The Many Iterations of William Shatner

pickens writes: The NY Times weekend magazine has a long profile, well worth reading of self-described "working actor" William Shatner who began acting at age 6 and who at one point in the late 1950's was mentioned in the same breath as his contemporaries Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Robert Redford — until, without explanation, his career faded before it bloomed. Shatner, now 79, pulls no punches in his memories of the Star Trek years. "I never thought it'd become a big deal, just 13 episodes and out," says Shatner. "I didn't think I was hard to get along with. There were a few disaffected actors who came in once a week. I had nothing to do with them. Friendly! I was working seven days a week, learning 10 pages of dialogue a day. They had one line! Then after the show was canceled and the Star Trek phenomenon began, those actors would go to the conventions. They'd get applause, praise, and begin to think, 'Hey, I was wonderful, and Shatner stole the spotlight.'"