Who is Melanie Shatner?
Melanie Shatner is an American retired actress, and the daughter of legendary actor William Shatner. She is possibly best known for her portrayal of Rebecca Morgan in the film “Bloodstone: Subspecies II” (1993).
Where is Melanie Shatner Today?
Melanie left showbiz in the late ‘90s. Since then, she’s been married to actor Joel Gretsch, living in Los Angeles, California, and raising their two children, Kaya and Willow Gretsch.
Melanie Shatner Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education
Melanie Ann Shatner was born on 1 August 1964, in Los Angeles, California, USA, the daughter of William Shatner and his first wife, Gloria Rand.
Melanie has two sisters, Leslie Carol and Lisabeth Shatner. They briefly entered the acting industry as children but have since pursued other interests.
Melanie’s educational background remains a mystery until the present day. However, it’s believed that she matriculated from a local high school.
Career Beginnings
Melanie began her career onboard Enterprise in the Academy Award-nominated sci-fi action-adventure film “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” in 1986, co-starring Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley.
Three years later, she appeared as Marsha in the Primetime Emmy Award-winning daytime soap opera “Knots Landing”. The same year she appeared in the next installment of the ‘Star Trek’ franchise, “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”, as Yeoman, directed by William Shatner.
She started the new decade with a hectic schedule; she had a minor role in the horror thriller film “The First Power”, which follows an L.A. police detective and a female psychic trying to stop a demonic serial killer who has powers of teleportation, possession, and resurrection, starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Tracy Griffith. Next, she was Wendy in the television comedy movie “Camp Cucamonga”, directed by Roger Duchowny, and starring Chad Allen, Jennifer Aniston, and John Ratzenberger. Moreover, she featured in the sci-fi horror thriller “Syngenor”, about genetically engineered US soldiers intended to fight in the Middle East, but after the experiment goes horribly wrong, the creatures turn on their creators.
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Two years later, she was Eva in the horror film “Cthulhu Mansion”, with Academy Award-nominated actor Frank Finlay as the main star, about criminals who take hostage a magician and his daughter, but then start something sinister.
In 1993, Melanie co-starred as Rebecca in Ted Nicolaou’s fantasy horror-thriller “Bloodstone: Subspecies II”, a continuation of the first film, “Subspecies” from 1991. The film follows the evil vampire Radu on his mission to turn everyone into vampires, and vampire hunters on their way to stop him, starring Anders Hove, Denice Duff and Kevin Spirtas.
The following year, she reprised the role of Rebecca in the third film “Bloodlust: Subspecies III” with all the main actors returning to their characters, while in 1995, she starred as Catherine Harding in the sci-fi horror film “The Alien Within”, co-starring Roddy McDowall and Alex Hyde-White.
Later Career
She made a brief appearance in the 1995 Primetime Emmy Award-winning TV drama series “Sisters”, which starred Swoosie Kurtz, Patricia Kalember, and Sela Ward, and the same year she also appeared in the critically-acclaimed TV action crime-drama series “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues”, with David Carradine and Chris Potter in the lead roles.
In 1996, she had a minor role in the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated sci-fi series “TekWar”, based on the novels by her father, who also stars in the series alongside Greg Evigan and Natalie Radford.
To speak further of her accomplishments, Melanie appeared in the 1997 television movie “Their Second Chance”, starring Lindsay Wagner, Perry King, and Tracy Griffith in, while in 1998, she starred with Michael Madsen and Chad McQueen in Rodney McDonald’s war-drama film “Surface to Air”.
She ended her career with a minor role in the television thriller movie “His Bodyguard”, and a brief appearance in the TV sci-fi drama series “Mercy Point”, about doctors working in the space station hospital, with Joe Morton, Maria del Mar, and Alexandra Wilson as the main stars.
Net Worth
According to sources, Melanie Shatner’s net worth has been estimated at over $1 million, as of late 2022, earned through her acting career, during which she appeared in 20 film and TV titles.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
Melanie Shatner has dark brown hair and brown eyes. She stands at a height of 5ft 6ins (1.68m), weighs approximately 145lbs (65kgs), with vital statistics of 33-28-34, bra size 34A.
Melanie Shatner’s Father, William Shatner Short Bio
William Shatner was born on 22 March 1931, in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighborhood of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the middle child of three, born to Joseph Shatner and his wife Ann.
After matriculating from West Hill High School, William studied Economics at the McGill University Faculty of Management in Montreal, from which he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1952.
Shatner has been best recognized as Captain James T. Kirk in the “Star Trek” franchise. He made his debut in 1965 as the captain of the starship Enterprise, and portrayed the legendary captain until the seventh Star Trek feature film, “Star Trek Generations” in 1994.
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He is also known for playing the veteran police sergeant, the title character in the TV series “T.J. Hooker” (1982-1986), then as Denny Crane in the TV series “The Practice” and its spin-off “Boston Legal”.
To speak further of his accomplishments, Shatner is recognized as a recording artist. Not actually a singer, Shatner used to record cover versions of popular rock songs as dramatic recitations of the lyrics. Some of his famed recordings include “Space Oddity” by David Bowie, “Learning to Fly” by Pink Floyd, and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by The Beatles, among many other songs.
In 2021 he flew into space aboard the Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule; he was 90 years old at the time and, by default, the oldest person to fly in space.
He was married and divorced four times – after divorcing Melanie’s mother in 1969, he married Marcy Lafferty in 1973, and their marriage lasted for 23 years, but they didn’t have children. From 1997 until 1999, he was married to Nerine Kidd, and his fourth wife was Elizabeth Martin – their marriage lasted from 2001 until 2020.
According to sources, William Shatner’s net worth is estimated at $80 million, as of late 2022.
