The Shat is 92! I know that he... divides opinion shall we say (acting style, personality), but I love the guy. Good actor too. And sometimes a GREAT actor. I also love his eagerness to continue learning about the mysteries of the universe, at an age when most of us would have already given up.
I have just over 30 years to reach that level of vitality. There. Is. Still. Hope.
I've never been a Trekkie or Trekker or whatever it's called....a STAR TREK fan of any kind, but I'm fascinated by Shatner. His sprightliness at his age, his 'persona' and cult position.
I always felt it was a travesty that he was never nominated for a leading role Emmy for ST:TOS. Watching “The Ultimate Computer,” demonstrates what a truly fine actor he is, especially in the final act, first, as Kirk reacts to the viewing screen image of the four war games starships being obliterated by the M-5, then later, via link-up with the library station computer, when Kirk succeeds in convincing M-5 to cease the attack. Just a great, IMO, award-worthy performance by Bill Shatner. I also recall him in an intense mid-seventies TV drama, “The Tenth Level,” where he was also excellent playing a psychology professor.
Happy Birthday (actor, author, horseman, and astronaut), William Shatner. May you continue living and prospering!
I love William Shatner, the "persona" (I don't know him personally, nor have I ever met him). He seems topfit, alert, and at 92 can still pick a good fight on the Internet. He is sprightly and just does his own thing. Maybe he seems a bit prickly to some (and maybe he is or was), but when I happen to stumble across some of his Reddit/Twitter battles, he seems to usually stand his ground and has a point. And he is Captain James T. Kirk, so that makes him a living legend. (I would say "Captain Kirk" is one of the most famous TV characters ever created, because people all over the world, even those who have never watched "Star Trek", have probably heard of "Captain Kirk".)
He also turned in some fine pre-STAR TREK performances in The Brothers Karamazov and Judgment at Nuremberg.
And of course as the hapless passenger in Richard Donner's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" Twilight Zone episode.
Such a great rendition as Captain Kirk. Decisive, confident, masculine/manly, competent. So well embodied in the 2 episodes I watched last night: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "Balance of Terror".
Pathetic how the media plastered his recent comments about he "doesn't have long to live" (as he reflected on his age and the reality of that age) as "SHATNER SAYS HE DOESN'T HAVE LONG TO LIVE!" as click bait.
He's my only surviving childhood hero. I wish him well and I thank him.
He was certainly a childhood hero of mine growing up. I like him despite some glaring personality flaws. Gotta respect a man who's so passionate about working and living every second of his life. He's the best of actors and the worst of actors. Happy Birthday Jim!
Also, “The Grim Reaper” ep of “Thriller,” the stuff of literal nightmares, one of those segments I can’t watch before going to sleep (“The Ripper” ep of “Kolchak: The Night Stalker,” being another example).
A big reason The Shatner has lasted this long is that he's obsessed with his longevity, as is his friend/acquaintance Ray "Pill Popper" Kurzweil, the futurist/techie who downs between a hundred and two hundred anti-aging pills a day. I don't think The Shatner is quite as extreme, but he is still huge on diet, exercise, avoiding stress, etc.
A few months ago I was watching a 60 Minutes documentary, and it suggested that the ones who make it to ninety do so largely by getting at least forty-five minutes of exercise a day and by avoiding stress. Thus, being mindful of one's health is good, but stressing over it is bad. Modest amounts of caffeine, chocolate, wine, etc. won't kill you (and might actually be good for you). Genes also matter, of course.
Takei isn’t really a star name though. He’s a mediocre actor known only for one role, which is why any article about him in the media always has to point out he was Sulu on Star Trek. And 99% of those articles are just about him having hissy fits about Shatner anyway. He’s pretty irrelevant.
Takei isn’t really a star name though. He’s a mediocre actor known only for one role, which is why any article about him in the media always has to point out he was Sulu on Star Trek. And 99% of those articles are just about him having hissy fits about Shatner anyway. He’s pretty irrelevant.
And what is Shatner known for? Articles and interviews don't point out what he's famous for? Ask anyone what role Shatner is know for and 98% will say Star Trek. A small percentage will say TJ Hooker and an even smaller percentage will say for that lawyer television series.
Shatner's been labeled not a mediocre actor but a bad actor for his entire career. Shatner had some success on television and reprising his role as Captain/Admiral Kirk in the movies but not much else.
Takei's been acting since the mid to late 50's in films and television and worked with much bigger actors.
He's my only surviving childhood hero. I wish him well and I thank him.
Lee Majors, Bill Mumy, and Burt Ward are still around. They were part of my personal mythology along with Star Trek. But that still leaves Shatner in rarefied company. I wish him the best, too.
