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Actor William Shatner, 95, revealed that both he and his daughter Melanie Shatner Gretsch fought stage 4 cancer together.
Now that both are currently cancer-free due to extensive treatments, the pair opened up to Peoplemagazine about their health battle.
Shatner has three daughters with Melanie, 61, being the youngest. His other two daughters are Leslie Shatner, 67, and Lisabeth Shatner, 65. Their mom is Shatner’s first wife, actress Gloria Rand, who passed away in 2017.
Melanie was diagnosed after finding a lump on her breast one night. She went to a technician and directed them to exactly where she was concerned, and it was quickly confirmed. Melanie was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer, which had spread to some of the lymph nodes in her chest. For over a year, she went through treatment that included multiple rounds of chemo, radiation therapy, and a double mastectomy.
As Melanie was nearing the end of her treatment for stage 4 cancer, Shatner was diagnosed with stage 4 malignant melanoma after finding a lump on his cheek. Although his family doctor had said it was nothing, a friend of his who was a plastic surgeon had a different opinion. “He placed his hands on my cheeks, and he said with love in his voice, ‘You better get this out,’” Shatner recalled.
Melanie recalled, “I remember vividly thinking, ‘I don’t have the strength to take care of myself and lose my father at the same time.’”
Shatner was more optimistic. “They said, ‘You got cancer. If you came in later, you would have been dead.’ See? That’s my life.” He continued, “I think the universe is taking care of me.” Shatner had surgery to remove what was a tumor on his face and then required two years of further treatment for the cancer in his lungs and brain.
Melanie and Shatner are both currently cancer-free. Melanie recalled Shatner’s reaction when she told him the news, “It was the third time in my life I had heard him cry.”
“I’m healthier now than I’ve been in years,” Shatner said.
The pair are spending time with their family now, and they’ve got a large one. “Sundays used to be three and me — now there’s more than 15,” says Shatner.
Born in Canada, Shatner started acting during college. He is best known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. Although others have played Kirk, Shatner is perhaps the most famous for the role, as he was the very first and beloved by millions of Trekkies. He also won two Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Denny Crane on The Practice and Boston Legal.
Shatner and Melanie are preparing to launch a new weekly podcast called No Time but Now. The podcast is meant to uplift health experts and survivors like themselves. Guests will include Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton, who has survived cancer multiple times, death doula Alua Arthur, nutrition researcher Dr. William Li, and many others. The podcast is set to release on July 29, 2026.
