William Shatner, 94, Faces Surgery After Being Injured in Horse Accident

William Shatner is opening up about a painful accident that left him seriously injured. The 94-year-old actor revealed that he shattered his right shoulder after falling off one of his horses late last year.

According to comments Shatner made during the Saturn Awards on March 8, the accident happened while he was riding and practicing equestrian maneuvers. Shatner has been passionate about horse riding for many years, and he was attempting a move that ends with a fast sliding stop when things went wrong.

While speaking at the event, where he accepted a Hall of Fame honor on behalf of the Star Trek franchise, Shatner explained that the horse shifted unexpectedly. The sudden movement threw him off balance and sent him flying to the ground.

“I’m not a young stuntman anymore,” he said while talking about the fall. “I started to roll, but hit the dirt with my shoulder. So I wrecked my shoulder.” Despite the serious injury, Shatner kept his sense of humor when describing what happened and what came next.

During his speech, he told the audience that he was scheduled to undergo a shoulder operation on March 11. He admitted he wasn’t exactly sure of the medical name for the procedure, joking that it was “a new type of shoulder operation called a reverse something or other.”

Shatner also tried to explain the surgery in his own playful way. “You put the ball in the socket and the socket in the thing, and you come out 10 hours later, and you’re pain-free. So that’s what I am meandering towards.”

The update about his injury comes months after another health scare. In September 2025, Shatner was briefly hospitalized because of problems related to his blood sugar. At the time, he reassured fans that he was doing fine and made light of the situation by referencing a famous quote from Mark Twain.

“Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,” he said. Even in his 90s, Shatner continues to live an active and busy life. The actor still attends conventions and industry events, and he continues to work on film and media projects.

He also made headlines in 2021 when he traveled to space aboard a Blue Origin flight, becoming the oldest person ever to reach space at the time. That record has since been broken by Ed Dwight, but Shatner’s journey remains one of the most talked-about moments of his later career.

Many fans still know him best as Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek, a role that made him a science fiction icon. Over the years, however, he has also earned praise for other work, including his performance in the legal drama Boston Legal and various voice roles in animated projects.

Most recently, audiences saw him in the documentary You Can Call Me Bill, which explores his life, career, and personal reflections after several decades in the entertainment industry.

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