William Shatner is a proud father-of-three and acclaimed actor — and has now added space traveler to his extensive resume! The Star Trek icon, 90, who portrayed Captain James T. Kirk for several decades, officially went into space on a flight with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. He is now the oldest person to go to space, surpassing aviator Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk, who became the record holder when she flew to space with the Amazon founder in July at the age of 82.
When he isn’t portraying the captain of the USS Enterprise on screen, or making history off screen, William is a loving dad to his three daughters. The Hollywood mainstay shares his kids Leslie Shatner, Lisabeth Shatner and Melanie Shatner with his first wife, Gloria Rand. The Canadian couple, who were married in 1956, called it quits in 1969 but have continued co-parenting their three girls. Here’s everything to know about them!
Leslie
William’s eldest daughter Leslie was born on August 31, 1958. Although she’s now in her 60s, she once portrayed an Only girl in an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, which was titled Miri. Her proud dad revealed in a 2014 interview that he was a “hands on” dad despite having several work commitments in his kids’ younger years. “I must have been a hands-on dad because that’s what my children tell me,” he told The Guardian. “In my mind, I was gone a lot of the time in an effort to make a living, so I am gratified that my kids think that they are who they are today because of my influence on them and my sense of being there for them — although it was only at weekends.”
He continued, “But the fact that I was there for them they tell me was important — and they have turned out to be three of the greatest mothers. But I’m always worried about whether I’ve done a good job as a parent. They have brought their family up in the way I wish I’d brought them up. So something good must have happened!” Leslie is now married to Gordon T. Walker, and they share two sons, Grant Walker and Eric Walker.
Lisabeth
Gloria and William’s middle daughter Lisabeth was born on June 6, 1961. She followed in her parents’ foot steps, venturing into the world of acting when she was younger. Some of her credits include Star Trek: The Original Series, Huey Lewis and the News: Do You Believe in Love, TekWar and T.J. Hooker. In 2005, she wed Andy Clement, however it’s not known if the two have any children.
Melanie
William’s youngest daughter Melanie was born on August 1, 1964. Like her parents and older siblings, Melanie also pursued a career in front of the camera, and made her debut in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986. She has since appeared in a slew of films and TV shows, with credits in Knots Landing, Camp Cucamonga, Dark Justice, Their Second Chance and Madison.
She got married in 1999 to Joel Gretsch and they share two daughters, Kaya and Willow. Back in 2014, William opened up about his relationship with his grandchildren. “At a family meeting with my three daughters, there are 13 of us. Being a grandparent is the greatest joy for me. I have the time now to grab a grandchild and talk, and hug and kiss them and make sure that I’m taking time to be with them and to give them some aspect of the things I’ve learned. Family life is totally encompassing,” he explained. “I see my daughters every weekend. And we go off on holidays together — everything from skiing to snorkeling. I loved going with my three young grandchildren to Escape From Planet Earth, a wonderful family film.”