William Shatner is living the high life now, but he was forced to live in a truck back in 1969! (Photo: Getty Images)

William Shatner has revealed his life was a mess when Star Trek went off the air in 1969.

The actor – who played Captain James Tiberius Kirk in the science fiction television series – has revealed he ended up living out of his car because he was so cash-strapped.

‘A pickup truck, actually,’ Shatner admitted.

‘It was the early 1970s and I was recently divorced. I had three kids and was totally broke. I managed to find work back east on the straw-hat circuit – summer stock – but couldn’t afford hotels, so I lived out of the back of my truck, under a hard shell.




‘It had a little stove, a toilet, and I’d drive from theater to theater. The only comfort came from my dog, who sat in the passenger seat and gave me perspective on everything.

‘Otherwise, it would have just been me counting my losses.’

Shatner has since starred in several TV series, such as TJ Hooker, Boston Legal, and several TV commercials.