William Shatner's Children Believe He's a 'Hands-on Dad' – He Is a Father to 3 Daughters

After worrying about whether he was doing a good job as a parent, William Shatner's children, Melanie Shatner, Lisabeth Shatner, and Leslie Carol Shatner, left the "Star Trek" actor feeling gratified when they revealed they were who they were because of his influence.

William welcomed his three daughters during his thirteen-year marriage to his first wife, Gloria Rand, from 1956 to 1969.

He spent over forty years in Hollywood and made a name for himself with his breakthrough role as James T. Kirk in the "Star Trek" franchise. However, his successful acting career meant William was often away from his daughters, trying to earn a living.

This resulted in him only seeing them on the weekends, which William worried affected how well he parented his daughters. However, the actor shared that Melanie, Lisabeth, and Leslie appreciated that he was a "hands-on" father who was always there for them.

Their appreciation for their father's parenting skills was mutual, as William said his daughters turned out to be three of the greatest mothers. He further shared:

"They have brought up their family up in the way I wish I'd brought them up. So something good must have happened."

Melanie, Lisabeth, and Leslie made William a grandfather of five kids – three girls and two boys – whom he saw every weekend. When his daughters were younger, the actor revealed that he would take them to watch "Escape From Planet Earth."

And William continued the tradition of bonding with his grandchildren during family vacations. William remarried multiple times over the years but did not welcome any more children during those relationships.

After separating from Melanie, Lisabeth, and Leslie's mother, he married Marcy Lafferty. However, they divorced in 1996 after thirteen years of marriage.

In 1997, he walked down the aisle with "Artificial Paradise" actress Nerine Kidd, who died in 1999. William's last marriage came in 2001 when he tied the knot with Elizabeth Shatner. They celebrated twenty years of marriage before parting ways in 2019.

Leslie Carol Shatner

William's eldest daughter was born on August 31, 1958. While William admitted that neither of his parents influenced his decision to become an actor, he had the opposite effect on his daughters as they all followed in their father's footsteps and pursued acting careers.

Leslie's earliest acting credit came in 1966 when she landed a minor role as Mirri in "Star Trek: The Original Series." However, her acting career was short-lived, as her appearance in Ralph Edward's "This is Your Life" in 1989 was her last acting gig on TV.

Although it is unclear when Leslie married, she welcomed her two sons, Grant Walker and Eric Walker, with her husband, Gordon T. Walker.

As a Father's Day gift, Leslie and her husband gave William a certificate to go skydiving after the actor revealed he loved taking risks – although William admitted he knew he probably shouldn't. He said:

"This wasn't something I'd ever spoken about wistfully, but they decided it would make me happy to jump out of an airplane. And, of course, it did, although I screamed all the way down."

Lisabeth Shatner

Leslie became a big sister on June 6, 1961, when William and his ex-wife welcomed their second daughter. He also grew up as the middle child with an older sister and one who was eleven years younger than him.

During an interview, William revealed that he often felt lonely in his Jewish household. However, that was not the case with Lisabeth, as she and her family often enjoyed vacations together.

As Lisabeth grew older, she was another one of his daughters to try her hand at acting. However, she had more projects under her belt than her older sister.

Lisabeth had roles in "Star Trek: The Original Series," "Huey Lewis and the News: Do You Believe in Love," "TekWar" and "TJ Hooker." She married Andy Clement in 2005, but it is unclear whether the couple has children.

Lisabeth also ran one of her father's websites, ShatnerVision.com. While William's official website, WilliamVision.com, sold DVDs of films he had starred in, ShatnerVision.com was a website of compiled videos with a personal touch.

Melanie Shatner

The youngest of the Shatner family was born on August 1, 1964, and made her acting debut in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" in 1986. She has since appeared in "Knots Landing," "Camp Cucamonga," "Dark Justice," "Their Second Chance," and "Madison."

She said "I do" to Joel Gretsch in 1999 and gave birth to two girls, Kaya and Willow. Their grandfather said he found family life "totally encompassing," and while he loved being a father, William Shatner's grandchildren held a special place in his heart. He said:

"Being a grandparent is the greatest joy for me."

And aside from bonding over skiing and snorkeling on holidays, William Shatner also took the time to sit down with his grandchildren for a chat. He would hug and kiss them and pass down a few words of wisdom he had learned over the years.

During an interview, William Shatner admitted that while he had an acting career he was proud of, nothing compared to his family and the people in his life. "The thing you have to remember is that life is for the living," he said.

The actor also spoke candidly about wanting to share his fortune with his children and striking a balance between making sure his daughters live comfortably and not giving them too much to the point where they lose their sense of initiative.