Shatner Inducted Into Broadcast Hall of Fame

William Shatner said he had no intention of retiring when he was inducted this month in the Broadcast Hall of Fame, explaining that he isn't bored and he is having a good time playing Denny Crane on Boston Legal - a role for which he recently won an Emmy Award.

"I recognized that my time now is the most valuable thing I had and I needed to be very judicious," he told Broadcasting & Cable. "This role was dangled in front of me...I just thought I'd do it for a limited amount of time." Of course, after creating the character on The Practice, Shatner was invited to become a regular on Boston Legal and is now receiving the best reviews of his long career.

"[Producer] David Kelley and I seem to be...kind of arriving at this character together, and in my experience, that's unique," Shatner explained. "I really enjoy problem-solving—working on what the nuances are." He added that the role of Crane "is rich with those questions and the need for those solutions" as he toes the line between being a comic and tragic character, playing a man on the brink of senility. "It's a fine line. I'm constantly thinking through, 'Is this real enough, or is this comic enough?'"

Shatner said that he is enjoying working now more than ever before, crediting writers like Kelley and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry for his success. "Good writers are so rare, they're like diamonds," the Captain Kirk actor said. "Any success I've had, it's been on the wings of that talent." Despite Star Trek's infamous cancellation after only three seasons, the actor added, it "was an extraordinary concept...it caught and continues to catch the imaginations of a lot of people."

Kelley expressed his appreciation for Shatner as well, saying that he feels "so fortunate" that Shatner decided to join his show. "He has made us laugh in the courtroom, entertained us in space, scared us in the Twilight Zone — and truly frightened us with his singing career."

For more about the 74-year-old Shatner's career highlights, see the article at Broadcasting & Cable.

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