William Shatner

Actor, musician and author William Shatner originated the role of "Captain James T. Kirk" on Star Trek and can currently be seen on the ABC show Boston Legal. Though written off several times by critics as a "has-been," Shatner has had a lengthy, prolific career, with many popular and critically acclaimed projects under his belt.

Shatner appeared on The Tonight Show on June 17, 2009, where he attempted to make the Vulcan gesture of goodwill to Conan O'Brien but couldn't get his fingers to cooperate. After being teased by O'Brien, Shatner gave him the finger.Huffington Post: William Shatner Flips Off Conan, Can't Do Vulcan Salute (June 19, 2009)

By the time Shatner came to Star Trek, he already had a number of notable projects under his belt, including the films The Brothers Karamozov, Judgement at Nuremberg, and The Intruder. His performance as heroic starship captain James T. Kirk would eventually become a blessing, but for a time in the 1970s led to typecasting that nearly ended his career.

Shatner had success on the small screen again with the wildly popular early 1980s police actioner T.J. Hooker, in which he played the title role of a heroic police sergeant. Much like his Star Trek role, Hooker combined action heroism with tongue-in-cheek humor, but the character was distinct enough to also become iconic, leading Shatner to host the police recreation show Rescue 911.

In the final season of legal drama The Practice, Shatner was cast as eccentric Boston attorney Denny Crane, a lawyer who had never lost a case. His character caught attention, as did his chemistry with series star James Spader. The two were spun off into the dramedy Boston Legal, in which Shatner's performance as the aging lawyer possibly in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease has won him two Emmy Awards.

On February 28, 2010 former Star Trek star William Shatner made an appearance at the 2010 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony. Shatner used his camera time to tell the audience how great a country Canada truly is, citing their "magnificent lakes" and "stunning sunsets" as reasons why the country demands so much appreciation. He also took a moment to give a shout out of pride to his hometown of Montreal. Shatner then introduced humor into his mix by reminding everyone that Canadian's are special because, "we are a people that know how to make love in the canoe" which, he added, is why Canada's health care system "covers splinters". Shatner also commended on the beauty of the country's Rocky Mountains and glaciers, and noted that minus thirty degree temperatures are "just another sign of global warming . Shatner also linked Canada to Star Trek, calling the host country the "final frontier".

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• March 22, 1931: Born

• 1960: The Twilight Zone: "Nick of Time"

• 1963: The Twilight Zone: "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

• 1965: Incubus

• 1966-1969: Star Trek

• 1973-1975: Star Trek

• 1979: Star Trek: The Motion Picture

• 1982-1986: T.J. Hooker

• 1982: Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

• 1982: Airplane II: The Sequel

• 1984: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

• 1986: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

• 1989: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

• 1991: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

• 1994: Star Trek: Generations

• 1999-2000: 3rd Rock from the Sun

• 2000: Miss Congeniality

• 2004: The Practice

• 2005: Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous

• 2006: Over the Hedge

• 2004-2008: Boston Legal

• 2008: Shatner's Raw Nerve