Highlights
- William Shatner’s role in Star Trek catapulted him to fame and set him up to earn millions in the future.
- Shatner was initially paid $5,000 per episode of Star Trek and received a $500 pay increase for each season renewed.
- Despite not receiving residuals, Shatner is grateful for his time on Star Trek, as it propelled him into stardom and contributed to his impressive net worth of $100 million.
William Shatner is an actor who has been fortunate enough to have many iconic roles to his name. With over seven decades in the entertainment industry, lead roles in TJ Hooker, the Priceline commercials, and Boston Legal won Shatner fans in the 1980s, 1990s, and the early 2000s, respectively. Though Shatner will not sign autographs in public places, he has a long-running, massive following thanks to Star Trek.
Before landing the role of James T. Kirk in the 1960s, Shatner was just another actor who was trying to make ends meet. While Shatner was most certainly a working actor, landing multiple projects per year from 1955 on, it was when he was cast as the youngest captain of Starfleet that audiences truly began to take notice.
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It was also because of Star Trek that William Shatner’s net worth grew to be nothing to scoff at, even if he could be worth much more. However, had it not been for Lucille Ball and her belief in the series, which led her to put up her own money to reshoot a pilot, Star Trek would have been dead in the water. Fortunately for Shatner and Star Trek fans worldwide, Ball’s gamble paid off. Star Trek became a resounding success for three seasons, with a legion of fans that is still growing today.
William Shatner Grew To Fame (And Fortune) On Star Trek
William Shatner’s time on ‘Star Trek’ would set him up to earn millions in the future
Before Shatner was cast as the lead in Star Trek, he worked consistently in television, film, and on the stage. But while his resume grew, Shatner was unable to get cast in a project that let his talents shine.
It was only because the original casting of the captain of the Enterprise, Jeffrey Hunter, was shut down by NBC executives that Shatner even got an opportunity to audition for Star Trek. Had the studio gone with Hunter, Shatner would never have been considered for the lead role in Star Trek. Had this happened, it is unclear if Shatner would have the fanbase and the fortune he has today.
“Jeffrey Hunter, good-looking guy, he was quite a name,” Shatner explained. “They presented the pilot to NBC and then there’s that moment when the gods — and, in this case, NBC executives — decide to buy or not to buy. To buy, or not to buy, that is the question! They said, ‘No, we’re not going to buy it, because we don’t like it. But we like the idea. So rewrite, recast and we’ll give you the money to do it.’”
Shatner went on to say, “I was in New York doing some work. They called me and said, ‘Would you come and see the pilot?’ With the idea of me being the captain. And I watched the pilot [and thought], ‘Oh my God, that’s really good. Why didn’t they buy it?’ Yet [the actors] were a little ponderous. Like, [soberly] ‘Helmsman, turn to the Starboard.’ You’ve been out five years in the middle of space, wouldn’t you say, [casually] ‘Hey, George, turn left’? ‘There’s a meteor coming!’… ‘Well, get out of the way!’ So I added a little lightness. Then it sold.”
Despite Shatner landing the lead role of Captain James Kirk, he was not paid a huge sum for his role. Instead, Shatner made $5,000 per episode. For every season that the show renewed, Shatner received a $500 bump in pay.
Unfortunately, there was no such thing as residuals during the time that Star Trek was filmed. The ability for actors to receive residuals was not something that was allowed until 1960 for movies. It would be several years more before actors would be able to negotiate for residuals in their contracts.
The inability to collect residuals has never been something that has bothered Shatner. What bothered Shatner over the years was how his co-stars would drag him to earn publicity. But when it came to what he was paid on Star Trek, Shatner has always been very upbeat about his time on the series, given that it was the vehicle that propelled him into stardom.
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“The series Star Trek that I was in, was so early on, there were no residuals,” Shatner said. “So none of us ever have received residuals. That came into being about three years later.”
Shatner went on to say, “I’ve worked gainfully all these years. I’m really grateful for it. It’s affected my life incredibly.”
Given Shatner’s impressive net worth, it is no surprise that he is grateful for his time with the Star Trek franchise.
William Shatner’s Net Worth Is $100 Million Today
William Shatner’s net worth could have been significantly higher were it not for divorce settlements
Given the length of time that Shatner has spent in the entertainment industry, it is no surprise that his net worth is as large as it is. Shatner’s net worth is $100 million. But, what some may not know is that Shatner’s net worth could be higher than it is today.
Of course, residuals would have helped had they been available, but it was the number of times that Shatner has been married that has taken a toll on his fortune.
Shatner has been married four times in his life. Of those marriages, three ended in divorce and one ended with Shatner being a widower. In the end, however, Shatner only has the best to say about his ex-wives.
Gloria Rand
Shatner was married to Gloria Rand from 1956 to 1969. During that time, the two had three daughters together. While the exact amount that Shatner had to pay for the divorce has not been disclosed, it is unlikely it was very much given that Shatner had just finished Star Trek and had yet to amass any large fortune.
As such, Shatner’s first marriage does not appear to have changed the course of his net worth.
Marcy Lafferty
The second woman that Shatner married was Marcy Lafferty. The two were together from 1970 to 1973, finally getting married in 1973. The marriage lasted until 1996 and proved to be expensive for Shatner. This is because Shatner and Lafferty had gotten involved in the world of breeding and riding show horses.
Shatner paid Lafferty $23 million in the settlement. He also agreed to give Lafferty horse semen so that she could continue in the world of horse breeding without him.
Nerine Kidd
Shatner’s third marriage was to Nerine Kidd. The two were married in 1997. Tragedy struck in 1999 when Kidd was found drowned in the couple’s pool. The accident reportedly occurred because Kidd was intoxicated and suffering from alcoholism.
In the years after Kidd’s death, Shatner created a halfway house for women called the Nerine Shatner Foundation, which has saved many lives.
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Elizabeth Martin
The final woman that Shatner would marry was Elizabeth Martin. Martin and Shatner met via the horse world and eventually got married in 2001. The two were married until Shatner filed for divorce in 2019.
In 2020, a settlement was reached where Shatner would pay $2 million to Martin and split marital assets. This included horses, in which, with this divorce, Shatner got to keep the horse semen for future horse breeding.
It appears that as of 2023, Martin and Shatner have reconciled. Whether there are plans to walk down the aisle again is unknown.
William Shatner Earns $150,000 Per Television Episode
William Shatner requests and earns six figures to appear on the small screen these days
Other than Shatner making $5,000 per episode of Star Trek, it has not been reported what Shatner has made for his other appearances as Captain Kirk in the various Star Trek movies that have come out over the years.
However, it has been reported by Celebrity Net Worth that Shatner makes $150,000 per episode of the television shows he appears on. When this salary took effect, though, is unclear.
It has also been reported over the years that Shatner made $600 million as the spokesperson for Priceline. This figure has been disputed by both Shatner and the CEO of Priceline.
Instead, it appears that Shatner was paid via stock in the company and a small salary to keep him on board as the Priceline spokesperson, along with Kaley Cuoco, for over 20 years.
Source: NewsFinale
