William Shatner’s Net Worth is $100 Million
William Shatner went from walking Montréal’s streets to zipping around the cosmos. Known for boldly going where no actor has gone before as Captain James T. Kirk in the epic Star Trek series, Shatner has a personality as big as the galaxies he has visited, and not surprisingly, his bank balance is pretty galactic, too.
As we journey through the twinkling starlight and spiral galaxies, we encounter an intriguing figure: $100 million. That is William’s estimated net worth in 2023. This enormous sum isn’t just because Shatner nails it as an actor, it comes from his singing career, his writing career, his producer credits, and the occasions he has occupied the director’s chair. He is a Renaissance man who has done it all and has the bank statement to prove it.
| Name | William Shatner OC (Order of Canada) |
| Profession | Actor, Author, Producer, Director |
| Net Worth | $100 million |
| Birthplace | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Birthday | March 22, 1931 (Aries) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Relationship status | Divorced (as of 2020) |
From Montreal to Stardom: The Early Career and Breakthrough of William Shatner
We all know and love William Shatner as the fearless Captain Kirk from Star Trek, but did you know he’s Canadian? Indeed, this future starship commander was born in the Côte Saint-Luc neighborhood of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on March 22, 1931. He’s the son of Anne (Garmaise) and Joseph Shatner, a Jewish couple who peeled out of Bukovina in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. And, it was in Montreal that Shatner realized he had a penchant for the dramatic arts, signing up for acting school when he was eight years old.
Throughout his younger years, he was hitting the airwaves on radio shows with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and treading the boards at the Montreal Children’s Theatre. And, while he decided to be all grown-up and sensible when he went to university, studying commerce at McGill University, he couldn’t totally give up showbiz. He took on roles in student productions and worked as a broadcaster for CBC while at school.
Then his big break came along. After graduating, he took up the position of assistant manager of the local Mountain Playhouse where he had his stage debut in a production of Tom Sawyer. That’s when he got involved with the fresh-off-the-press Stratford Shakespeare Festival and cut his teeth in supporting roles before bagging some meatier parts. His journey kicked into warp speed in 1958 when he played Alexi Karamazov opposite Yul Brynner in an adaption of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Then he dashed back to Broadway for a two-year stint in The World of Suzie Wong, where he pulled in the rave reviews.
But, it was when he threw on the Starfleet uniform as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek in 1966 that things really went supernova. The show was canceled after only three seasons, but not before it attained “cult classic” status. The Trekkies came out in hordes and Shatner was cemented as a pop culture god.
Counting the Star Coins: Shatner’s Space Bucks from His Actors Life
Despite Shatner’s eventual astronomical fame (literally and figuratively speaking) as Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek, he earned a relative pittance for the duration of the series’ original run: just about $5,000 an episode. Translated to today’s figures, that rounds off to about $39,000 for each mini-space adventure. He did, however, earn a sweet $500 bonus every time the show was renewed.
Even though Star Trek’s original run on the tube was cut short, it boldly became a cash cow, its golden milk fattening Shatner’s paycheck quite a fair bit. When the series swapped the home screen for the cineplex back in 1979 with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Shatner’s earnings underwent a warp-speed boost. It ignited a marathon of successful sequels that added more zeroes to Shatner’s net worth.
But it wasn’t all about phasers and tribbles: Shatner kept the laughs coming with comedic roles like his parts in the Miss Congeniality movies, and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. He didn’t just stick to his space gig, these roles pushed his boundaries and ratcheted up his finances.
Toys of the Stars: Shatner’s Notable Possessions and Philanthropic Endeavors
It’s not surprising that someone who has explored the outer reaches of the galaxy should have some amazing gems in their possession (yes, we realize James Kirk is just a character. Still though…).
His love of wheels began in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where Shatner drove around in his first car, a cool 1950s Morris Minor, which he bought for about $400. After riding high on Star Trek‘s success back in the ’60s, he splashed out on a super sleek 1963 Corvette Fuelie Coupe. He didn’t stop there though, his garage expanded to include seriously cool rides like a 2011 Porsche Panamera and a fancy 2002 Aston Martin DB7, that cost him no less than $700,000.
On the giving side, Shatner’s contributions make a big difference. He had the forethought to keep a kidney stone he passed and sell it for $75,000, with the proceeds going towards Habitat for Humanity to help Hurricane Katrina survivors. He’s also behind the annual Hollywood Charity Horse Show, which champions causes like Ahead With Horses and Camp Max Straus.
Off the Silver Screen: A Glimpse into William Shatner’s Personal Life
Our man Bill grew up in Montreal, born to Jewish immigrants. From Canada to the USA, and from the USA to tubes worldwide—this actor’s crisscrossed geography like no one’s business. But hey, despite his globetrotting fame, he’s always kept his family close by. The Hollywood legend tied the knot with Gloria Rand back in 1956. They had three daughters then untied the knot in ’69. The actor would get married three more times, to Marcy Lafferty (1973–1996), then Nerine Kidd (1997–1999), then Elizabeth Martin (2001–2020). According to the latest reports, William is back with Elizabeth, having reconciled in early 2023.
And the daughters? Each one’s blazed her own trail, far from Daddy’s Starfleet. Leslie, the eldest, went to work in healthcare and nailed a career as an occupational therapist. Lisabeth, middle child and secret artist, dabbled in Star Trek but also explored writing and sculpture. Then there’s baby Melanie, who followed her dad’s footsteps closest, landing herself a few movie parts in the ’90s.
Life has also served William his fair share of sorrow. One of the bleakest times? Losing his third wife, Nerine Kidd. She was found dead in their pool in 1999, a devastating blow that scarred Shatner to the core.
Legal Warp-Drives: Major Events in Shatner’s Life
In 2012, Shatner faced a lawsuit by a former employee, Oscar Alfaro. Alfaro slipped on a wet driveway and claimed he got fired for his unwillingness to sign a release. Alfaro and his wife sought damages from Shatner and some others who went unnamed.
More personal was the revelation made by radio DJ Peter Sloan who claimed to be Shatner’s son, a secret supposedly kept since a 1956 love fling. Shatner denied the claim but Sloan stuck to his guns and even took the matter to court in 2016. The court, however, dismissed the case.
But hey, it isn’t all drama. On October 12, 2021, Shatner really did boldly go where no celeb had gone before—outer space, courtesy Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocketship. Life imitates art, huh?
