William Shatner: From Captain Kirk to Denny Crane
What's an actor supposed to do when he's already embodied one of the iconic characters of the past half-century? Pick a new one that's totally different and have a darn good time with it. In the late '60s, William Shatner created the role of Captain James T. Kirk, commander of the starship Enterprise on Star Trek. Four years after the series was canceled, a cult following prompted a reboot, and Shatner returned to play Captain Kirk for two more television seasons and seven Star Trek films over 18 years. When he finally hung up his Starfleet uniform, Shatner picked up the role of Denny Crane, the founding partner at a fictitious Boston law firm on The Practice. The cigar-puffing, whisky-sipping Crane, who often slept with the wives of judges and clients, would randomly and dramatically say his name at odd times to ensure that those in the room knew they were in the presence of a legend. Shatner reprised the role in the spin-off Boston Legal, and his performances of the character dealing with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease earned him two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.