Acting is William Shatner's profession.
William Shatner ( born March 22 , 1931 ) is a Canadian actor , author , producer , and director . Shatner also played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker ( 1982 -- 86 ) and hosted the reality-based television series , Rescue 911 ( 1989 -- 96 ) , which won a People 's Choice Award for the Favorite New TV Dramatic Series . From 2004 until 2008 , he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of the legal drama The Practice and its spinoff series Boston Legal '' , a role that earned him two Emmy Awards .