 , he starred in the title role of " T . J . Hooker " , a hard - boiled police officer . That series also starred guest star Richard Herd and frequent guest star James Darren . ( Shatner later reunited with Richard Herd for a 1994 episode of " seaQuest DSV " . ) It was during the 1980s that Shatner began an acting trend that lasts to this day : making fun of himself and of his role as Captain Kirk , the popularity of which he had trouble understanding . An early example of this came with his role as Lunar Base Commander Buck Murdock in the 1982 spoof " Airplane II : The Sequel " , which had him poke fun at many of the quirks and mannerisms of Kirk and " Star Trek " in general . ( Marcy Lafferty also appeared in the film , as did Bruce French . ) In 1986 Shatner hosted " Saturday Night Live " and took part in an infamous sketch in which he told " Star Trek " fans to " get a life ! " The appearance later became the subject of an autobiographical account by Shatner , chronicling his relationship with the " Star Trek " fandom . Outside of " Star Trek " , Shatner continued to act in Canadian - made films ( such as 1980 ' s " The Kidnapping of the President " and 1982 ' s " Visiting Hours " ) and American - made TV movies ( such as 1988 ' s " Broken Angel " , with Roxann Dawson and Brock Peters ) . In 1989 Shatner became the host of the popular documentary series " Rescue 911 " , which lasted from 1989 to 1996 . It was in the 1980s that Shatner geared towards directing . In 1989 having already directed multiple episodes of " T . J . Hooker " , Shatner directed , for which he also co - wrote the story . This came as part of a deal made between him and co - star Leonard Nimoy several years earlier ; Nimoy was able to direct two earlier " Trek " films only if Shatner was also allowed the opportunity to direct one later . The result was lukewarm , earning negative criticism and low box office proceeds . Nonetheless , Shatner was not deterred and continued directing for television and for films he had written . 1990s and 2000s . Continuing his trend towards " lampooning " himself Shatner starred as the villain in yet another spoof , " National Lampoon ' s Loaded Weapon 1 " , in 1993 . James Doohan also made a gag appearance in his beloved role of Scotty ( albeit , as a 20th century police officer in charge of repairing the police station ' s cappuccino machine ) , while F . Murray Abraham , Whoopi Goldberg , and Charles Napier also had cameos . " Loaded Weapon 1 " was followed in 1998 with the popular " Free Enterprise " ( written / produced by Mark A . Altman and directed / co - written by Robert Meyer Burnett ) , a " Star Trek " - themed black comedy in which Shatner played a caricature of himself named , aptly enough , " Bill . " He is currently set to film a sequel to " Free Enterprise " . reprising his role as " Bill . " In 1998 Shatner became the spokesperson for " Priceline . com . " The earliest of this company ' s commercials , in which Shatner strummed a guitar and spoke " songs " advertising Priceline in front of a bemused audience , gained much notoriety and earned him somewhat of a come - back in show business . He continues to perform for Priceline commercials , which he at first did in voiceover . More recently , he has been seen as the " Priceline Negotiator . " He did appear in two Priceline . com commercials with Leonard Nimoy as well , and one with Robert Pine . In 1999 and 2000 Shatner had a recurring role as " The Big Giant Head " ( aka Stone Phillips ) in the sitcom " 3rd Rock from the Sun " . This role led to the actor ' s first Emmy nomination , that of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series , in 1999 . In 2000 , Shatner appeared in the popular comedy " Miss Congeniality " as Stan Fields , the aging host of the Miss United States Pageant . This role ultimately led to Shatner becoming the host of the real thing – the 50th Annual Miss USA Pageant – in 2001 . Also in 2001 , Shatner lent his voice as Mayor Phlemming in the combination animated / live action hit comedy " Osmosis Jones " with Rif Hutton and Herschel Sparber lending their voices as well . Shatner reprised his role as Stan Fields in the 2005 sequel , " Miss Congeniality 2 : Armed and Fabulous " opposite Diedrich Bader and Enrique Murciano . Continuing his experience as a master of ceremonies , Shatner was the chairman for the 2001 specials and " Iron Chef USA : Holiday Showdown " . In late 2006 , he hosted the short - lived ABC game show " Show Me The Money " . Shatner ' s popularity has also earned him cameos in such films as " Showtime " ( in which he spoofs his T . J . Hooker character as well as himself ) and " Dodgeball : A True Underdog Story " in which he played the chancellor of the dodgeball tournament . Shatner later made an appearance in the 2008 comedy film " Fanboys " , which also featured Christopher McDonald in a supporting role . Additionally , Shatner has lent his voice to a number of animated films , including " Osmosis Jones " ( 2001 ) and " Over the Hedge " ( 2006 ) . In " Shooting Stars " ( aka " Shoot or be Shot " , 2002 ) , he played a deranged script writer ; the film also features " Voyager " and " Enterprise " actress Julianne Christie . In 2002 Shatner and the rest of the original " Trek " cast ( minus DeForest Kelley and James Doohan ) lent their voices to their animated selves in a popular episode of " Futurama " called " Where No Fan Has Gone Before . " That same year , Shatner wrote , directed , and co - starred in the independent science fiction film " Groom Lake " . Also starring in the film were fellow " Trek " performers Dan Gauthier and Tom Towles . Shatner voices the sun ' s core in the 2010 computer - animated film " Quantum Quest " . The film ' s main protagonist , a photon named Dave , is voiced by Chris Pine , who stars in 2009 ' s " Star Trek " as , the role whose " Prime Continuum " incarnation Shatner originated in the 1960s . Also lending their voices to " Quantum Quest " are " Star Trek " alumni Jason Alexander , Robert Picardo , and Brent Spiner . Shatner later starred on the CBS sitcom " $ # * ! My Dad Says " ( pronounced " bleep " ) , based on Justin Halpern ' s popular Twitter feed . But that program ' s run was short ; it was cancelled without completing its only season . Shatner played the author Mark Twain in an episode of " Murdoch Mysteries " called " Marked Twain " . Denny Crane and " Boston Legal " . In 2004 Shatner made his debut as legendary but eccentric attorney Denny Crane on " The Practice " , earning an Emmy Award as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series . He reprised the role of Crane in the spin - off series " Boston Legal " , which also starred former DS9 cast member Rene Auberjonois . For the last two seasons of the show , Auberjonois was replaced by Shatner ' s " Star Trek III " co - star , John Larroquette , although Auberjonois made continued recurring appearances . Shatner won another Emmy for playing Denny Crane in 2005 , this time as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series , for his work on " Boston Legal " . He received another Emmy nomination for the role in 2006 , although he did not win . He was awarded a fourth Emmy nomination for playing Denny Crane and his third nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2007 . The award , however , ultimately went to Terry O ' Quinn for " his " role in J . J . Abrams ' " Lost " . In 2008 , Shatner was again nominated for an Emmy Award for " Boston Legal " . In 2005 , Shatner won the Golden Globe as Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series , Mini - Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for " Boston Legal " . In 2007 Shatner was nominated for a second Golden Globe . Shatner starred as Denny Crane on ABC ' s " Boston Legal " for four years , from 2004 through 2008 . The series ran for its fifth and final season in the fall of 2008 , with the two - hour series finale airing 8 December 2008 . Because of Shatner ' s involvement , the writers of the show often threw in puns and in - jokes related to " Star Trek " , usually delivered by Shatner himself . Besides former series regular Rene Auberjonois and more recent regular John Larroquette ( whom Shatner worked with on ) , other " Trek " performers with whom Shatner has worked on the show include Henry Gibson ( as a peculiar judge whom Denny Crane refers to as " nansy - pansy " and " namby - pamby " ) , Joanna Cassidy ( who played Denny ' s lover and his brief eighth wife ) , and the aforementioned Jeri Ryan ( as an actress with whom Denny , of course , becomes infatuated ) . " DS9 " actor Armin Shimerman also had a recurring role , as did Ethan Phillips of " Voyager " fame , although neither shared scenes with Shatner . Scott Bakula had a guest spot on the series , as well but he also did not share any scenes with Shatner . Other projects and appearances . Between 1967 and 1970 both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy recorded covers of famous songs for MCA , which were later collected in the album " Spaced Out : The Best of Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner . " Shatner is also famous ( or infamous ) for his rendition of the Beatles song " Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds , " as well as his spoken word cover of Elton John ' s " Rocket Man ( I Think It ' s Gonna Be A Long Long Time ) ; " both were featured on an album titled " The Transformed Man " . Following the death of Kirk in " Star Trek Generations " , Shatner has written , with the assistance of Judith and Garfield Reeves - Stevens , as stated above , a set of nine novels , chronicling the resurrection and subsequent adventures of Kirk in the 24th century . His tenth novel , " " , shows his own views of how the " Star Trek " universe began . He has also written a series of novels called . These novels , for which one of his inspirations was ' s book , ultimately became the basis for a TV series and a number of telefilms , which Shatner himself directed , starred in , and served as executive producer . There was also a comic series titled " TekWorld " , inspired by his writings . Shatner appeared on the USA Network ' s and the World Wrestling Federation ' s " Monday Night RAW " to promote " TekWar " , where he was involved in an altercation with . Shatner personally inducted Lawler into the in 2007 . He later guest hosted the February 1 , 2009 episode of " RAW " , which included a segment with " Trek " alumnus the Big Show . Shatner participated in the 2001 " Star Trek " Edition of the game show " Weakest Link " , along with LeVar Burton , Denise Crosby , Roxann Dawson , John de Lancie , Robert Picardo , Armin Shimerman , and Wil Wheaton . He lost , but not before showing host Anne Robinson what his " Trek " character was most " known " for : his way with women . In 2004 , he returned to his " musical " career with a new album , titled " Has Been " , produced by musician Ben Folds , who previously worked with Shatner on his own first solo album , " Fear of Pop " . Shatner opened the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony for " Star Wars " creator George Lucas on June 9 , 2005 , beginning the segment with " Star Trek " changed everything " . " In 2005 , Shatner starred in the reality mini - series , " Invasion Iowa , " which took place in Riverside , Iowa , the future birthplace of James T . Kirk . In addition , Shatner hosted two specials for The History Channel in 2006 , " Comets : Prophets of Doom " and " How William Shatner Changed the World " . In August 2006 Shatner was the guest of honor at the " Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner " . His chair of honor was his captain ' s chair from the original " Enterprise " . This event was hosted by " roastmaster " Jason Alexander ( a huge " Star Trek " fan and one - time " Voyager " guest star who credits Shatner as an inspiration for his becoming an actor ) and had a number of comedians ( including another one - time " Voyager " guest , Andy Dick ) taking jabs at Shatner , joking about his life and career . Among the " roastees " were Shatner ' s TOS co - stars Nichelle Nichols and George Takei , while " Trek " alumni Clint Howard ( reprising his role as Balok , now middle - aged and addicted to tranya ) and Sarah Silverman left recorded messages for Shatner . In attendance at the event were Shatner ' s " Boston Legal " co - stars Rene Auberjonois and Mark Valley , TNG actor Brent Spiner , and " Voyager " actress Jeri Ryan . Since the roast , Shatner has appeared in two music videos with Jason Alexander for country music star Brad Paisley – " Celebrity " and " Online " . Both have referenced his singing career and " Online " also has several " Star Trek " references . In the latter , Shatner plays Alexander ' s father , while " Voyager " guest - star Estelle Harris plays his mother , as she memorably did on " Seinfeld " . Shatner currently hosts his own offbeat celebrity interview show for A & E Television ' s revamped " Bio " channel entitled " Shatner ' s Raw Nerve " , which premiered on 2 December 2008 . Among the guests he has interviewed so far are his " Star Trek " co - star Leonard Nimoy and TNG guest star Kelsey Grammer . In addition , Shatner made frequent appearances on NBC ' s " The Tonight Show with Conan O ' Brien " . He first appeared as a guest on the show , but he has since made cameos to recite the resignation speech and the Twitter posts of former Alaska governor as though they were poetry . Most recently , he recited quotes from , the father of Palin ' s grandson . Shatner is also featured in the introductory video for Conan O ' Brien ' s " In the Year 3000 " segment . In the video , Shatner ' s disembodied head " floats " across the screen while introducing the segment : " " It ' s almost like a cosmic ride into the millennium . That far - off reality that is the year 3000 . It ' s the future man . " " In the 13 November 2009 episode , the video was altered to include Shatner ' s TOS co - star George Takei , who destroys Shatner ' s head by firing " phaser s " from his eyes and " photon torpedo es " from his mouth . After destroying Shatner ' s head , Takei remarks " " Mmm , delicious ! " " and laughs maniacally . In February 2011 Shatner appeared in an episode of the History Chanel series " American Pickers " where he and his wife asked the show ' s stars Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz to find items for their new Kentucky vacation house . In 2009 Shatner produced and starred in a film called " William Shatner ' s Gonzo Ballet " , a documentary about a ballet set to his album " Has Been " , which was produced by Ben Folds . The award - winning film received critical acclaim and had a successful film festival run . The film had a multi - platform television premiere in July of 2011 through EPIX , a joint venture between Paramount Pictures , Lions Gate , and MGM . In 2017 , Shatner guest - starred in an episode of " My Little Pony : Friendship is Magic " , entitled ' The Perfect Pear ' , where he voiced the character of Grand Pear , the maternal grandfather of Applejack . Prior to the airing of the episode , Shatner had teased his role through a number of Twitter posts . He also proclaimed himself a " Brony " in 2016 , and went on to state that the character of Rainbow Dash was his favourite . Appearances as Kirk . Shatner appeared as Kirk in