# William Shatner, awful actor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2003, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419 "2003-10-30T10:59:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/41 "2003-10-31T07:15:37Z")
Family Guy’s depiction of William Shatner is hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/42 "2003-10-31T08:19:22Z")
The guy was a ham, and I think that was largely responsible for Star Trek becoming a cult classic. It’s _fun_ to watch him overact. I…don’t…say…sabotage I…say…sa-bo-tahge! And I agree he’s quite good at the comedy stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/43 "2003-10-31T08:24:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\*I…don’t…say…sabotage I…say…sa-bo-tahge! > \*\* I used to think this was strange until I heard my Dad who, like Shatner, is a Montreal English-speaking Jew born in the 1930s, pronounce it the same way. It may be a regional thing. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/44 "2003-10-31T08:28:12Z")
NoClueBoy stole both my points! The best part of The Enemy Within is not how he plays the evil Kirk, but how he plays the good Kirk. Kirk without his passion, without his confidence. He did a great job in that one. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/45 "2003-10-31T08:35:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Odinoneeye \* > \*\*NoClueBoy stole both my points! > > The best part of The Enemy Within is not how he plays the evil Kirk, but how he plays the good Kirk. Kirk without his passion, without his confidence. He did a great job in that one. \*\* How about when he plays Dr. Janice Lester inhabiting Capt. Kirk’s body? There’s one scene where he’s sitting in the Captain’s chair, legs crossed very effeminately at the knee, filing his nails!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gorgonzola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e480ec/32.png) [@Gorgonzola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgonzola)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/46 "2003-10-31T18:34:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > \*\* > I’ll bet you that if Shatner was given some serious dramatic performance with a high billing, he could pull off a very good performance. Say, if Quentin Tarantino had a juicy role for him as a washed-up cop who does despicable things or something. I’ll bet he could turn the ham off, and do something serious if he really wanted to. \*\* I think Harvey Keitel beat him to the defining role. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgonzola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e480ec/32.png) [@Gorgonzola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgonzola)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/47 "2003-10-31T18:37:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > \*\* > I’ll bet you that if Shatner was given some serious dramatic performance with a high billing, he could pull off a very good performance. Say, if Quentin Tarantino had a juicy role for him as a washed-up cop who does despicable things or something. I’ll bet he could turn the ham off, and do something serious if he really wanted to. \*\* I think Harvey Keitel beat him to the defining role. By the way, Shatner “did” Stratford early in his career. That makes him an actor in my books. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgonzola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e480ec/32.png) [@Gorgonzola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgonzola)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/48 "2003-10-31T18:40:19Z")
Sorry. The board lagged me to death! ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/49 "2003-10-31T19:31:18Z")
Dear God, I am listening to “Lucy.” AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/50 "2003-10-31T22:41:56Z")
[Shatner] There’s **got** tobeawaytoconsidermea \*\*great ``` actor**. ``` [/Shatner] ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/51 "2003-11-01T01:25:28Z")
“IT IS MUTINY! DELIBERATE, VINDICATIVE, INSANE AT IT’S BASE! BUT MUTINY IS CHARGED, AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO MUTINY!” 😃 I liked Captain Kirk. Shatner was great. As Astro says, he inhabited the role. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419/52 "2003-11-01T06:44:13Z")
Have you ever seen Kevin Pollak’s Shatner impressions? Priceless. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shatner-awful-actor/210419.md?page=2)