Up Till Now

The Autobiography

By: William Shatner, David Fisher

Narrated by: William Shatner

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

After almost 60 years as an actor, William Shatner has become one of the most beloved entertainers in the world. It seems that Shatner is everywhere. Winning an Emmy for his role on Boston Legal. Doing commercials for Priceline.com. In movie theaters. Singing with Ben Folds. He sits next to Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel, and he's practically a regular on Howard Stern's show. And he was recently elected to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. In Up Till Now, Shatner offers listeners the remarkable, full story of his life and explains how he got to be, well, everywhere.

It was the original Star Trek series, and later its films, that made Shatner instantly recognizable and called by name (or at least by Captain Kirk's name) across the globe. But Shatner neither began nor has ended his career with that role. From the very start, he took his skills as an actor and put them to use wherever he could. He straddled the classic world of the theater and the new world of television, whether stepping in for Christopher Plummer in Shakespeare's Henry V or staring at "something on the wing" in a classic Twilight Zone episode. And since then, he's gone on to star in numerous successful shows, such as T. J. Hooker, Rescue 911, and most recently Boston Legal.

William Shatner has always been willing to take risks for his art. Who else would share the screen with thousands of tarantulas, release an album called Has Been, or film a racially incendiary film in the Deep South during the height of the civil-rights era? And who else would willingly paramotor into a field of waiting fans armed with paintball guns, all waiting for a chance to stun Captain...er, Shatner?

In this touching and very funny autobiography, William Shatner reveals the man behind these unforgettable moments, and explains how he's become the worldwide star and experienced actor he is today.

©2008 William Shatner (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"It is now Bill Shatner's universe - we just live in it." ( New York Daily News)

Expectantly funny, surprisingly touching

I knew that listening to this book would make me laugh, especially since William Shatner is the narrator. He delivers his story with great humor as well as warmth and a sense that he is just chatting with you; while listening in the car I sometimes expected to see him sitting next to me in the passenger seat! The book was very funny, as expected, but also touching. Shatner is very poignant, and covers a lot of ground in this book. A very worthwhile listen!

Stunning!

Funny, sad, serious, hilarious, sentimental..........I just can't say enough! I loved every piece of this book. Shatner's voice is so soothing, it was fabulous to hear the book read by the author himself.

Definately a credit worthy listen!!

Just what the doctor ordered

I bought this today to while away the hours focusing on anything but the pain in my side (food poisoning). It was exactly what I needed.

Shatner is a wonderful storyteller, whether the tale be funny, self-deprecating, embarrassing, or heartrending (the death of his third wife). He pulls you into the moment, as though speaking to you and you alone...which frankly, I don't think he could have done before Boston Legal. Unlike previous memoirs - good as they were - this one feels like a deep conversation with a dear friend, rather than broadcast to a convention hall full of Trekkies. Which I as a Trekkie confess is also good, but this book - which covers far more biographical ground - benefits from the years of balcony epilogues with James Spader.
I agree that at times the audio was hard to hear. His voice goes low and fast and if you're not careful you can miss much. But in those moments, it seems the appropriate delivery.

I recommend this book highly to anyone who wonders what makes Shatner "tick". Rather than answer the question, it underscores how complex that question really is.

Very Entertaining

I've always found William Shatner interesting. It seemed like he didn't take himself too serious and in this audiobook he has many stories where he is the butt of the joke.

Has Been? Was and will be !!!

What a grand journey through Bill's life! Having interviewed him once for a horse magazine, I thought he was rather pompous....now I regret all the years I thought that and wish I had spent more time with this brilliant and unique American icon of nearly every venue available to the artist! A great trip!

Bill - Warts(?) and All!

I have always enjoyed William Shatner's work. Of course it took Star Trek to take me back to Judgement at Nuremburg and Twilight Zone.(I was 17 when Star Trek appeared.)

I knew his various credits when I began listening and it was entertaining to hear how he experienced his acting jobs, marriages, and writing career.

Bill is a natural born story teller and his self depreciation is an addition to this part of his art.
The book is funny, touching, sad, and inspiring. He reveals himself as a great jokester who became more concerned about others feelings as he grew as a person.

No one else could have narrated ths book. Only Bill is Bill. If we read it silently we would read it with his voice also.

A great read and a lot of fun - especially when he argues with two radio hosts over whether or not he is an a--h----.

Brilliant, poignant, hilarious, touching.

If you can, listen to the audio version. Listening to Bill narrate his own book truly gets across his wry humour and self deprecating stories.
One of the few audio books I've listened to multiple times. Brilliant.

Just okay

While I love William Shatner and his sense of humor, I found this audio book to be about an hour longer than necessary. He didn't delve far enough into the Star Trek backstory but went on way too long about his reality TV show. All in all, though, Bill is a great narrator and pretty funny in his own way.

entertaining

If you are a fan of William Shatner you will enjoy biography. It's his story and he is narrating so that made it even more of a treat. Listened on a road trip and will listen again this summer!

Very enjoyable

I found this audio book to be very interesting and funny.
William Shatner was very to listen to on a long commute.
I also was impressed that it was not a "tell all book" that made other people look bad. Shatner is also honest about his own mistakes. I did not realize how long a career he has had in entertaining.