Like his famous "Star Trek" character, Captain Kirk,
William Shatner has had a lot of women in his life. Did his stint on the iconic show
destroy his first marriage? What happened with his other three? Keep watching to find out!
William Shatner had a lot in common with his first wife,
who was also an actor from Canada. He met Gloria Rand on the set of a television play called
"Dreams" — one of a series of screenplays that Shatner had written himself for CBC.
The pair were quickly engaged after only four months and got married in 1956.
When Shatner started making a name for himself in 1960s television,
his marriage to Rand inevitably suffered. As the Toledo Blade reported, Shatner began
staying away from home for long periods while he was shooting "Star Trek." Rand claimed in
court that she once didn't see her husband for five months, leaving her feeling, quote,
"nervous and depressed." After thirteen years of marriage, they were finally divorced in 1969.
The next woman to come into William Shatner's life was Marcy Lafferty, who was also an actor.
​She went on to appear alongside her husband in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," but they first
met on the set of "The Andersonville Trial" — a 1970 TV film about a Confederate soldier on trial.
Lafferty later told The Washington Post how she first spoke to Shatner:
"I was down on my luck and [director] George [C. Scott] wanted a female — it was an all-male
cast — to run lines with the actors. And Bill was the only one who wanted to run lines with me
because his part was bigger than Hamlet. And I fell in lust with him."
They were married in 1973, and as Shatner recalled in "Up Till Now," she became a,
quote, "terrific stepmother" to his three daughters. He noted:
"Marcy was a wonderful person [...] As an actress, she had talent, she had class and style, but she
didn't have luck. And the reality that her career never seemed to take off always bothered her."
That professional disappointment was one of the factors that eventually
led to them separating and getting a divorce 17 years later. He reflected:
"I think if a young actor were to ask me for advice about relationships
I would probably respond, whatever you do, don't marry an actor.
Of course, Marcy probably would respond exactly the same way."
William Shatner married his third wife — Nerine
Kidd — in 1997. She was an actor and model from Boston.
One of his oldest friends — "Star Trek" co-star Leonard Nimoy — was hesitant about the marriage.
As a former addict, it was easy for him to tell that she suffered from alcoholism.
He gave Shatner a call just before their wedding, warning him that it would undoubtedly
be a challenge to maintain a healthy relationship with her.
Once it became clear that Shatner was going to stay with Kidd despite this unfortunate truth,
Nimoy started trying to help her recover. As Shatner recalled in his autobiography:
"It was one of the most noble acts of friendship I'd ever experienced, although I'm certain he
would insist he did it for Nerine, not for me. He took her to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings,
he spent time just talking to her, he offered advice and suggestions to me."
Despite Nimoy's help and Shatner's devotion to her, tragedy struck in 1999 when she was found
dead in a swimming pool with sleeping pills and alcohol in her system. Autopsy reports
indicated that she had knocked herself out by hitting her head on the bottom of the pool.
Shatner later admitted in his autobiography that he had never gotten over it. He mused:
"I don't think you ever really get over an event like that. You deal with the grief,
then as that passes you absorb the substance and it becomes part of you."
He subsequently started a foundation in Nerine's name
in an effort to help other women who suffer from addiction.
"And over the years, many, many women have come up to me and said
if it wasn't for the Nerine Shatner foundation, they wouldn't be alive."
After the death of his third wife, William Shatner didn't think he'd
ever find love again until he read a letter from a professional horse trainer
named Elizabeth Martin. He recalled in his autobiography that he'd received
countless letters of sympathy from people, but her handwriting caught his eye. They had met before
through their shared interest in horses, since she and her husband at the time
had occasionally entered their champion steeds in the same competitions as Shatner. He noted:
"I remembered having thought in passing that she was a beautiful woman,
but I don't think we'd ever said more than a few words in passing."
Martin had suffered her own bereavement since they had last seen each other.
Shatner told the Irish Examiner in 2002:
"She understood my grief because she had nursed her husband in cancer for a year and a half,
who died about two years before Nerine died."
After he read her letter, the actor reached out,
and they quickly formed an intense connection. He said:
"I lucked out [...] I was so lucky in finding somebody."
When Elizabeth Martin married William Shatner,
she started exploring different endeavors. The actor wrote in his autobiography:
"Elizabeth is a strong, independent woman — and a very talented one. She was a wonderful trainer,
and the energy that once went into that now goes into our life together and her painting.
She's discovered her creative talents."
Martin even received a co-writer credit on her husband's song,
"Together," from his "Has Been" album.
This wasn't the only time they had worked together. Martin also lent her
horse training experience to the "Hollywood Charity Horse Show" — an event that Shatner
first began in the '80s to raise money for charities that helped children and veterans.
The show has featured musicians like Sheryl Crow, Ben Folds, Vince Gill, Wynonna Judd,
Lyle Lovett, Neal McCoy, Willie Nelson, and Brad Paisley over the years. And
Martin's professional background made her the perfect co-host after their wedding in 2001.
Unfortunately, Shatner's fourth marriage also came to an end in March 2020. Although
the couple had a prenup arrangement, their divorce settlement was unusual:
Shatner was officially granted the right to all semen from the expensive horses they raised
together but allowed Elizabeth Martin to have "visitation rights" over their animals. She was
also permitted to visit their California ranch, in order to, quote, "occasionally harvest fruit."
He may have filed for divorce four days following the death of Martin's brother the
previous December, but Shatner insisted that there was no bad blood. He told the Mirror:
"Nothing makes me sad at this age [...] It's all good here. It's all good. I wish everyone well."
The "Star Trek" actor also joked about the idea of being back on the market as
a man in his eighties. Shatner said with a laugh:
"A heartthrob at 89. How does it feel to be a heartthrob at 89?
Well [...] it heightens my blood pressure!"
That wasn't the end of the story, however: In May 2021, he gave an interview to The Guardian,
hinting that he might have reunited with Martin. Confirming that he
and his ex-wife spent the COVID-19 lockdown together, he said:
"That's a long story. I don't know if this is an appropriate time to get into the reasoning,
but I've done something really nice."
The Daily Mail later reported that Martin had joined the actor for his 90th birthday
in March 2021, sparking rumors that their marriage wasn't over.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues,
help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website
or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).