Super Spokesman

Shatner's Savvy Priceline Deal

Capt. Kirk, paid in stock, now worth $600M.

From a career slump that left him living out of his truck in the San Fernando Valley, William Shatner has turned his famous staccato acting style into a spokesman role that has him laughing (at himself) all the way to the bank. As pitchman for Priceline.com since 1997, he has helped the stock price soar from a low of $1.80 (during the dot-com crisis in 2000) to its current price tag of close to $300 a share. After Star Trek, the actor couldn't find work, and was even homeless at one point, eking out money for gas and food by making personal appearances. When he started doing his pitches for Priceline, he was originally paid in stock shares. The Trekkie is now said to be worth $600 million.