Kidney stones are hard deposits of minerals and salts that form within the kidneys. They can be caused by various factors, including diet, excess body weight, certain medical conditions, and certain supplements and medications. But did you know that William Shatner sold his kidney stone to raise money for charity?
William Shatner sold his kidney stone to an online casino for about $25,000 in 2006. The award-winning actor then donated the entire sum to charity.
Who is William Shatner?
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for his seven-decade-long portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise, from the second pilot in 1965 to his final appearance as Kirk in Star Trek Generations.
Shatner was born to a Conservative Jewish family on March 22, 1931, in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighborhood of Montréal, Québec, Canada. His parents, Ann and Joseph Shatner manufactured clothes. He is the middle child in a family of three children, with an older sister, Joy Rutenberg, and a younger sister, Farla Cohen.
His patrilineal surname was Schattner, which his grandfather, Wolf Schattner, anglicized. All four of Shatner’s grandparents were Jewish immigrants who came from settlements that are now in Ukraine and Lithuania but were once ruled by Austria-Hungary and the Russian Empire.
Shatner went to Willingdon Elementary School and West Hill High School in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and was a member of the Montreal Children’s Theater. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Economics from the McGill University Faculty of Management in Montreal in 1952. McGill University bestowed an honorary Doctorate of Letters on him in 2011. In May 2018, he received the same honor from the New England Institute of Technology. (Source: Britannica)
Who Bought William Shatner’s Kidney Stone?
The Golden Palace is an online casino that operates under a CIGAlicense. They are well-known for their publicity stunts and large bonuses’ that had to be wagered up to fifty times before they could be claimed. This caused controversy on several occasions when the site refused to pay players who only played to claim the free money and not for the entertainment value.
One significant incident resulted in the site’s former software provider, Microgaming, terminating their agreement. As a result, Golden Palace and its sister casinos switched to rival Playtech in 2003. GoldenPalace moved to IGS ONLINE in December 2013. (Source: The Golden Palace)
Which Charity Did William Shatner Pick?
The idea of selling the stone came to Shatner after Boston Legal raised $20,000 for Habitat for Humanity. Shatner stated that the money for the stone is roughly enough to build half a house. (Source: CBS News)
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit housing organization that works in local communities across all 50 states and in over 70 countries around the world. Habitat for Humanity envisions a world where everyone has a safe place to live. Habitat for Humanity contributes to this vision by building and improving homes in partnership with individuals and families needing a safe and affordable place to live. (Source: Habitat)