Up Till Now

The Autobiography

By: William Shatner, David Fisher

Narrated by: William Shatner

Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

After almost sixty years as an actor, William Shatner has become one of the most beloved entertainers in the world. And it seems as if Shatner is everywhere. In Up Till Now, Shatner sits down with listeners and offers 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, 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 episode of The Twilight Zone. And since then, he's gone on to star in numerous successful shows, such as T.J. Hooker, Rescue 911,and Boston Legal.

William Shatner has always been willing to take risks for his art. What other actor would star in history's first—and probably only—all-Esperanto-language film? 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's Up Till Now reveals the man behind these unforgettable moments, and how he's become the worldwide star and experienced actor he is today.

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

©2008 William Shatner and David Fisher (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Shatner's sincerity, honesty, and heightened sense of humor all come across at warp speed in this entertaining memoir.” —Publishers Weekly

“Shatner makes you feel like he's sitting out on the balcony with you, sharing a cigar and waxing nostalgic.” —The Oregonian

“That rare celebrity autobiography that's as entertaining as it is self-revealing, a genuinely fun read.” —The Dallas Morning News

Good fun

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to The Shatman reminisce over his life. It was funny, heartwarming, sometimes sad, but always interesting. He talks in that same halting style that he's known for, which I enjoyed, and reveals a lot about himself and his career. I have a lot more respect for him now after listening to his life.

Much better than expected

Apart from loving Boston Legal, I haven't had much to do with William Shatner (not a Star Trek fan). I bought this book largely based on the ratings. I'm glad I did because the book is really good. Shatner's had quite a fascinating life and I always find Hollywood insider information really interesting. Shatner is open and honest which makes that book real and believable. The only reason that I gave it 4 stars for the reading is sometimes Shatner almost mumbles and it's hard to make out what he's saying. But I still enjoyed the book.

Whatever you think you know about Bill Shatner...

I know its easy to perceive William Shatner as possessing pompous, egotistical and many other non-complimentary "attributes." But if you remember that we don't really know him outside his stage, screen and performance arenas, this book will let you discover a totally real, funny, and fallible human being. As he chronicled his life above and beyond his acting and show business career, I found myself smiling--and sometimes laughing aloud at the foibles with which I was all too familiar in my own life as well as the empathy when he tells of his marriages and certainly when he loses one of his wives so tragically. As a long-time Star Trek fan and casual follower of the relationships among the cast members, I was happy to see his owning up to the flaws (most of which are inherent in the personality of driven and successful actors) leading to and resulting in damage to those relationships. If you only want to know about his tales of the various Star Trek shows and movies--and they are interesting and funny!--get his books about them. Meanwhile, consider taking a fun ride along with the real, very human, Bill Shatner. You won't regret it.

Entertaining and worthwhile

Would you listen to Up Till Now again? Why?

Yes. Very funny and entertaining, yet sometimes difficult to hear due to his reading style.

Did William Shatner do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Character creation really isn't the point of his book, but he has a very entertaining delievery of the message.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

An Actors Guide to the Galaxy

Any additional comments?

Sometimes this book was difficult to hear because of his reading style, make sure your base is turned all the way down and your treble 3/4 up.

Really enjoyed it.

I very much enjoyed this trip down memory lane for Mr Shatner. Interesting, funny, sad and I think the fact that Mr Shatner narrated it himself made even more of an impression. If you're a fan of anything he's done or just him, you'll enjoy this reading.

Great Book

I could not stop listening to this audiobook. I have recently started listening to autobiographies. I fear that I am unlikely to listen to one that is not read by the author. If I know the authors voice, like William Shatner and Matthew McConaughey then I expect to hear their voice in the audiobook. This one proves the point. His quick and snappy reading of his book was wonderful.

Excellent 💯

Excellent Audio Book 💯🤗🌟 Sometimes I laughed and sometimes I felt tears. Awesome Book!

One of the best I’ve listened to on Audible

I didn’t really know much about William Shatner beyond seeing him on Star Trek. I leaned so much about his life and experiences which are both really interesting that I couldn’t “put the book down!” This reading kept me company for every available moment I had till i finished it. I also found myself laughing throughout the whole thing, literally laughing out loud. He’s incredibly funny! Well written. Well performed. This is one of my favorites on Audible so far.

I liked it

From his adventures with homosexuals as a naive young Canadian Jew to his masterful leading roles in Star Trek,TJ Hooker, Boston Legal, and Priceline, this performing poet and stand-up comic is entertaining beyond belief. He leaves you with a personal mystery that you’ll have to wait to hear.

An amazing tale!

Absolutely loved it. Shatner really is much more than just James Tiberius Kirk... oh but the experience of Kirk sure made this worth reading.