By StephanieLee Elliott
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
William Shatner OC (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship Enterprise in the second pilot of the first Star Trek television series to his final appearance as Captain Kirk in the seventh Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Generations (1994).
Shatner began his screen acting career in Canadian films and television productions before moving into guest-starring roles in various American television shows. He appeared as James Kirk in all the episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, 21 of the 22 episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and the first seven Star Trek movies. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences before, during and after his time in a Starfleet uniform. He has also co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe and a series of science fiction novels, the TekWar sequence, that were adapted for television. Outside Star Trek, Shatner played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker (1982–1986), hosted the reality-based television series Rescue 911 (1989–1996), guest starred on the detective series Columbo, and acted in the comedy film Miss Congeniality (2000).
Shatner’s television career after his last appearance as Captain Kirk has embraced comedy, drama and reality shows. In seasons 4 and 5 of the NBC series 3rd Rock from the Sun, he played the alien “Big Giant Head” to which the main characters reported. From 2004 until 2008, he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of the legal show The Practice and in its spinoff Boston Legal, a role that earned him two Emmy Awards, one for his contribution to each series. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, he starred in both seasons of NBC’s Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series in which a band of elderly celebrities toured east Asia and Europe.
Aside from acting, Shatner has had a career as a recording artist, beginning in 1968 with his album The Transformed Man. His cover versions of songs are dramatic recitations of their lyrics rather than musical performances: the most notable are his versions of the Beatles‘ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds“, Bob Dylan‘s “Mr. Tambourine Man“, and Elton John‘s “Rocket Man“.[4] His most successful album was his third, Seeking Major Tom (2011), which includes covers of Pink Floyd‘s “Learning to Fly“, David Bowie‘s “Space Oddity” and Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody“.
In 2021, Shatner flew into space aboard Blue Origin NS-18, a Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule. At age 90, he became the oldest person to fly in space and one of the first 600 to do so. Minutes after the flight, he described experiencing the overview effect.
Shatner is a longtime U.S. resident and has a green card.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Died
- Jean-Baptiste Lully (composer) –
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (writer) –
- Karl Wallenda (circus performer) –
- Sir Richard Sykes (British ambassador to the Netherlands, assassinated by Irish Republican Army) –
- David Strickland (actor) –
- Janet Akyuz Mattei (astronomer) –
- Aldabra tortoise Adwaitya (thought to be 255 years old, in Kolkata, India) –
- Israel “Cachao” Lopez (pioneer of mambo style music) –
Born
- Thomas Crawford (sculptor) –
- Randolph Caldecott (illustrator) –
- Robert Andrews Millikan (physicist) –
- Chico Marx (comedian) –
- Louis L’Amour (author) –
- Karl Malden (actor) –
- Marcel Marceau (French mime ) –
- Stephen Sondheim (composer) –
- William Shatner (actor) –
- George Benson (singer) –
- Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer) –
- Bob Costas (sports broadcaster) –
- Stephanie Mills (singer) –
- Keegan-Michael Key (comedian and actor) –
- Reese Witherspoon (actress) –
- James T. Kirk (Character on Star Trek series; alternate birth year 2228) –
Events
- Massasoit, chieftain of the Wampanoags, came to Plymouth to treat of peace with Pilgrims –
- Gambling made illegal in Boston –
- Stamp Act passed by the English Parliament, requiring American colonists to buy and affix British-issued stamps to most documents –
- Young Men’s Hebrew Association founded –
- President Grover Cleveland appointed members of the first regulatory agency, the Interstate Commerce Commision –
- First women’s basketball game was played at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts –
- Beer and Wine Revenue Act, signed by FDR, legalized wine and so-called 3.2 beer –
- Grand Coulee Dam on Columbia River began production of electric power –
- First U.S. rocket to leave the earth’s atmosphere, launched from White Sands, New Mexico, attained height of 50 miles –
- 7.0-magnitude earthquake occurred in Fox Islands, Alaska –
- Hank Williams Jr. made his stage debut at 8 years old –
- Louis B. Leakey announced his 1961 discovery of a 14 million-year-old hominoid in Kenya –
- The Beatles’ first album, Please Please Me, was released in Britain –
- Muhammad Ali knocked out Zora Foley in NY. This was his last fight before being stripped of his title for avoiding the military draft –
- Proposed women’s equal rights amendment to Constitution submitted to states for ratification –
- Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter revealed that the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, and Bob Dylan inspired him while he worked late nights at the Georgia governor’s mansion –
- U.S. Congress voted to overide President Reagan’s veto and reinstate the Civil Rights Restoration Act. The law, which was designed to replace protections voided by 1984 U.S. Supreme Court decision, prohibitted discrimination by an institution receiving federal funds –
- A coyote was captured in Central Park, New York City. Named Hal by park workers, he was about a year old and weighed 35 pounds. First spotted on Sunday, March 19, the hunt began the afternoon of Tuesday, March 21 and ended Wednesday, March 22. He was taken to a wildlife center outside NYC. City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said the coyote is believed to be only the second coyote ever spotted in Central Park. –
- Alaska’s Mount Redoubt volcano erupted four times. An ash plume more than 9 miles was released into the air in the volcano’s first emission in nearly 20 years –
- An animatronic T-rex caught fire in Canon City, Colorado –
Weather
- Deadly tornado struck Urbana, Ohio, blowing a Bible 15 miles –
- Kansas and Texas experienced a blizzard –
- Twenty degrees F at Barrow, Alaska –
- Ninth day of March record highs (78 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit) in Chicago, Illinois –
COURTESY www.almanac.com
