William Shatner turned 93 years old a few days ago. 93. I realize that everyone else around me is getting old, even Dolly Parton, but William Shatner?? I watched him age through the years, waiting for my beloved Captain Kirk to show signs of the years taking their toll, and I am not blind ... I saw it happen. He is not the same handsome, dashing, sexy guy I first saw as Captain James T. Kirk on 'Star Trek.'
Nor is he the cute, anxious, (did I already mention sexy?) guy I saw on 'The Twilight Zone' episode freaking out about the airplane gremlin.
'The Twilight Zone,' ... 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.' 1963
No, William Shatner is all those things and MORE. He grew into his middle age, into a man who was even more handsome, sexier, and began to add more charm to the equation. Then he grew older and threw in some confidence ... and that made him even more attractive.
Now, he is 93. He looks 70. I do not know if he has had any plastic surgery. I don't dare. The love and goodness shine from the inside. He has had differences with some of his old castmates, and he has apologized and made peace with them. He made peace with James Doohan and Leonard Nimoy before they passed on. Same with Nichelle Nichols. If others still hold grudges, that will be their grudge to hold, because Shatner says he has reached out, and I believe him.
And you know what? At 93, the man has a charisma that drips from every pore. He was never what I would call an A-list actor (who am I to judge?) but I see him as one hell of a good man. Not perfect, but he has lived the best life he could. Again, he has made his share of mistakes, had more than his share of sorrows, and he has to live with them. In my opinion, he is being rewarded by the universe with a healthy old age for being a good man and having done positive things with his life.
There is only one thing that has always been a mystery to me about William Shatner, and that is his hair ... or lack of it, as it turns out. I avoided the subject or even thinking about it for most of my life, because, like my mother probably felt about John Wayne (who was entirely bald, not even having the little strip that goes around the back of the head ending at each ear) I preferred to keep that particular illusion alive and well. Now that I am almost 65, and he is 93, I decided it was time to find out the truth. So, I put my researcher's hat on and went snooping.
At the end of his autobiography “Up Till Now,” Shatner announced in his concluding paragraph that he is “thrilled that there are some things that will forever remain a mystery. For example, do I wear a toupée?” And he has never said one way or the other.
However, it has been verified by 'others' in his personal and professional life that Shatner has worn some type of hair 'help' since 1957. It’s no longer a mystery, thanks to the good folks at the William Shatner School of Toupological Studies (WSSTS), which is the fictional institution that takes credit for the critical research regarding the toupée in question. I find it very interesting to have witnessed the obesssion of whether or not a cultural icon had a toupeé is of such great interest; especially at a time when only Yul Brynner could win the big roles without a full head of hair.
Shatner began losing his hair before his Starfleet-captaining days, and few people realize that while Leonard Nimoy was getting his Vulcan ears attached, Shatner was sitting beside him every morning in the Star Trek makeup chairs getting his so-called “Jim Kirk lace” toupée applied to give him a natural-looking hairline. Now that all of Star Trek’s original series can be watched in high definition, you can see the lace line of the toupée in most of Shatner’s close-ups.
When Trek was canceled, Shatner’s fortunes dimmed considerably, and he could no longer afford the luxury toupées that he wore on the bridge of the Enterprise. The WSSTS labels these years the “Lost Years,” when the rugs that ended up on top of his scalp were too cheap to resemble anything that could have naturally grown from a hair follicle. They’re much darker than the Jim Kirk lace toupées, and some look more like broom thistles or black uncooked spaghetti than anything human.
When “Star Trek” returned to the big screen and Shatner’s career came back from the dead, he donned what the WSSTS called the “TJ Curly,” a toupée named for the cop he portrayed on the TV series “TJ Hooker.” Then, he went to the look described as the “Denny Katz,” named for his character in the hit “Boston Legal,” as well as Edward Katz, the proprietor of Edward Katz Hair Design, where Shatner was possibly a client.
It turned out that those early toupées from the original Star Trek days were some fine-ass toupées. They were the Cadillacs of synthetic hair, with one of them costing the show $1,600 in today’s money. So it was perfect that the costume department ordered two, as one of them went missing after they finished shooting the first season.
Since young William Shatner stole the first wig from his Star Trek set (by his own admission years later), wigs or toupées have somehow become an inseparable part of his life. It was reported that at the beginning of August 2022, 91-year-old William Shatner was seen visiting Denise Johnson Originals in Encino, California, to get his hair fixed. He was seen at the same clinic last March, too. The Star Trek legend’s hair has been a hot topic for decades.
When his Star Trek journey started, William was required to wear different toupees throughout the three years of shooting. The three-year-long wig-wearing journey caused him to age prematurely during those Star Trek years. However, throughout the three years, the Captain also sported a few hairstyles with wigs, such as the combed one. Shatner has naturally curly hair, so it required combing out what remained of his natural hair. As he began to lose his hair, he tried lace frontal hair systems, which are designed with thin human hair for older men’s looks.
William Shatner has worn a wig for almost 70 years of his acting career. Though rumors are continuing their rounds, no one has eyewitnessed William Shatner’s baldness. Or have they? Is th photo below real or photoshopped? I have to go with photoshopped, because Shatner has never admitted to being partially or totally bald and if he has not admitted it, I highl doubt he would be attending a dress-up function sans hair..
Over the years, there have been various rumors and speculations about William Shatner's decision to wear a wig. Despite the lack of direct confirmation, there have been a few instances where Shatner indirectly referenced his hair in interviews and public appearances.
One example of Shatner's indirect acknowledgement of his hair situation is his participation in a Comedy Central roast. During the roast, various comedians took playful jabs at Shatner's hair, suggesting that it might not be all-natural. While Shatner himself did not provide a direct response to these jokes, his laughter and good-natured reactions indicated that he was not offended by the topic.
Another instance where Shatner referenced his hair was during a convention appearance. A fan asked him about his secret for his "perfect hair," to which Shatner jokingly replied, "You know what they say, it's all in the genes... and a good hair stylist!" This tongue-in-cheek response further perpetuated the speculation surrounding his hair, suggesting that he was not wearing a wig entirely by choice.
It is evident that Shaner is aware of the rumors and jokes surrounding his hair. Instead of addressing the issue head-on, he chooses to maintain a sense of humor and playfulness about it. This indirect approach allows Shatner to maintain some privacy while also engaging with fans and addressing their curiosity.
While Shatner's responses have been lighthearted and humorous, they neither confirm nor deny the speculation surrounding his hair. Ultimately, Shatner's decision to keep his hair situation private is his personal choice, and it is respectful for fans and the public to respect his privacy on this matter.
So, I have a final conclusion, no matter what all this research came up with. I have no idea what William Shatner did as far as his hair issues before the original Star Trek. I was born in 1959 and my first experience with WIlliam Shatner was the original Star Trek which aired in 1966. I vaguely remmber The Twilight Zone episode ... Mom and Dad didn't let my brother and I watch that show much for obvious reasons..
I definitely believe he wore a hair piece in the 1960s ... a frontal hair piece to hide his receding hairline. For those of you who know the show in the original Star Trek ... in the episode, "The Deadly Years," where the crew was all aging prematurely, Shatner did not wear the hairpiece when he was made up as the older Kirk, and we can really see the differnence as he slips it back on when they are all cured. He wore a more complete wig for the last two years of the original series and the early Star Trek movies. It appears he had undergone some kine of hair-plugs or hair-weaving ... some type of hair replacement procedure by Star Trek IV, which is why he insisted on doing the dangerous underwater stunt - to show off the new work.
That is my my 'expert' Trekkie assessment on William Shatner's toupée and wig situation. And his hair situaiton in general.
I would have still had my mega-crush on Willliam Shatner even if he had been bald as a cue-ball for his entire life. As I said previously, it is what is inside that counts.
Now, I still have to weigh in on Spock's ears. I have thoughts on those, as well!
Darkmum
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