Who is Melanie Shatner? William Shatner and his daughter reportedly battled cancer together 

The Intruder star William Shatner and his daughter, Melanie Shatner, opened up about their battle with cancer in a recent exclusive interview with People.

While Melanie, 61, was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2022 after a lump was detected in her breast, just a year later, her father, William Shatner, 95, was diagnosed with the most deadly kind of skin cancer, known as malignant melanoma, in June 2023.

During her conversation with People, Melanie Shatner recalled the time when she first found out that she had cancer and remembers calling up her father in the middle of the night, saying she might be "dying." She then shares how William immediately showed up at her home to give her a hug and to remind her how tough she is.

According to IMDb, Melanie Shatner, who is married to actor Joel Gretsch, is an actress. While she has acted in several horror films in the '90s, Melanie has also made brief appearances in a number of Star Trek movies. Not to mention, she has also worked in television and has made multiple guest appearances, including in one of the episodes of Perversions of Science, which was directed by William Shatner.

According to Fandom, Melanie Shatner, who shares two daughters, Kaya and Willow, with Gretsch, left acting in 1999. After retiring from acting in movies and TV shows, she ran a boutique in LA. However, while sharing her story with People about when her father showed up to support her after hearing that she had cancer, Melanie said:

"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.’"

While talking about learning about her father's stage 4 cancer diagnosis in 2023, Melanie Shatner said:

"I remember vividly thinking, ‘I don’t have the strength to take care of myself and lose my father at the same time.’"

Then William Shatner noted:

"They said, ‘You got cancer. If you came in later, you would have been dead.’ See? That’s my life. I think the universe is taking care of me.”

William Shatner and his daughter Melanie Shatner open up about battling cancer

As William Shatner and his daughter, Melanie, are now completely healthy and free of cancer, the Boston Legal actor, during his conversation with People, talked about how situations can become difficult, making it hard to get through, but also mentioned how one should keep in mind the "beauty around" us. William said:

"It’s easy for us in this lovely home to say, ‘Make your life meaningful.’ It’s much more difficult to be poverty-stricken and wonder how you’re going to get through it. I’ve been there. But it’s also possible to endure that and be aware of the beauty around you."

After which Melanie said:

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"[Overcoming cancer] changed my life. I’m not so afraid anymore, and there’s so much freedom and joy."

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