William Shatner to receive honorary degree from McGill University

In fiction, he has beat the Kobayashi Maru, defeated space tyrant Khan and travelled in time. In real life, he's won Emmies, a Golden Globe and enjoyed a television and film career spanning more than a half-century.

In June, William Shatner will add one more achievement to that list when he receives an honorary degree from McGill University, his alma mater.

The Montreal native, best known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek TV series and several subsequent movies, began his acting career at the school in the 1940s, appearing in amateur theatre productions. He graduated in 1952 with a commerce degree.

Mr. Shatner's professional career began as a stage actor at the Stratford festival and on Broadway, before he made the jump to film and TV.

In addition to Star Trek, he played police detective T.J. Hooker in the eponymous television series in the 1980s and, more recently, eccentric lawyer Denny Crane on The Practice and Boston Legal, for which he earned several awards.

Mr. Shatner will receive his degree at convocation on June 2.

Read full article: The Globe and Mail, May 5, 2011