William Shatner Opens up About His Cancer Diagnosis & Why He Never Feared Dying
Exclusive
At 95, William Shatner remains one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons. After more than seven decades in the entertainment industry, the actor has built a career defined by unforgettable roles and an energy that has often made him seem timeless to generations of fans.
In the entertainment industry for more than seven decades, from his early days on The Canadian Howdy Doody Show in 1954, as Ranger Bob, to his unforgettable performances on The Twilight Zone, as Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek, the hard-nosed detective on T.J. Hooker, and the eccentric attorney Denny Crane on Boston Legal, Shatner has long seemed almost ageless to his fans, which as become a little bit of a issue.
“The problem is that I regard myself as ageless, which is very dangerous. The danger of agelessness.” Shatner shared as part of an in-depth conversation for TV Guide Magazine’s Star Trek: The Captains Special Issue.
When asked how he views himself, Shatner explained that his battle with cancer brought his outlook on life and his own sense of perspective into focus.
“When I was told I had Stage 4 melanoma, and the doctor, a friend of mine, I said I got this lump, and put his doctor’s gentle fingers on my cheek, and he said to me, ‘Bill, you better get this out.’ With a kind of gravitas but not alarm, like a good doctor, and I went and got it out,” explained Shatner. “It took two years of treatment to become cancer-free.”
“When I got the news, and my daughter got her news of breast cancer at the same time — Stage 4 breast cancer — she thought she was going to die. And she spent a year suffering torment until she gradually work herself out, which is the element, the issue, of No Time to Die, our podcast. I, on the other hand, said, ‘Really? Stage 4?’ It didn’t occur to me that I was going to die. It didn’t occur to me that bad fortune was going to happen,” explained the icon. “I’m sensing, at 95, I’m sensing, the leaves are getting a little yellow and falling off the tree, but, OK!”
“I didn’t fear dying because it didn’t occur to me that I was going to die. And that’s my attitude,” said Shatner. “Even as we speak. So what does that mean?”
“I’m taking care of myself,” assured the actor. “It’s an attitude. I guess it’s acquired, but it may be inborn.”
—Reporting by Rob Edelstein
TV Guide Magazine’s Star Trek: The Captains Special Issue is available for order online now at StarTrek.TVGM2026.com, and for purchase on newsstands nationwide.
Conversation7 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Register or sign in to join the conversation.
-
T
He's living long and prospering. 🖖
9
-
J
July 5, 2026 (dated for context and reference) My favorite signoff when communicating with nice people online. So.. to you also.. "Live long and prosper!🖖"😊
1
-
-
J
July 5, 2026 (dated for context and reference) I think most of us would prefer to "checkout" quickly, painlessly, and suddenly (possibly). We all know "Mr. Death" is coming for us, so it's important to live our lives as positively, and with as much kindness and love as possible. The point is, old age is a guarantee that we will be departing at some point in the near to middle future. However, soooo many people never reach old age for one reason another. I would say that Mr. Shatner has had a life that many can envy. I wish him a successful recovery, and that while he is with us, that his life be as pain free as possible.
5
-
J
July 5, 2026 (dated for context and reference) Dear Sir, I wish you as painless a journey as possible while you are still with us, and a blessed afterlife. At 85 I understand and agree with you in regards to mainly being concerned with how I die, and not so much as dying. May your remaining years be blessed and filled with love. Most sincerely, Larry Moran
1
-
H
That’s complete crap. He said in an interview after his “close to space flight” that seeing the dark vast nothingness made him scared of death and dying
-
A
He’s like Schrodinger‘s cat; he is afraid and not afraid at the same time.
2
-
J
🤔😂
-
-
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services