William Shatner might be best remembered for playing Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, but he has appeared in plenty of other great movies too. The Canadian-born performer got his start in the 1950s and quickly made a name for himself playing smaller roles in TV shows. Though Shatner starred in a few films in the early years of his career, it was TV where he would truly blossom into the household name he is today. He would turn in stunning performances on shows like The Twilight Zone, before landing the gig that would define his career.
Shatner was tapped to play the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the ambitious sci-fi program, Star Trek, and he would intrepidly lead the series for its truncated three-season run. After its premature cancellation, Shatner would spend the 1970s appearing in various TV and movie roles, until he was drawn back into the franchise with the Star Trek movie series that launched in 1979. While he has earned a reputation as a hammy actor, Shatner has proven time and again that he can put on an excellent performance, and his best non-Star Trek movies illustrate his talents.
10
Osmosis Jones (2001)
Shatner Voices A Villainous Politician
- Release Date
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August 10, 2001
- Runtime
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95 Minutes
- Director
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Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
One of the talents in William Shatner’s repertoire that often goes unnoticed is his brilliant voice acting work, and never was that more evident than in 2001’s hybrid animation film, Osmosis Jones. In the oft-forgotten animated classic, Shatner plays the evil Mayor Phlegmming, who is in charge of the City of Frank. It’s his poor decisions that are the impetus for the movie’s conflict, and he’s just as incompetant as he is vile.
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Shatner usually plays heroic characters, but his turn as Phlegmming showed that he could cut loose and play a humorous villain. He brings his usual exaggerated performance style to the role, but it suits such a cartoonish heel.
9
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
A Screwball Comedy With Big Shoes To Fill
Airplane! is one of the greatest screwball comedies of all time, and Airplane II: The Sequel had huge shoes to fill. Though it mostly misses the mark and doesn’t come near its predecessor in terms of quality, it does feature a brilliant comedic turn from William Shatner as Commander Buck Murdock. Shatner’s Murdock is an amalgamation of war movie clichés, and his tongue-in-cheek performance is perfect for the type of comedy in the film. While Shatner is only in the movie for a short time, he’s a highlight in an otherwise forgettable and ill-advised sequel.
8
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
One Of Shatner’s Better Cameo Roles
William Shatner often plays authority figures, and 2004’s Dodgeball turned that concept on its ear when casting him as the Chancellor of Dodgeball. The raunchy and hilarious sports comedy features a ton of celebrity cameos, many of which represent a specific time in popular culture. However, Shatner’s role is elevated beyond a mere walk-on for nostalgia’s sake.
When not giving utterly brilliant dramatic performances in some of his more famous roles, William Shatner is able to surprise with his comedic chops in movies like Dodgeball.
As the Dodgeball Chancellor, Shatner is goofy and comically inept, and he understood what was expected of him when approaching such an odd role. When not giving utterly brilliant dramatic performances in some of his more famous roles, William Shatner is able to surprise with his comedic chops in movies like Dodgeball.
7
Big Bad Mamma (1974)
An Exploitation Classic With Shatner In A Major Role
After Star Trek ended in 1969, William Shatner bounced around in TV and movie roles, and he found himself in more than one exploitation or genre film in that period. Big Bad Mamma is a sexploitation crime film that taps Shatner to play the charming crook, William J. Baxter. Though he gives away a lot of stage to co-star Angie Dickinson, Shatner holds his own and is his usually charismatic self. Though the movie is bombastic and over-the-top, Shatner’s Baxter is cool and grounded, a testament to his ability to play the straight-man as well as exaggerated parts.
6
Miss Congeniality (2000)
Shatner Plays A Pageant Host In The Aughts Blockbuster
Though many of Shatner’s non-Star Trek movies were smaller projects, he appeared in 2000’s Miss Congeniality, which was a bona fide blockbuster. Right in his element as a pageant host, Shatner plays the role of Stan Fields. Though the part isn’t particularly meaty compared to co-stars like Sandra Bullock, Shatner gives Fields a lot of humorous charm and character in his limited screen time.
William Shatner reprised his role in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous.
Besides just being a fun movie all around, Miss Congeniality is also a perfect representation of the versatility of William Shatner as an actor. By 2000, he was well-known for his supposed hammy acting style, but he is appropriately understated in the movie. He often serves up jokes for others to knock out of the park, and that is an underrated skill.
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5
Over The Hedge (2006)
An Underrated 2000s Animated Film
The mid-2000s was an odd time for animated films, and some of the best movies from the period have been given better appraisals in retrospect. Over the Hedge was a box office disappointment for Dreamworks, though it was not a flop by any stretch of the imagination. In the film, Shatner voices the supporting role of the skittish opossum, Ozzie. He’s paired up with fellow Canadian, Avril Lavigne, who voices his daughter.
The opossum uses his fainting ability to constantly avoid danger, much to the chagrin of his teenage daughter, who is embarrassed by his antics. The part is perfect for Shatner, who pulls out all the stops in one of his more exaggerated vocal performances. On top of that, Over the Hedge is also a great 2000s animated film, and deserves more love than it gets.
4
Kingdom Of The Spider (1977)
A Classic Campy Monster Movie
- Release Date
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August 24, 1977
- Runtime
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97 minutes
- Director
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John “Bud” Cardos
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Tiffany Bolling
Diane Ashley
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Woody Strode
Walter Colby
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Lieux Dressler
Emma Washburn
The film is genuinely spooky, and is definitely not recommended for anyone with arachnophobia.
Monster movies had something of a resurgence in the late 1970s, and William Shatner headlined one of the more memorable examples from that period. In Kingdom of the Spiders, Shatner plays veterinarian Dr. Robert Hansen who soon finds himself doing battle against an invading force of deadly spiders. Though the character himself is rather bland on the surface, it’s Shatner’s somewhat campy performance that keeps Hansen from being boring. The film is genuinely spooky, and is definitely not recommended for anyone with arachnophobia.
3
The Devil’s Rain (1975)
A Surreal & Underrated Devil Movie
- Release Date
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August 7, 1975
- Director
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Robert Fuest
- Writers
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Gabe Essoe, James Ashton, Gerald Hopman
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Ernest Borgnine
Jonathan Corbis
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Eddie Albert
Dr. Sam Richards
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-
Though Roger Ebert called it one of the worst horror movies, The Devil’s Rain is actually an underrated slice of ’70s exploitation that is nothing if not a wild ride. The film starts as a revenge story but quickly devolves into supernatural horror as Shatner’s Mark Preston comes up against forces beyond the realm of reality. A precursor to the satanic panic of the ’80s, The Devil’s Rain is at parts surreal and utterly goofy in others. It never takes itself too seriously, which is in direct conflict with Shatner’s performance.
For his part, William Shatner is fully committed to playing Mark Preston, and his quixotic quest for revenge comes through in his acting. Even in the silliest moments of the film, Shatner is quite serious, which adds gravity where there normally wouldn’t be.
2
Judgment At Nuremberg (1961)
A Stellar Ensemble Drama With Historical Weight
- Release Date
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December 18, 1961
- Runtime
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179 Minutes
- Director
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Stanley Kramer
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Burt Lancaster
Dr. Ernst Janning
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Richard Widmark
Col. Tad Lawson
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Marlene Dietrich
Mrs. Bertholt
Years before he was trekking the stars as Captain Kirk, William Shatner appeared in the ensemble drama film, Judgment at Nuremberg. He appears in the epic historical movie as Captain Harrison Byers, an assistant to Judge Haywood (Spencer Tracy) who is overseeing the case. Shatner’s Captain Byers is charming and aloof, though he isn’t given much to do in the already overstuffed courtroom film. However, it’s his ability to successfully blend in that makes his performance so compelling.
1
The Intruder (1962)
Roger Corman’s Take On Racism In The 1960s
- Release Date
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May 14, 1962
- Runtime
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84 minutes
- Director
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Roger Corman
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Frank Maxwell
Tom McDaniel
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Beverly Lunsford
Ella McDaniel
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Robert Emhardt
Verne Shipman
Though it came very early in his career, William Shatner gave what is arguably his best performance in the Roger Corman film, The Intruder. Shatner plays the part of Adam Cramer, a charismatic public speaker who goes from town to town in an attempt to stir up the locals against racial integration. Made at the height of the civil rights movement in the ’60s, the movie was as ambitious as it was risky.
Shatner’s turn as Cramer is simultaneously enthralling and nightmarish, and he captures the moral implications of the film just in his performance alone. There have been plenty of daring films in movie history, but The Intruder dared to challenge the existing social order, and jeopardized its own financial success in the process. William Shatner should have gotten more attention for his performance, and the movie still doesn’t get the accolades it deserves.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
