William Shatner is still boldly going at 93
In a new documentary on Amazon Prime, Stark Trek's first captain shares his tips for long life
Brigit Grant is the Jewish News Supplements Editor
It’s hard not to double take when first setting eyes on William Shatner. His cherubic complexion is not that of a man of 93, but then he is not like other men.
While most nonagenarians feel fortunate to take a trip into town, Shatner went to space. “To boldly go” may have been the mantra of Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, the role Shatner played for nearly four decades, but it also belonged to the Canadian-Jewish actor, who fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2021 when Amazon owner Jeff Bezos offered him a seat on his Blue Origin rocket, sending him to the stars.
For Trekkies to see the man from the bridge of the USS Enterprise rolling about, weightless, on a real ship was sci-fi come to life and the impressive event features in Shatner’s new documentary, You Can Call Me Bill, on Amazon Prime.
The tinkling and lyrical score is the perfect accompaniment to the whimsical and abridged telling of Shatner’s storied life, broken into labelled chapters commencing with a ‘Prologue’ about ‘The Miracle’– which, in Shatner’s mind, is earth and all its nature that mankind is slowly eradicating.
A deeply emotional fellow, he wells up easily. Trees are the biggest trigger, as he plans to become one when the time comes. But not yet, as he is so physically unweathered he is more seedling than old oak, but he still regrets he will miss out on what his great grandchildren become in the future.
He feels much the same about dogs. “I love them. Dogs speak to you,” he says, and he feels the same about horses, which he still rides. Cue more tinkling music, then the details of his early life in Canada. In his book, Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder, published last year, he writes about the importance of Jewish values in his life: “Judaism is not just a religion; it’s a way of life that teaches perseverance and the importance of community.”
His first performance as a child playing a Jewish child in a traumatic part of a play was a portrayal that let him know he wanted to act. “It was the audience’s reaction, and I saw how moved they were… to be able to do that…”
Shatner talks about summers at Jewish camps and how much he adored his father, who died of a heart attack while the actor was on set in Star Trek, and just managed to complete the scene.
“I loved my father deeply,” he says. “But I would hear those kids, those people, who said ‘mom’ with so much affection. I did not have that with my ‘mother’ as that is what I called her.”
As the only Jew in his Toronto neighbourhood, Shatner was often bullied and beaten. It was the hell of antisemitism that he had in common with the late Leonard Nimoy, his space wingman Dr Spock, who derived his Vulcan greeting from the Torah.
Before there was Kirk, there were cowboys for Shatner and featured roles in Twilight Zone episodes and other movies. More recently, starring with James Spader, he was irrepressible eccentric lawyer Denny Crane in Boston Legal, which earned him two Emmy Awards and why he won is evident in the clips of David E Kelley’s sassy legal dramedy series. Comedy may have become the cornerstone of his career, but he is underrated as the straight man.
One of his earliest and most provocative roles was as a radical preacher in the 1962 film The Intruder, which tackled racial tensions and prejudice as themes that remain strikingly relevant today.
Shatner remains a radical, especially on X (Twitter), where he is political and is followed for his sharp wit and wisdom and it has led to spirited exchanges with fellow thesps. “Hey @WilliamShatner, did you bring your lightsaber?” piped Star Wars’ Mark Hamill, to which Shatner replied: “Sorry, Mark. I left it on the Enterprise.”
But back to that face, which has defied gravity – space pun intended. What does he eat? What face creams does he apply? Is he the living embodiment of F Scott Fitzgerald’s Benjamin Button, the character who aged in reverse? No big revelations there, as he explains: “ A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, avoid excessive sugar and processed foods, and drink plenty of water throughout the day.”
A proponent of regular physical activity, but it is just walking and swimming; it is the stimulating of his mind on which he relies and the practice of mindfulness that puts him bang on trend. But young as he looks, Shatner is acutely aware the clock is ticking, and so the final chapter on death comes too soon for the audience, especially when the actor says: “I don’t want to go, I’ve still got so much I want to do.” L’chayim to that.
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