William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor, writer, performer of the spoken word, and director, best known for having gained fame for his starring role as Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the television show Star Trek: The Original Series from 1966 to 1969 (continuing into seven of the subsequent movies). Shatner has written three books chronicling his experiences playing James T. Kirk and being a part of the Star Trek franchise.