If you think William Shatner is sitting on a billion-dollar mountain of cash because of a travel website, I’ve got a bridge in the Neutral Zone to sell you. Honestly, the internet loves a good "actor gets rich" myth. For years, the legend of the William Shatner net worth has been tied to a single, explosive rumor: that he made $600 million from Priceline stock.
He didn't.
In fact, he’s spent a good chunk of the last decade trying to tell people he isn't secretly a billionaire. But that doesn’t mean he’s hurting for cash. Far from it. As we roll through 2026, Shatner remains one of the most prolific, workaholic icons in Hollywood history. He’s 94. Most people his age are busy figuring out how to use a TV remote, but Bill is out here launching documentaries, breeding world-class horses, and—oh yeah—literally going to space.
The $100 Million Reality Check
So, let's get the big number out of the way. Most reliable financial trackers and industry insiders pin the current William Shatner net worth at approximately $100 million.
Is it $600 million? No. Is it enough to buy a small island and several starship replicas? Absolutely.
What’s wild is how he built it. Unlike some of his Star Trek co-stars who lived off convention circuits and felt "trapped" by their roles, Shatner used Captain Kirk as a springboard into a dozens of different industries. He’s an actor, sure. But he’s also a musician (sorta), an author of nearly 30 books, a director, and a legendary pitchman.
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The Priceline Myth: What Really Happened?
Back in 1997, a tiny startup called Priceline.com approached Shatner to be their "Negotiator." The story goes that Shatner, being a savvy visionary, refused a salary and demanded stock instead. Then, the dot-com bubble supposedly made him richer than Croesus.
Here is the truth:
- Shatner did take stock as part of his compensation.
- The dot-com bubble burst in 2000, and Priceline stock plummeted to less than $2 a share.
- Shatner sold a significant portion of his holdings during the lean years when the stock was low.
Basically, he missed the massive surge that happened a decade later when the company rebranded as Booking Holdings and the stock price went into the stratosphere. He’s even joked about it on Twitter (now X), calling the $600 million figure "invisible dollars."
"Someone stupid said a stupid thing," he once tweeted. That about sums it up. He still made millions from the deal—just not "retire to my own planet" millions.
Why Star Trek Paid Less Than You Think
You’d assume the man who played James T. Kirk would be swimming in residuals. Wrong.
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Shatner has been very vocal about the fact that anything filmed before 1973—which includes the entirety of Star Trek: The Original Series—doesn't pay a single cent in royalties to the actors. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) didn't have those protections in place yet.
Think about that. Every time you see a clip of Kirk fighting a Gorn or yelling "Khan!", Shatner is getting exactly zero dollars.
He made about $3,500 per episode in the first season. By the time the show was canceled, he wasn't exactly a tycoon. In fact, after the show ended and he went through a divorce, Shatner was famously broke. He spent a summer living in a camper shell on the back of his truck in the San Fernando Valley.
The "Say Yes" Business Model
So how did he get to $100 million? He started saying "yes" to everything.
- T.J. Hooker: This was his big 80s comeback. It ran for five seasons and gave him the financial stability he lacked in the 70s.
- Boston Legal: This is where the real money (and the Emmys) came from. Playing Denny Crane didn't just win him awards; it gave him a high-salary network TV gig in an era where top-tier talent was pulling in $200k to $500k per episode.
- The "TekWar" Empire: Shatner didn't just write novels; he turned them into a franchise. TekWar became books, comic books, and a TV series.
- The Kentucky Farm: He owns a 150-hectare ranch in Kentucky. He doesn't just "have" horses; he breeds American Saddlebreds. This is a high-stakes, expensive business that has actually turned into a profitable venture for him.
Going to Space for Free?
In 2021, Shatner became the oldest person to go to space on Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket. People immediately started asking: "How much did he pay?"
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The answer? Nothing.
Shatner flew as an "honorable guest." From a business perspective, it was a masterstroke. Bezos got the ultimate PR win—Captain Kirk in actual space—and Shatner got the experience of a lifetime and a massive boost to his "social capital." That flight made him more relevant than he’d been in twenty years. It fueled new book deals, documentary projects like You Can Call Me Bill, and a surge in appearance fees.
The "Intern" and the Future
Even in 2026, he isn't slowing down. Just recently, he partnered with LifeWave for a series called "The World's Oldest Intern." It’s a spoof, but it’s also a high-paying endorsement deal.
He’s also still doing the convention circuit. While some might think it's "beneath" an actor of his stature, the math is simple. A top-tier star like Shatner can command $100 to $150 per autograph. If 500 people stand in line on a Saturday—which they do—that’s a massive weekend payday.
How to Apply the Shatner Strategy to Your Own Finances
- Diversify your "income streams": Shatner never relied on just acting. He wrote, he directed, he sold travel, and he bred horses.
- Equity is a gamble, but sometimes it's worth it: Even though the Priceline deal didn't make him a billionaire, it still paid better than a one-time cash fee would have in the long run.
- Don't let "typecasting" stop you: He leaned into the Kirk persona instead of running from it, using it to fuel his brand for sixty years.
- Negotiate for residuals whenever possible: Modern contracts are where the real wealth is built, something Shatner learned the hard way after the 1960s.
The William Shatner net worth isn't just a number on a balance sheet. It’s a testament to a guy who refused to go away. From living in a truck to riding rockets into the thermosphere, the man has navigated the highs and lows of the entertainment industry with more grit than almost anyone else in the business.
Check out the latest news on celebrity investments or look into the current valuation of legacy media franchises to see how Shatner’s peers are holding up in this economy.