Canadian actor William Shatner and his daughter Melanie revealed that they both battled Stage 4 cancer at the same time several years ago.
In an exclusive interview with People, the duo shared that they have both been cancer-free since 2024 after Shatner, 95, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in June 2023, and Melanie, 61, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in July 2022.
Malignant melanoma is a less common but highly dangerous skin cancer that starts in the melanocytes, or pigment-producing cells, in the outer layer of the skin, according to the Canadian Dermatology Association.
The organization notes that malignant melanoma has one of the highest cure rates of all cancers when found at an early stage.
Metastatic breast cancer, also known as Stage 4 breast cancer, occurs when breast cancer cells spread from the original tumour in the breast to other parts of the body, such as the bones, lungs, brain or liver, according to Women’s College Hospital.
Women’s College Hospital says that metastasis happens when cancer cells break away from the original tumour and travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to distant areas.
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Shatner, the Star Trek alum, was diagnosed with cancer in June 2023 that spread to his lungs and brain. He said he initially shrugged off a growth as a blocked salivary gland, but then the tumour grew.
“They said, ‘You got cancer. If you came in later, you would have been dead.’ See? That’s my life,” Shatner said. “I think the universe is taking care of me.”
Melanie said she first discovered her cancer four years ago after finding a lump on her breast.
“I woke up in the middle of the night, and my finger moved up right beneath my breast. I felt a little bump and thought, ‘It’s just a bug bite,’” she told People.
She went to an imaging appointment the following day and testing confirmed she had HER2-positive breast cancer that had spread to lymph nodes in her chest.
“I was having a moment and was hysterical,” she said. Addressing her father, she said, “I called you and said, ‘I think I’m dying.’ He gave me, what I think of ever since I was a little girl, a ‘daddy bear hug.’ He said, ‘This is going to be a blip in your life. You’re going to get through this, and it’ll be a memory.’”
Shatner said Melanie was “very conscious of the importance of her life for herself and for her family. I was devastated.”
When her father was diagnosed with cancer, Melanie recalled thinking, “‘I don’t have the strength to take care of myself and lose my father at the same time.’”
Melanie underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and 30 radiation therapy treatments, while Shatner had surgery to remove the tumour on his face and underwent two years of immunotherapy.
“Chemo was the most physically draining, and the radiation I found so emotionally draining,” Melanie said.
Shatner said that they both had “the perfect doctors for her cancer and my cancer.”
Shatner and Melanie were both declared cancer-free near the end of 2024.
The actor also shared that he’s “healthier now than I’ve been in years,” adding, “the brain is like a muscle. It feeds on activity.”
Shatner said the experience gave him a different perspective on life, saying, “I’m thinking of the miracle of a hummingbird, and of my dog taking a ball, and my children. I’m aware of the magic of it all.”
The father and daughter also announced their new wellness podcast, No Time But Now, which launches its first episode on July 29.
Cancer continues to impact a larger number of people in Canada each year, a trend largely driven by the growing and aging population, according to a 2025 report from the Canadian Cancer Society.
According to the organization, two in five Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and approximately one in four are expected to die of the disease. The four most commonly diagnosed cancers are lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers.
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