Tinnitus ( /tɪˈnaɪtəs/ or /ˈtɪnɪtəs/; from the Latin word tinnītus meaning "ringing") is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound. Tinnitus is not a disease, but a condition that can result from a wide range of underlying causes: neurological damage (multiple sclerosis), abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal for even the briefest period (but usually with some duration), ear infections, foreign objects in the ear, nasal allergies that prevent (or induce) fluid drain, or wax build-up. Withdrawal from a benzodiazepine addiction may cause tinnitus as well. In-ear headphones, whose sound enters directly into the ear canal without any opportunity to be deflected or absorbed elsewhere, are a common cause of tinnitus when volume is set beyond moderate levels.

Tinnitus may be an accompaniment of sensorineural hearing loss or congenital hearing loss, or it may be observed as a side effect of certain medications. However, the most common cause is noise-induced hearing loss.

As tinnitus is usually a subjective phenomenon, it is difficult to measure using objective tests, such as by comparison with noise of known frequency and intensity, as in an audiometric test. The condition is often rated clinically on a simple scale from "slight" to "catastrophic" according to the practical difficulties it imposes, such as interference with sleep, quiet activities, and normal daily activities.^[1]

Tinnitus is common; about 20% of people between 55 and 65 years old report symptoms on a general health questionnaire, and 11.8% on more detailed tinnitus-specific questionnaires.^[2]

Characteristics[link]

Tinnitus can be perceived in one or both ears or in the head. It is usually described as a ringing noise, but in some patients, it takes the form of a high-pitched whining, electric buzzing, hissing, humming, tinging or whistling sound, or as ticking, clicking, roaring, "crickets" or "tree frogs" or "locusts (cicadas)", tunes, songs, beeping, sizzling, sounds that slightly resemble human voices or even a pure steady tone like that heard during a hearing test.^[3] It has also been described as a "whooshing" sound, as of wind or waves.^[4] Tinnitus can be intermittent, or it can be continuous, in which case it can be the cause of great distress. In some individuals, the intensity can be changed by shoulder, head, tongue, jaw, or eye movements.^[5]

Most people with tinnitus have some degree of hearing loss,^[6] in that they are often unable to hear clearly external sounds that occur within the same range of frequencies as their "phantom sounds".^[7] This has led to the suggestion that one cause of tinnitus might be a homeostatic response of central dorsal cochlear nucleus auditory neurons that makes them hyperactive in compensation to auditory input loss.^[8]

The sound perceived may range from a quiet background noise to one that can be heard even over loud external sounds. The term tinnitus usually refers to more severe cases. Heller and Bergman (1953) conducted a study of 100 tinnitus-free university students placed in an anechoic chamber and found 93% reported hearing a buzzing, pulsing or whistling sound. Cohort studies have demonstrated damage to hearing (among other health effects) from unnatural levels of noise exposure is very widespread in industrialized countries.^[9]

For research purposes, the more elaborate Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) is often used.^[10] Persistent tinnitus may cause irritability, fatigue, and on occasions, clinical depression^[11][12] and musical hallucinations.^[13]

As with all diagnostics, other potential sources of the sounds normally associated with tinnitus should be ruled out. For instance, two recognized sources of very high pitched sounds might be electromagnetic fields common in modern wiring and various sound signal transmissions. A common and often misdiagnosed condition that mimics tinnitus is Radio Frequency (RF) Hearing,^[14] in which subjects have been tested and found to hear high-pitched transmission frequencies that sound similar to tinnitus.

Causes[link]

Objective tinnitus[link]

In some cases, a clinician can perceive an actual sound (e.g., a bruit) emanating from the patient's ears. This is called objective tinnitus. Objective tinnitus can arise from muscle spasms that cause clicks or crackling around the middle ear.^[15] Some people experience a sound that beats in time with the pulse (pulsatile tinnitus, or vascular tinnitus).^[16] Pulsatile tinnitus is usually objective in nature, resulting from altered blood flow or increased blood turbulence near the ear (such as from atherosclerosis or venous hum,^[17]) but it can also arise as a subjective phenomenon from an increased awareness of blood flow in the ear.^[16] Rarely, pulsatile tinnitus may be a symptom of potentially life-threatening conditions such as carotid artery aneurysm^[18] or carotid artery dissection.^[19] Pulsatile tinnitus may also indicate vasculitis, or more specifically, giant cell arteritis. Pulsatile tinnitus may also be an indication of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.^[20]

Subjective tinnitus[link]

Subjective tinnitus can have many possible causes, but most commonly results from otologic disorders – the same conditions that cause hearing loss. The most common cause is noise-induced hearing loss, resulting from exposure to excessive or loud noises. Tinnitus, along with sudden onset hearing loss, may have no obvious external cause. Ototoxic drugs can cause subjective tinnitus either secondary to hearing loss or without hearing loss and may increase the damage done by exposure to loud noise, even at doses that are not in themselves ototoxic.^[21]

Subjective tinnitus is also a side effect of some medications, such as aspirin, and may also result from an abnormally low level of serotonin activity. It is also a classical side effect of quinidine, a Class IA anti-arrhythmic. Over 260 medications have been reported to cause tinnitus as a side effect.^[22] In many cases, however, no underlying physical cause can be identified.

Tinnitus can also occur due to the discontinuation of therapeutic doses of benzodiazepines as part of the benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. It can sometimes be a protracted symptom from benzodiazepine withdrawal and persist for many months.^[23][24]

Causes of subjective tinnitus include:^[25]

• Otologic problems and hearing loss:
  • conductive hearing loss
    • external ear infection
    • acoustic shock
    • loud noise or music^[26]
    • cerumen (earwax) impaction
    • middle ear effusion
    • superior canal dehiscence
  • sensorineural hearing loss
    • excessive or loud noise
    • presbycusis (age-associated hearing loss)
    • Ménière's disease
    • acoustic neuroma
    • mercury or lead poisoning
    • ototoxic medications
      • analgesics:
        • aspirin
        • nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
      • antibiotics:
        • Ciprofloxacin
        • aminoglycosides, e.g., gentamicin
        • chloramphenicol
        • erythromycin
        • tetracycline
        • tobramycin
        • vancomycin
        • doxycycline (Vibramycin)^[27]
      • chemotherapy and antiviral drugs:
        • bleomycin
        • interferon
        • pegylated interferon-alpha-2b
        • cisplatin
        • mechlorethamine
        • methotrexate
        • vincristine
      • loop diuretics:
        • bumetanide
        • ethacrynic acid
        • furosemide
      • others:
        • chloroquine
        • quinine
        • antidepressants
        • varenicline (Champix)
        • naproxen
• neurologic disorders:
  • chiari malformation
  • multiple sclerosis
  • head injury
    • skull fracture
    • closed head injury
    • whiplash injury
    • temporomandibular joint disorder
    • giant cell arteritis

• metabolic disorders:
  • thyroid disease
  • hyperlipidemia
  • vitamin B ₁₂ deficiency
  • iron deficiency anemia

• psychiatric disorders:
  • depression
  • anxiety

• other causes:
  • tension myositis syndrome
  • fibromyalgia
  • vasculitis
  • hypertonia (muscle tension)
  • thoracic outlet syndrome
  • Lyme disease
  • hypnagogia
  • sleep paralysis
  • glomus tympanicum tumor
  • anthrax vaccines which contain the anthrax protective antigen
  • Some psychedelic drugs can produce temporary tinnitus-like symptoms as a side effect
    • 5-MeO-DET^[28]
    • diisopropyltryptamine (DiPT)^[29]
  • benzodiazepine withdrawal^[23][24]
  • nasal congestion
  • intracranial hyper or hypotension caused by for example, Encephalitis or a cerebrospinal fluid leak

Pathophysiology[link]

One of the possible mechanisms relies on otoacoustic emissions. The inner ear contains thousands of minute inner hair cells with stereocilia which vibrate in response to sound waves, and outer hair cells which convert neural signals into tension on the vibrating basement membrane. The sensing cells are connected with the vibratory cells through a neural feedback loop, whose gain is regulated by the brain. This loop is normally adjusted just below onset of self-oscillation, which gives the ear spectacular sensitivity and selectivity. If something changes, it is easy for the delicate adjustment to cross the barrier of oscillation, and tinnitus results. Exposure to excessive sound kills hair cells, and studies have shown as hair cells are lost, different neurons are activated, activating auditory parts of the brain and giving the perception of sound.^{[citation needed]}

Another possible mechanism underlying tinnitus is damage to the receptor cells. Although receptor cells can be regenerated from the adjacent supporting Deiters cells after injury in birds, reptiles, and amphibians, in mammals it is believed they can be produced only during embryogenesis. Although mammalian Deiters cells reproduce and position themselves appropriately for regeneration, they have not been observed to transdifferentiate into receptor cells except in tissue culture experiments.^[30][31] Therefore, if these hairs become damaged, through prolonged exposure to excessive sound levels, for instance, then deafness to certain frequencies results. In tinnitus, they may relay information that an externally audible sound is present at a certain frequency when it is not.

The mechanisms of subjective tinnitus are often obscure. While it is not surprising that direct trauma to the inner ear can cause tinnitus, other apparent causes (e.g., temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD or TMD) and dental disorders) are difficult to explain. Research has proposed there are two distinct categories of subjective tinnitus: otic tinnitus, caused by disorders of the inner ear or the acoustic nerve, and somatic tinnitus, caused by disorders outside the ear and nerve, but still within the head or neck. It is further hypothesized somatic tinnitus may be due to "central crosstalk" within the brain, as certain head and neck nerves enter the brain near regions known to be involved in hearing.^[32]

Studies by researchers at the University of Western Australia suggest tinnitus is caused by increased neural activity in the auditory brainstem where the brain processes sounds, causing some auditory nerve cells to become overexcited. The basis of this theory is most people with tinnitus also have hearing loss,^[6] and the frequencies they cannot hear are similar to the subjective frequencies of their tinnitus.^[7] Models of hearing loss and the brain support the idea a homeostatic response of central dorsal cochlear nucleus neurons could result in them being hyperactive in a compensation process to the loss of hearing input.^[8] This, in turn, is related to changes in the genes involved in regulating the activity of those nerve cells. This proposed mechanism suggests possible treatments for the condition, involving the normalization or suppression of overactive neural activity through electrical or chemical means.^[33]

While most discussions of tinnitus tend to emphasize physical mechanisms, there is strong evidence that the level of an individual's awareness of her or his tinnitus can be stress-related, and so should be addressed by improving the state of the nervous system generally, using gradual, unobtrusive, long-term treatments.^[34]

Since some tinnitus mimics electronic sounds, some recent research is focusing on electronics, the use of cell phones,^[35] and other modern electronic devices as possible causes.

Diagnosis[link]

The basis of quantitatively measuring tinnitus relies on the brain’s tendency to select out only the loudest sounds heard. Based on this tendency, the amplitude of a patient's tinnitus can be measured by playing sample sounds of known amplitude and asking the patient which she or he hears. The volume of the tinnitus will always be equal to or less than that of the sample noises heard by the patient. This method works very well to gauge objective tinnitus (see above.) For example: if a patient has a pulsatile paraganglioma in his ear, he will not be able to hear the blood flow through the tumor when the sample noise is 5 decibels louder than the noise produced by the blood. As sound amplitude is gradually decreased, the tinnitus will become audible, and the level at which it does so provides an estimate of the amplitude of the objective tinnitus.

Objective tinnitus, however, is quite uncommon. Often patients with pulsatile tumors will report other coexistent sounds, distinct from the pulsatile noise, that will persist even after their tumor has been removed. This is generally subjective tinnitus, which, unlike the objective form, cannot be tested by comparative methods.

If the attention of a subject is focused on a sample noise, she can often detect it at levels below 5 decibels, which would indicate her tinnitus would be almost impossible to hear^{[citation needed]}. Conversely, if the same test subject is told to focus only on the tinnitus, she will report hearing the sound even when test noises exceed 70 decibels, making the tinnitus louder than a ringing phone. This quantification method suggests subjective tinnitus relates only to what the patient is attempting to hear^{[citation needed]}. Whilst it is tempting to assume patients actively complaining about tinnitus have simply become obsessed with the noise, this is only partially true. The noises are often present in both quiet and noisy environments, and can become quite intrusive to their daily lives. The problem is involuntary; generally, complaining patients simply cannot override or ignore their tinnitus.

Subjective tinnitus may not always be correlated with ear malfunction or hearing loss. Even people with near-perfect hearing may still complain of it.

Measuring tinnitus with auditory evoked response[link]

Tinnitus is the description of a noise inside a person’s head in the absence of auditory stimulation. The noise can be described in many different ways, but the most common description of the tinnitus is a pure tone sound. Tinnitus affects one third of adults at some time in their lives, whereas ten to fifteen percent are disturbed enough to seek medical evaluation^[36] About two million Americans are so seriously disturbed by tinnitus that they cannot function on a day-to-day basis. (American Tinnitus Association, 2010).

Tinnitus can be classified as either subjective or objective. Objective tinnitus can be detected by other people and is usually caused by myoclonus or a vascular condition. Subjective tinnitus can only heard by the affected person and is caused by otology, neurology, infection, or drugs.^[37] A frequent cause of subjective tinnitus is noise exposure which damages hair cells in the inner ear causing tinnitus. Tinnitus can be associated with many emotions. It is best illustrated by Jastreboff’s Neurophysiological model.^[38]

The “Edge Effect” theory has been described by many researchers throughout the literature when discussing tinnitus. As hair cells are lost or damaged, afferent neurons generate auditory sensations at frequencies near the impaired region. This theory possibly explains why tinnitus can be associated with a reflection of hearing loss and why tinnitus can be persistent.

Some researchers believe that spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) may be associated with tinnitus. Processes in the cochlea can cause self oscillation that is perceived as tinnitus, but most studies found that the two phenomena are not related. The evaluation of SOAEs and tinnitus was based on pitch matching and researchers concluded that not enough evidence could be seen to make the conclusion. When the researchers used two specific criteria to evaluate the results, researchers found SOAEs and tinnitus to be related in 2.42% of subjects.

In 2010, Qasem compared the differences in outer hair cell function in normal hearing patients with and without tinnitus. Distortion product OAEs (DPOAEs) were measured and results showed significant differences between groups at all DPOAE frequencies tested. Researchers concluded that decreased DPOAE amplitude can be seen in tinnitus patients due to the association between tinnitus and reduced outer hair cell movement. This study illustrates that the outer hair cells are related to tinnitus.

Moller studied the effects of tinnitus in relation to compound action potentials (CAP) in 1992. Researchers recorded compound action potential components N1 and N2 and found that the latencies of the responses in the tinnitus patients were similar to patients with no tinnitus. This study concludes that tinnitus effects can not be observed in CAP. The effects of tinnitus on auditory brainstem response (ABR) measures have also been evaluated by many researchers. Auditory pathway plays a role in the emotional and physiological response to tinnitus. Research has shown abnormal ABR results (interwave latency delays) in patients with tinnitus. In 2008, Kehrle used ABR testing to evaluate the auditory nerve and brainstem function of tinnitus patients with normal hearing. Results showed delayed wave latencies and interpeak latencies between the tinnitus and non tinnitus patients. Researchers concluded that latency prolongations of wave I and lengthening of III-V IPL found in this study confirmed the findings in previous research. Maurizi in 1985 used ABRs to evaluate the auditory pathway in patients with tinnitus and concluded that patients with tinnitus had abnormal ABR recordings. Peripheral tinnitus was reduced with residual inhibition and recordings returned to normal. However, this method is not valid for all tinnitus patients due to the many different causes of tinnitus. Gerken in 2001 evaluated the influence of tinnitus on auditory evoked potentials. Results showed delayed ABR wave VII latencies in the tinnitus group and about half of the tinnitus patients had MLR amplitudes that were significantly greater than the control group mean. Researchers concluded the latency differences for wave VII only adds more diversity to research findings and should be included in future research. Large MLR waves seen in the tinnitus group may be caused by unknown smaller factors not accounted for in the study.

Tinnitus and auditory evoked cortical potentials have also been studied. It is important to evaluate the primary auditory cortex in relation to Jastrebroff’s model. “ALRs reflect stimulus properties as well as attention and the psychological state of the subjects, both of which are presumed to contribute to tinnitus” -Kadner (2002). Low and colleagues in 2008 concluded that ALRs can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of therapies used to alleviate tinnitus.

Tinnitus has also been studied in relation to event related potentials. In 1991, Shiraishi and colleagues found that the contingent negative variation (CNV) amplitude was significantly enlarged in tinnitus patients. They also found no effect on the latency and amplitude of the N100 and P300 responses. Attias in 1993, found that the amplitudes of N1, P2, and P3 were reduced, P3 latencies delayed, and N1 and N2 had delayed latencies to non-target stimuli.

In 2008, Delb conducted a study that evaluated tinnitus patients with high and low tinnitus related distress and how they differ in respect to focus levels on the tinnitus. Researchers concluded that patients with different levels of distress have differences in their ability to shift attention.

Elbert in 2004 studied the relation between tinnitus and mismatched negativity (MMN). Researchers recorded MMN potentials at stimulus levels at the edge frequency of the patient’s tinnitus and found differences in the recordings. This finding can be applied to tinnitus treatments to monitor progress and show effectiveness.

Tinnitus and long latency auditory evoked potentials (LLAEPs) have also been researched quite frequently. Alterations of LLAEPs have been seen in individuals with tinnitus and indicate problems in the auditory pathway in the cortex which can be concluded by increased latency values. In 2010, Santos Filha measured LLAEP potentials of tinnitus patients with a history of noise exposure. Researchers concluded that LLAEP shifts occur more often in individuals with tinnitus when compared to the control group.

In conclusion, tinnitus can be evaluated with most auditory evoked potentials; however results may be inconsistent. Results must be compared to age and hearing matched control subjects to be reliable. This inconsistently reported may be due to many reasons: differences in the origin of the tinnitus, ABR recording methods, and selection criteria of control groups. Since research shows conflicting evidence, more research on the relationship between tinnitus and auditory evoked potentials should be carried out before these measurements are used clinically.

Prevention[link]

Tinnitus and hearing loss can be permanent conditions. If a ringing in the ears is audible following lengthy exposure to a source of loud noise, such as a music concert or an industrial workplace, it means lasting damage may have already occurred.^{[citation needed]}

Prolonged exposure to sound or noise levels as low as 70 dB can result in damage to hearing (see noise health effects). For musicians and DJs, special musicians' earplugs play an important role in preventing tinnitus; they can lower the volume of the music without distorting the sound and can prevent tinnitus from developing in later years. For anyone using loud electrical appliances, such as hair dryers or vacuum cleaners, or who work in noisy environments such as building sites, where earmuffs are impractical, earplugs are also helpful in reducing noise exposure. This is also the case for while riding motorcycles, mopeds etc. While operating lawn mowers, hammer drills, grinders, and similar, earmuffs may be more appropriate for hearing protection.

It is also important to check medications for potential ototoxicity. Ototoxicity of multiple medicines can have a cumulative effect, and can greatly increase the damage done by noise. If ototoxic medications must be administered, close attention by the physician to prescription details, such as dose and dosage interval, can reduce the damage done.^[39]

Treatment[link]

Many treatments for tinnitus have been claimed, with varying degrees of statistical reliability:

Objective tinnitus:

• Gamma knife radiosurgery (glomus jugulare)^[40]
• Shielding of cochlea by teflon implant^[41]
• Botulinum toxin (palatal tremor)^[42]
• Clearing ear canal (in the case of earwax plug)^[43]
• Using a neurostimulator^[44]

Subjective tinnitus:

• Drugs and nutrients
  • Melatonin (especially for those with sleep disturbance)^{[45][46][47][48]}
  • Lidocaine injection into the inner ear was found to suppress the tinnitus for 20 minutes, according to a Swedish study.^[49]
  • Older benzodiazepines, e.g. diazepam, are sometimes used for tinnitus;^[50] however, there are significant risks associated with the long-term use of benzodiazepines.^[51]
  • Tricyclics (amitriptyline, nortriptyline) in small doses^[52]
  • Avoidance of caffeine, nicotine, or salt can reduce symptoms,^[53][54][55] but, tinnitus can also be induced by reducing caffeine and/or quitting smoking.
  • The consumption of alcohol has been found to both increase and decrease the severity of tinnitus. Therefore, alcohol's effect on the severity of tinnitus is dependent on the causes of the individual's affliction, and cannot be considered a treatment.^[55][56]
  • Zinc supplementation (where serum zinc deficiency is present)^[57][58][59]
  • Acamprosate^[60]
  • Etidronate or sodium fluoride (otosclerosis)^[61]
  • Lignocaine or anticonvulsants (usually in patients responsive to white noise masking)^[62]
  • Carbamazepine^[63]
  • Sertraline^[64]
  • Vitamin combinations (lipoflavonoid)^[65]
• Electrical stimulation
  • Transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial direct current stimulation^[66][67]
  • Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation^[68]
  • Direct stimulation of auditory cortex by implanted electrodes^[69]
  • Berthold Langguth, German neurologist, would apply an electric or magnetic current for stimulation over the head of the patient to reduce ringing sound. Dirk De Ridder, Belgian neurosurgeon, implanted electrodes to the brain of sufferers to normalise overactive neurons. Cambridge University scientists also found lidocaine, an anaesthetic, reduces the sound in 2/3 of patients for 5 minutes, but it needs another drug to suppress its dangerous effects.^[70]
  • Vagus nerve stimulation^[71]
• Surgery
  • Repair of the perilymph fistula^[72]
• External sound
  • Low-pitched sound treatment has shown some positive, encouraging results.(UC, Irvine press release)
  • Tinnitus masker (white noise, or better 'shaped' or filtered noise)^[73]
  • Tinnitus retraining therapy^[74][75]
  • Auditive stimulation therapy (music therapy)^[76]
  • Auditive destimulation therapy (also called "notched music" therapy) uses individually designed music with the patients' favorite music altered to remove the musical tones that match the aural frequencies associated with their tinnitus. The removal of these tones alleviates the tinnitus by destimulating brain activity for these specific frequencies.^[77][78]
  • Compensation for lost frequencies by use of a hearing aid.^[79]
  • Ultrasonic bone-conduction external acoustic stimulation^[80][81]
  • Avoidance of outside noise (exogenous tinnitus)^[82]
• Psychological cognitive behavioral therapy^[83]

Prognosis[link]

The prognosis of tinnitus depends on the type and severity of the cause. For tinnitus due to acute acoustic trauma, approximately 35% of cases report subsiding tinnitus at three months after the trauma, with approximately 10% of these cases being the degree of complete disappearance of the tinnitus, as studied among young men having acquired tinnitus from gunshots.^[84]

Notable individuals[link]

Notable individuals with tinnitus include:

See also[link]

Medicine portal

References[link]

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (November 2011)

External links[link]

• 2007 Article in the Seattle Times
• Groopman, Jerome (02/09/09). "That Buzzing Sound". The New Yorker Magazine: pp. 42–49. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/02/09/090209fa_fact_groopman. Retrieved 2009-02-08. 
• Deafness Research UK Information about Tinnitus and the latest research work being done
• A Comprehensive Clinical Tinnitus Overview and Treatment Options
• University of Virginia 'Algorithm for the Evaluation of Rhythmic Tinnitus'
• 2012 tinnitus awareness week, a visual representation of tinnitus data [12]

Further reading[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tinnitus

• Richard S. Tyler: Tinnitus Handbook. Singular Publishing Group, Florence Kent 2000, ISBN 1-56593-922-0
• McKenna, Laurence; Andersson, Gerhard; Baguley, David (2005). Tinnitus: A Multidisciplinary Approach. London: Whurr Publishers. ISBN 1-86156-403-1. 
• Hogan, Kevin; Battaglino, Jennifer (2007). Tinnitus: Turning the Volume Down (Revised and Expanded ed.). Eagan: Network 3000 Publishing. ISBN 1-934266-03-5. 
• Langguth B, Hajak G, Kleinjung T, Cacace AT, Moller AR (2007) Tinnitus: Pathophysiology and Treatment. Progress in Brain Research, Volume 166; Elsevier, Amsterdam
• Møller AR, Kleinjung T, De Ridder D, Langguth B (2011) Textbook of Tinnitus. Humana Press, New York
• Soleymani T, Pieton D, Pezeshkian P, Miller P, Gorgulho A, Pouratian N, De Salles A (2011) Surgical Approaches to Tinnitus Treatment: A Review and Novel Approaches. Surgical Neurology International

William Shatner
William Shatner in 2005
Born	William Alan Shatner (1931-03-22) March 22, 1931 (age 81) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Residence	Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California
Nationality	Canadian
Other names	Bill Shatner
Education	Baron Byng High School Westhill High School
Alma mater	McGill University
Occupation	Actor, musician, novelist, spokesman, film director
Years active	1950–present
Known for	James T. Kirk, Sergeant T. J. Hooker, Denny Crane, Priceline Negotiator
Home town	Westmount, Quebec, Canada
Television	Star Trek, T. J. Hooker, Boston Legal
Religion	Judaism
Spouse	Gloria Rand (1956–1969) Marcy Lafferty Shatner (1973–1994) Nerine Kidd-Shatner (1997–1999; her death) Elizabeth Martin (2001–present)
Children	3 (with Rand)
Awards	People's Choice Award, Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Award
Website
williamshatner.com

William Alan Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, author and film director. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T. Kirk, captain of the USS Enterprise, in the science fiction television series Star Trek from 1966 to 1969, Star Trek: The Animated Series from 1973 to 1974, and in seven of the subsequent Star Trek feature films from 1979 to 1994. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences playing Captain Kirk and being a part of Star Trek, and has co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe. He has also authored a series of science fiction novels called TekWar that were adapted for television.

Shatner also played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker from 1982 to 1986. Afterwards, he hosted the reality-based television series, Rescue 911 from 1989 to 1996, which won a People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Dramatic Series. He has since worked as a musician, author, producer, director and celebrity pitchman. From 2004 to 2008 he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the television dramas The Practice and its spin-off Boston Legal for which he won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

Early life, and education[link]

Shatner was born on March 22, 1931, in the Côte Saint-Luc neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, the son of Anne (née Garmaise) and Joseph Shatner, a clothing manufacturer.^[1][2] He has two sisters, Joy and Farla.^[3] His paternal grandfather, Wolf Schattner, anglicized the family name to "Shatner".^[4] All of Shatner's grandparents were Jewish immigrants (from Austria, Poland, Hungary, and Ukraine),^[5][6] and Shatner was raised in Conservative Judaism.^[7] He attended Willingdon Elementary School,^[8] in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG-Montreal) and Baron Byng High School, in Montreal, as well as West Hill High School in NDG. He is an alumnus of the Montreal Children's Theatre.^[9] He also attended McGill University in Montreal, where he studied economics and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.^[10] In June 2011, McGill awarded him with an honorary doctorate of letters.^[11] The Students' Society of McGill University building on McTavish Street is popularly (though not officially) named "Shatner".

Shatner has said that he faced anti-semitism while growing up in Montreal.^[12]

Acting career[link]

Early stage, film, and television work[link]

After graduating from McGill University in 1952 Shatner became business manager for the Mountain Playhouse in Montréal before joining the Canadian National Repertory Theatre in Ottawa. Trained as a classical Shakespearean actor, Shatner began performing at the Shakespearean Stratford Festival of Canada in Stratford, Ontario beginning in 1954. He played a range of roles at the Stratford Festival in productions that included a minor role in the opening scene of a renowned and nationally televised production of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex directed by Tyrone Guthrie, Shakespeare's Henry V, and Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great. Shatner made his Broadway debut in the latter, in 1956.^[13] In 1954, he was cast as Ranger Bob on The Canadian Howdy Doody Show.^[14] Shatner was understudy to Christopher Plummer; the two would later star as adversaries in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Though his official movie debut was in the 1951 Canadian film The Butler's Night Off, Shatner's first feature role came in the 1958 MGM film The Brothers Karamazov with Yul Brynner, in which he starred as the youngest of the Karamazov brothers, Alexei. In December of the same year, he appeared opposite Ralph Bellamy playing Roman tax collectors in Bethlehem on the day of Jesus' birth in a vignette of a Hallmark Hall of Fame live television production entitled The Christmas Tree directed by Kirk Browning, which featured in other vignettes such stars as Jessica Tandy, Margaret Hamilton, Bernadette Peters, Richard Thomas, Cyril Ritchard and Carol Channing. Shatner had a leading role in an Alfred Hitchcock Presents third-season (1957–1958) episode titled "The Glass Eye", one of his first appearances on American television.

In 1959, he received decent reviews when he took on the role of Lomax in the Broadway production of The World of Suzie Wong. In March 1959, while performing on stage in Suzie Wong, Shatner was also playing detective Archie Goodwin in what would have been television's first Nero Wolfe series had it not been aborted by CBS after shooting a pilot and a few episodes.^[15]

In 1960, he appeared twice as Wayne Gorham in NBC's The Outlaws Western series with Barton MacLane, and then in another Alfred Hitchcock Presents fifth-season episode titled "Mother, may I go out to swim?". In 1961, he starred in the Broadway play A Shot in the Dark with Julie Harris and directed by Harold Clurman. Walter Matthau (who won a Tony Award for his performance) and Gene Saks were also featured in this play. Shatner also starred in two episodes of the NBC television series Thriller, "Grim Reaper" and "The Hungry Glass".

Guthrie had called the young Shatner the Stratford Festival's most promising actor, and he was seen as a peer to contemporaries like Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford. Shatner was not as successful as the others, however, and during the 1960s he "became a working actor who showed up on time, knew his lines, worked cheap and always answered his phone." His motto was "Work equals work", but Shatner's willingness to take any role, no matter how "forgettable", likely hurt his career.^[13] In 1962, he starred in Roger Corman's movie The Intruder. He also appeared in the Stanley Kramer film Judgment at Nuremberg and two episodes, "Nick of Time" and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", of the science fiction anthology series The Twilight Zone. In the 1963–1964 season, he appeared in episodes of two ABC series, Channing and The Outer Limits ("Cold Hands, Warm Heart"). In 1963, he starred in the Family Theater production called "The Soldier" and received credits in other programs of The Psalms series. That same year he guest starred in Route 66, in the episode, "Build Your Houses with Their Backs to the Sea". In 1964, he guest starred in the episode "He Stuck in His Thumb" of the CBS drama The Reporter.Also in 1964 he co-starred with Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Paul Newman and Edward G Robinson in the western "The Outrage"

In 1965, Shatner guest-starred as Major Curt Brown in second season episode 9, "I Am The Enemy" of 12 O-Clock High. He guest-starred in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in an episode that also featured Leonard Nimoy,^[16] with whom Shatner would soon be paired in Star Trek. He also starred in the critically acclaimed drama For the People in 1965, as an assistant district attorney, costarring with Jessica Walter. The program lasted for only thirteen episodes. Shatner starred in the 1966 gothic horror film Incubus, the second feature-length movie ever made with all dialogue spoken in Esperanto. He also starred in an episode of Gunsmoke in 1966 as the character Fred Bateman. In 1967 he starred in the little known film White Comanche starring as two characters: Johnny Moon and his twin brother Notah.

William Shatner as Kirk in a promotional photograph

[edit] Star Trek

Shatner was first cast as Captain James T. Kirk for the second pilot of Star Trek, titled "Where No Man Has Gone Before". He was then contracted to play Kirk for the Star Trek series and held the role from 1966 to 1969. In 1973, he returned to the role of Captain Kirk, albeit only in voice, in the animated Star Trek series.

In his role as Kirk, Shatner famously kissed African American actress Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura) in the November 22, 1968, Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren". The episode is popularly cited as the first example of an interracial kiss on scripted television in the United States.^[17][18][19]

1970s[link]

Shatner's wife Gloria Rand divorced him in March 1969.^[20] After Star Trek was cancelled that year, Shatner experienced difficulty in finding work in the early 1970s. With very little money and few acting prospects, he lived in a truck bed camper in the San Fernando Valley^[21] until small roles turned into higher-paying jobs. Shatner refers to this part of his life as "that period", a humbling one during which he would take any odd job, including small party appearances, to support his family.

Shatner again appeared in "schlock" films, such as the horror film The Devil's Rain, Corman's Big Bad Mama,^[13] and the TV movie The Horror at 37,000 Feet, which many fans believe is his worst work.^[21] Shatner received good reviews as the lead prosecutor in a 1971 PBS adaptation of Saul Levitt's play The Andersonville Trial. Other television appearances included a starring role in the western-themed secret agent series Barbary Coast during 1975 and 1976, and guest roles on many 1970s series such as The Six Million Dollar Man, Columbo, The Rookies, Kung Fu, and Mission: Impossible.

Shatner was an occasional celebrity guest on The $10,000 Pyramid and The $20,000 Pyramid in the 1970s, once appearing opposite Nimoy in a week-long matchup billed as "Kirk vs. Spock". His appearances became far less frequent after a 1977 appearance in which, after giving an illegal clue ("the blessed" for Things That Are Blessed) at the top of the pyramid ($200) which deprived the contestant of a big money win, he threw his chair out of the Winner's Circle.^[22] Other shows included The Hollywood Squares, Celebrity Bowling,^[13] Beat the Clock and Match Game.

Shatner did a number of television commercials for Ontario-based Loblaws and British Columbia-based SuperValu supermarket chains in the 1970s,^[23] and finished the Loblaws ad spots by saying, "At Loblaws, more than the price is right. But, by Gosh, the price is right."^[24] He also did a number of television commercials for General Motors, endorsing the Oldsmobile brand, and Promise margarine.

A return to Kirk, and to work[link]

After its cancellation, Star Trek unexpectedly gained a cult following during the 1970s from syndicated reruns, and Captain Kirk became a cultural icon.^[13] Shatner began appearing at Star Trek conventions organized by Trekkies.^[25] In the mid-1970s Paramount began pre-production for a revised Star Trek television series, tentatively titled Star Trek: Phase II. However, the phenomenal success of Star Wars led the studio to instead consider developing a Star Trek motion picture. Shatner and the other original Star Trek cast members returned to their roles when Paramount produced Star Trek: The Motion Picture, released in 1979. It re-established Shatner as an actor, and he played Kirk in the next six Star Trek films, ending with the character's death in 1994's Star Trek Generations. His final appearances in the role are in the movie sequences of the video game Starfleet Academy (1997), and briefly for a DirecTV advertisement using footage from Star Trek VI running from late summer 2006.

Although Trekkies had resurrected Star Trek after cancellation, in a 1986 Saturday Night Live skit about a Star Trek convention Shatner advised a room full of fans to "Get a life".^[26][13] The "much-discussed sketch" accurately portrayed his feelings about Trekkies, which the actor had previously discussed in interviews.^[26] Shatner had been the unwilling subject of adoration by them for decades; as early as April 1968, a group attempted to rip his clothes off as the actor left 30 Rockefeller Plaza,^[27] and he stopped attending conventions for more than a decade during the 1970s and 1980s.^[28] Shatner also appeared in the film Free Enterprise in 1998, in which he played himself and tried to dispel the Kirk image of himself from the view of the film's two lead characters. He also has found an outlet in spoofing the cavalier, almost superhuman, character persona of Captain Kirk in films such as Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) and National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon (1993).

Tim Allen's role in Galaxy Quest as Captain Peter Quincy Taggart / Jason Nesmith is an analogue of James T. Kirk / William Shatner as seen by the public at large. Taggart has a reputation for taking off his shirt at the flimsiest excuse, rolling on the ground during combat, and making pithy speeches, while Nesmith is an egomaniac who regards himself as the core of Galaxy Quest and tells fans to "get a life". Poking fun at himself, Shatner professed to have no idea whom Allen was parodying.^[29]

Besides the Star Trek films, Shatner gained a new starring role on television as a police officer in T. J. Hooker, which ran from 1982 to 1986. He then hosted the popular dramatic reenactment series Rescue 911 from 1989 to 1996. During the 1980s Shatner also began directing film and television, directing numerous episodes of T. J. Hooker and the feature film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

Subsequent acting career[link]

Shatner has appeared in advertisements for many companies and products, and for most of the 14 years ending in 2012, he has done a series of commercials for the travel web site Priceline, in which Shatner plays a pompous, fictionalized version of himself.^[13][30] Although he received stock options for the commercials, Shatner insists that reports that they are now worth hundreds of millions of dollars are exaggerated.^[31][32] Shatner was also the CEO of the Toronto, Ontario-based C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, a special effects studio that operated from 1994 to 2010.^[33]

Shatner has enjoyed success with a series of science fiction novels published under his name, though most are widely believed to have been written by uncredited co-writers such as William T. Quick and Ron Goulart.^[34] The first, published in 1990, was TekWar. This popular series of books led to a Marvel Comics series, to a number of television movies, in which Shatner played a role, and to a short-lived television series in which Shatner made several appearances; he also directed some episodes. In 1995, a first-person shooter game named William Shatner's TekWar was released, and was the first game to use the Build engine. He also played as a narrator in 1995 American documentary film Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie directed by Peter Kuran.

In the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun, Shatner appeared in several episodes as the "Big Giant Head", a womanizing party-animal and high-ranking officer from the same alien planet as the Solomon family. The role earned Shatner a nomination for an Emmy.^[35]

In 2001, Shatner starred in the animated film Osmosis Jones as the character Mayor Phlegmming, the self-centered head of the "City of Frank", a community comprising all the cells and microorganisms of a man's body. In the movie, the pompous Phlegmming is constantly preoccupied with his reelection and his own convenience, even to the detriment of his "city" and constituents.

In 2003, Shatner appeared in Brad Paisley's "Celebrity" and "Online" music videos along with Little Jimmy Dickens, Jason Alexander, and Trista Rehn.

Star Trek: Enterprise producer Manny Coto stated in Star Trek Communicator's October 2004 issue that he was preparing a three-episode story arc for Shatner. Shortly thereafter, Enterprise was cancelled.

After David E. Kelley saw Shatner's commercials,^[13] he joined the final season of the legal drama The Practice. His Emmy-award winning role, the eccentric but highly capable attorney Denny Crane, was essentially "William Shatner the man . . . playing William Shatner the character playing the character Denny Crane, who was playing the character William Shatner."^[13] Shatner took the Crane role to Boston Legal, and won a Golden Globe, an Emmy in 2005, and was nominated again in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 for his work. With the 2005 Emmy win, Shatner became one of the few actors (along with co-star James Spader as Alan Shore) to win an Emmy award while playing the same character in two different series. Even rarer, Shatner and Spader each won a second consecutive Emmy while playing the same character in two different series. Shatner remained with the series until its end in 2008.

Shatner made several guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, including cameos reciting Sarah Palin's resignation speech, Twitter posts, and autobiography. He has also recited Twitter posts by Levi Johnston, father of Palin's grandson. He also appears in the opening graphics of the occasional feature "In the Year 3000", with his disembodied head floating through space, announcing, "And so we take a cosmic ride into that new millennium; that far off reality that is the year 3000," followed by the tag line, "It's the future, man."

Shatner also played the voice of Ozzie the opossum in DreamWorks' 2006 feature Over the Hedge.

Shatner's star on the Canadian Walk of Fame

In January 2007, Shatner launched a series of daily vlogs on his life called ShatnerVision^[36] on the LiveUniverse.com website. In 2008, he launched his video blogs on YouTube in a project renamed "The Shatner Project".^[37] Shatner also starred as the voice of Don Salmonella Gavone on the 2009 YouTube animated series The Gavones.^[38]

Shatner was not "offered or suggested" a role in the 2009 film Star Trek.^[39][40] Director J.J. Abrams said in July 2007, that the production was "desperately trying to figure out a way to put him in" but that to "shove him in . . . would be a disaster."^[41] an opinion echoed by Shatner in several interviews. At a convention held in 2010, Shatner commented on the film by saying "I've seen that wonderful film." Shatner had invented his own idea about the beginning of Star Trek with his latest novel, Star Trek: Academy — Collision Course.^[42]

Shatner's autobiography Up Till Now was released in 2008. He was assisted in writing it by David Fisher. Shatner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for Television work) at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard. He also has a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame. Shatner was the first Canadian actor to star in three successful television series on three different major networks (NBC, CBS, and ABC).

Shatner starred in the CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says, which is based on the Twitter feed Shit My Dad Says created by Justin Halpern. The series premiered in late 2010 and was canceled May 2011.^[43] Shatner is also the host of the interview show Shatner's Raw Nerve on The Biography Channel, and the Discovery Channel television series Weird or What?^[44] Also in 2011, Shatner appeared in the episode of Psych titled, "In For a Penny" on the USA Network as the estranged father of Junior Detective Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson). He has signed on to continue the role into the 2012 season.

In 2011, Shatner starred in The Captains, a feature length documentary which he also wrote and directed. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors who have portrayed starship captains within the Star Trek franchise. Shatner's interviewees included Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, and Chris Pine. In the film, Shatner also interviews Christopher Plummer, who is an old friend and colleague from Shatner's days with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario.^[45]

In February 2012, Shatner performed in a new one-man show on Broadway, called Shatner's World: We Just Live in It. After a 3-week run at the Music Box Theater,^[46] the show is currently touring throughout the United States.

In May 2012 Shatner was the guest presenter on the British satirical television quiz show Have I Got News For You.^[47][48]

Music and spoken-word work[link]

Shatner began his musical career with the spoken-word 1968 album The Transformed Man, delivering exaggerated, interpretive recitations of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". He performed a reading of the Elton John song "Rocket Man" during the 1978 Science Fiction Film Awards that has been widely parodied. Ben Folds, who has worked with him several times, produced and co-wrote Shatner's well-received second studio album, Has Been, in 2004. His third studio album, Seeking Major Tom, was released October 11, 2011.

[edit] Space Shuttle Discovery

Shatner recorded a wake-up call that was played for the crew of STS-133 in the Space Shuttle Discovery on March 7, 2011, its final day docked to the International Space Station. Backed by the musical theme from Star Trek, it featured a voice-over based on his spoken introduction from the series' opening credits: "Space, the final frontier. These have been the voyages of the Space Shuttle Discovery. Her 30 year mission: To seek out new science. To build new outposts. To bring nations together on the final frontier. To boldly go, and do, what no spacecraft has done before."^[49]

Personal life[link]

Shatner with Brent Spiner and LeVar Burton in July 2010

Shatner dislikes watching himself perform, and claims that he has "never watched Star Trek . . . not even any of the Star Trek movies"—except the dailies from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, which he directed—or Boston Legal.^[50]

Family[link]

Shatner has been married four times. His first marriage was to Gloria Rand, from 1956 to 1969. His second marriage lasted 21 years and was to Marcy Lafferty; the couple were married in 1973 and divorced in 1994.

His third marriage was to Nerine Kidd-Shatner, from 1997 until her death in 1999. On August 9, 1999, Shatner returned home around 10 pm to discover Nerine's body at the bottom of their back yard swimming pool. She was 40 years old. An autopsy detected alcohol and Valium in her blood, but the coroner ruled the cause of her death as an accidental drowning. The LAPD ruled out foul play and the case was closed. Speaking to the press shortly after his wife's death, a clearly shaken and emotional Shatner said that she "meant everything" to him and called her his "beautiful soulmate."^[51] Shatner urged the public to support Friendly House, a non-profit organization that helps women re-establish themselves in the community after suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction.^[52] He later told Larry King in an interview that ". . . my wife, whom I loved dearly and who loved me, was suffering with a disease that we don't like to talk about, alcoholism. And she met a tragic ending because of it."^[51] In his 2008 book Up Till Now: The Autobiography, Shatner discusses how Leonard Nimoy helped take Nerine for treatment of her alcoholism. Shatner writes in an excerpt from his book:

Leonard Nimoy's personal experience of alcoholism now came to play a central role in my life and it helped us bond together in a way I never could have imagined in the early days of Star Trek. After Nerine [Kidd] and I had been to dinner with Leonard and Susan Nimoy one evening, Leonard called and said: "Bill, you know she's an alcoholic?" I said I did. I married Nerine in 1997, against the advice of many and my own good sense. But I thought she would give up alcohol for me. We had a celebration in Pasadena, and Leonard was my best man. I woke up about eight o'clock the next morning and Nerine was drunk. She was in rehab for 30 days three different times. Twice she almost drank herself to death. Leonard took Nerine to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, but she did not want to quit.^[53]

In 2000, a Reuters story reported that Shatner was planning to write and direct The Shiva Club, a dark comedy about the grieving process inspired by his wife's death.^[54] Shatner's 2004 album Has Been included a spoken word piece titled "What Have You Done" that describes his anguish upon discovering his wife's body in the pool. "What Have You Done" was also sampled in the Concord Dawn and Chris Su Drum and Bass track "Scream to the Stars".

Since 2001, Shatner has been married to Elizabeth Martin. In 2004, she co-wrote the song "Together" on Shatner's album Has Been.^[55]

Relationships with other actors[link]

Star Trek co-star Grace Lee Whitney wears a pair of platform boots with Shatner's face on them to a science fiction convention in the 1970s

Shatner first appeared on screen with Leonard Nimoy in 1964, when both actors guest-starred in an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., entitled: "The Project Strigas Affair". However, Shatner states in his autobiography that he does not recall meeting Nimoy at that time. As co-stars on Star Trek, they interacted socially both on and off the set. After Star Trek's cancellation in 1969, Shatner and Nimoy reunited in the production of Star Trek: The Animated Series, as well as The $20,000 Pyramid, where "Kirk vs. Spock" appeared on two different tables. Nimoy also guest-starred on T. J. Hooker for a few episodes. Shatner starred in the title role of the show.

The 1999 death of Shatner's third wife, Nerine, served to strengthen the friendship of Shatner and Nimoy, as Nimoy had mourned over the loss of his best friend's wife. Nimoy also appeared alongside Shatner at the TV Land Awards (hosted by John Ritter) and was one of the many people to serve as a celebrity "roaster" of Shatner. Nimoy summarized his four decade friendship with Shatner by remarking, "Bill's energy was good for my performance, 'cause Spock could be the cool individual, our chemistry was successful, right from the start." Nimoy has spoken about their mutual rivalry during the Star Trek years: "Very competitive, sibling rivalry up to here. After the show had been on the air a few weeks and they started getting so much mail for Spock, then the dictum came down from NBC: 'Give us more of that guy, they love that guy, you know?' Well, that can be . . . that can be a problem for the leading man who was hired as the star of the show; and suddenly, here's this guy with ears – 'What's this, you know?'" said Nimoy. Shatner has similarly described their Star Trek relationship, stating that they only became close friends while attending fan conventions together.^[21] On an episode of the A&E Network series Biography, Nimoy remarked, "Bill Shatner hogging the stage? No. Not the Bill Shatner I know."

Shatner has been a friend of actress Heather Locklear since 1982, when Locklear began co-starring with him on T. J. Hooker as Officer Stacy Sheridan. Locklear was asked by Entertainment Tonight whether it was hard to work on two weekly TV shows at the same time. (During the four years Locklear was in Hooker, she was also appearing in a semi-regular role in a fellow Aaron Spelling production, Dynasty). She replied ". . . I'd get really nervous and want to be prepared . . ." for Shatner and for the experienced cast of Dynasty. After Hooker ended Shatner helped Locklear get other roles. Locklear supported a grieving Shatner in 1999 when he was mourning the death of his wife, Nerine. In 2005, Locklear appeared in two episodes of Shatner's Boston Legal as Kelly Nolan, an attractive, youthful woman being tried for killing her much older, wealthy husband. Shatner plays Denny Crane, a founding partner of a large law firm, and a legendary litigator. Crane is attracted to Nolan and tries to insert himself into her defense. He is about the same age as Nolan's deceased husband, so Crane courts death by pursuing her. Locklear was asked how she came to appear on Boston Legal. She explained "I love the show, it's my favorite show; and I sorta kind of said, 'Shouldn't I be William Shatner's illegitimate daughter, or his love interest?'"

For years, Shatner was accused of being difficult to work with by some of his Star Trek co-stars, most notably James Doohan and George Takei. In the 2004 Star Trek DVD sets, Shatner seemed to have made up with Takei, but their differences continue to resurface. In the 1990s, Shatner made numerous attempts to patch things up with Doohan, but was unsuccessful for some time; however, an Associated Press article published at the time of Doohan's final convention appearance in late August 2004 stated that Doohan had forgiven his fellow Canadian Shatner and they had mended their relationship.

Takei continues to speak negatively about Shatner. In a 2008 television interview, he stated "he has a big, shiny, demanding ego."^[56] Shatner, in turn, recorded videos for YouTube, saying that Takei had some sort of "psychosis".^[57]

Takei has repeatedly asserted (most recently on the December 26, 2009, episode of the NPR radio program Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me) that he invited Shatner (along with other Star Trek cast members) to his 2008 wedding to Brad Altman, but Shatner never responded to the invitation. Shatner has repeatedly counter-asserted (most recently in the January 2010 issue of GQ) that he never received an invitation.^[58][59]

In 1995, when Shatner interviewed his Star Trek costars for his memoir Star Trek Movie Memories, Nichelle Nichols (who played Uhura on the show) told him, "Now let me tell you why I hate you,"^[60] explaining that, despite the few lines she had in the show, he would sometimes argue with the director that an Uhura dialog line was unnecessary.^[61] She then "gave Shatner an earful about how she and the rest of the other four felt, which prompted Shatner to wake up and set about making things right with his former costars." He and Nichols patched up their differences sufficiently that she appeared on his August 20, 2006 Friars Club roast, telling the Comedy Central audience, "Bill Shatner would crap on the last piece of pizza just so no one else could enjoy it."^[62]

Health problems[link]

Shatner suffers from tinnitus as a result of an accident on the set while shooting the Star Trek episode "Arena" and is involved in the American Tinnitus Association. His treatment for this condition involved wearing a small electronic device that generated a low-level, broadband sound (white noise) that "helped his brain put the tinnitus in the background".^[63]

Charity work[link]

In 2006, Shatner sold his kidney stone for US$25,000 to GoldenPalace.com.^[64] In an appearance on The View on May 16, 2006, Shatner said the $25,000 and an additional $20,000 raised from the cast and crew of Boston Legal paid for the building of a house by Habitat for Humanity.

In his spare time, Shatner enjoys breeding and showing American Saddlebreds^[13] and Quarter Horses. Shatner has a 150 hectare (360 acre) farm near Versailles, Kentucky, named Belle Reve (from the French beau rève, "Beautiful Dream," -- Belle Reve was the name of Blanche Dubois and her sister Stella's family home in A Streetcar Named Desire), where he raises American Saddlebreds. His champion American Saddlebreds include Call Me Ringo, Revival, and Sultan's Great Day. The farm's activities help benefit the Central Kentucky Riding for Hope "Horses For Heroes" program.

Shatner also plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home Games, where celebrities play for their favorite charities. Since 1990, he has been a leading force behind the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, which raises money for children's charities.

Nominations and awards[link]

In 2004, Shatner won his first Emmy Award for his role as "Denny Crane" on The Practice. In 2005, he won his first Golden Globe award and a second Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Boston Legal. In 2009, Shatner won a Streamy Award in the category of Best Reality Web Series.

In May 2011, he was honoured with the Governor General of Canada's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, recording a humorous short film William Shatner Sings O Canada for the occasion.^[65][66] On June 2, 2011, Shatner received an honorary Doctor of Letters from McGill University, his alma mater.^[67]

See also[link]

• Works by William Shatner

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: William Shatner

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: William Shatner

• Official website
• Works by William Shatner on Open Library at the Internet Archive
• William Shatner at the Internet Movie Database
• William Shatner at TV Tropes
• William Shatner's verified Twitter account
• Works by or about William Shatner in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• William Shatner collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• William Shatner talks about 'Star Trek: The Tour' in Long Beach
• William Shatner at the LA Art Show
• William Shatner has made around 40 short interview films on Videojug "Ask the Expert – William Shatner"
• Shatner at Amazon Reviews
• William Shatner Interview at Slashdot
• Shatner at Fame Tracker
• The Times (London), January 26, 2008. "Man of Enterprise. As a new series of Boston Legal begins, our critic salutes the many facets of its veteran star William Shatner" by Sophie Davies
• Shatner turns down real offer to go into space "I do want to go up but I need guarantees I'll definitely come back.", accessed 2010-07-21
• William Shatner Issues Urgent Plea in Animals' Behalf
• William Shatner for animal rights
• William Shatner interview at Archive of American Television January 22, 2009 and September 15, 1999
• William Shatner In Conversation (video) with The Big Bang Theory creator and show runner Bill Prady at 2010 Banff World TV Festival
• William Shatner at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)