It's hard to believe, but the original Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series, William Shatner, will turn 94 next month. With genetics clearly in his favor, Shatner could easily pass for a man in his sixties, and he keeps the schedule of someone who clearly isn't interested in slowing down. But that doesn't mean the actor doesn't think about his mortality. In 2023, he told Variety [via Today] that he didn't have long to live. Certainly that's not something the fans want to even think about, but Shatner's matter-of-fact way of talking about death is just a part of who he is.
And he's all about finding joy in the life that he has, telling Dr. Mehmet Oz that "there's joy everywhere," and that we should be looking for it, offering up three possibilities of "whether it’s a hot bath or a good friend or a piece of cheese." Shatner seems to radiate that joy during interviews or any time he takes to the stage. It's something we all can take from the nonagenarian.
Though the actor has enjoyed good health for most of his life, he was diagnosed and treated for stage 4 melanoma after finding a lump near his right ear, but he didn't reveal exactly when that health scare occurred. It's yet another reason to "cherish each day," as the actor advises.
Shatner has brought a lot of happiness to fans around the world, whether those who avidly watched Star Trek or those who preferred the legal drama, Boston Legal, in which he starred as "Denny Crane," an aging law partner who loved to say his own name. And as he continues to work, he drops some great advice to all of us as he told a story to The Times about his granddaughter when she was concerned about going to cooking school in Italy.
‘Think of your journey as a movie. You’re the main character, go have a good time and make a great movie," he said. Shatner continues to make a great movie deserving of an Emmy award.