Bookreporter.com - UP TILL NOW: The Autobiography by William Shatner, with David Fisher

UP TILL NOW: The Autobiography
William Shatner, with David Fisher
Thomas Dunne Books
Autobiography
ISBN: 9780312372651

“There are going to be a lot of laughs in this book, mostly at my expense.” Here we have William Shatner --- the actor, the father, the husband, the horseman, the pilot, the dog lover. The whole man is pictured in the pages of UP TILL NOW. Story after story, fans of the beloved entertainer will find another reason to keep reading.

For me, Denny Crane of “Boston Legal” is William Shatner. But there are so many aspects to this performer that we haven’t known until now. From 2006: “Actor William Shatner agreed on Monday to sell his kidney stone for $75,000 to an online casino. The money will go to Habitat for Humanity.” Said Shatner, “This takes organ donors to a new height or perhaps a new low.” According to him, the kidney stone was so big “you’d want to wear it on your finger. If you subjected it to extreme heat, it might turn out to be a diamond…” Shatner humor at its best!

In addition to his legendary role of Captain James T. Kirk on “Star Trek,” Shatner has appeared in countless films, including The Intruder and Judgment at Nuremberg, and such television programs as “T.J. Hooker” and “The Twilight Zone” (in a classic episode entitled “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.”) He also developed a series of science fiction novels, which led to a Marvel Comics series and inspired the computer game TekWar, and can even boast a musical career. The biggest surprise in this autobiography, though, is the fact that he made his American television debut as Ranger Bob (the precursor to Buffalo Bob) on “The Howdy Doody Show.”

Shatner is never boring, and never bored. Involved with a number of projects simultaneously, he also has his own website, where he sells Star Trek merchandise and includes links to the Hollywood Charity Horse Show and the Nerine Shatner Friendly House, a non-profit residential facility for women. Also, there are plenty of videos in ShatnerVision, fan clubs, etc. The list of Star Trek merchandise is amazing!

Shatner dishes on some of the backstage “Star Trek” gossip. Especially interesting for non-Trekkies like me is the information on all the actors who turned down the role of Captain Kirk before it was offered to Shatner. Of course, he also relives his Star Trek convention blowup, known for all time as “get a life.”

I must admit I was hooked on page one. Of the hundreds of biographies and autobiographies I’ve read, UP TILL NOW is truly the most engaging. It’s pretty obvious that when you hear the voice of Denny Crane or Captain Kirk, or come across those Priceline.com commercials, you are hearing William Shatner. He is as real as they come.

--- Reviewed by Marge Fletcher

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