Florida man, 63, who claimed William Shatner was his father and even sued the Star Trek star for $170million for denying they were related uses DNA website to discover his dad was really a Canadian called 'Chick'
A Florida man who claimed for decades that Star Trek star William Shatner was his biological father has learned he was wrong following a DNA test.
Peter Shatner, 63, who legally changed his surname from Sloan last year, was adopted as a baby.
But he was later told by his biological mother that he could either have been the product of a brief love affair she claimed she had with the actor in 1956, or one she had with a man she knew only as 'Chick'.
Peter adamantly believed that Captain Kirk actor William was his real father.
But Shatner, 89, continuously denied they were related, resulting in a long-running legal battle when Peter sued him for $170million in a defamation case for publicly denying the paternity.
After 36 years of lobbying the actor for a DNA test, however, Peter has now finally discovered his real father was the Canadian man nicknamed 'Chick', after using Ancestry.com to find the correct genetic match.
Peter Shatner - pictured with William Shatner at a comic convention in Orlando in 2011 - claimed for decades that the Satr Trek icon was his father, despite the actor's denials
Peter had been adopted at five days old in 1957, but with the help of his adoptive parents he tracked down and reconnected with his biological mother in 1984.
During the meeting, his mother, late Canadian actress Kathy Burt, said that his birth father was either William Shatner or the man she could only remember as 'Chick'.
Burt had worked with Shatner briefly on a project in Toronto and said that she was more positive that he was the father.
She had met Chick just a few days later, she said in a 1987 letter.
Peter Shatner, pictured left, had lobbied actor William Shatner, pictured right, for decades for a DNA test even suing him for defamation for saying he was not his biological father
Peter (Sloan) Shatner and daughter Ann pose with William Shatner in 2011 at Orlando Comic Con where he paid for a picture with the man he believed to be his father
Peter's half-brother through Burt, Charles McNeil, confirmed this was the story she had told.
'My mother had no reason to lie,' McNeil told the Tampa Bay Times in 2015.
'If anything, she was ashamed of it so kept it very private. She could have tried to make money off her story but never did, even when times were tough.'
The revelation sent Peter on a quest to confirm Shatner's paternity but his dogged attempts were constantly pushed back as the 'T.J. Hooker' talent consistently said it was not true.
'It was never about wanting his money and I always made it clear I would renounce any inheritance in exchange for a DNA test,' Peter told the Tampa Bay Times.
'If you are not adopted, you could never understand. I had to know who I am.'
In 2009, Peter had first begun to use Ancestry.com, hoping to find relatives of Shatner's that would prove the connection as he was still being denied the DNA test.
Instead, he this year found a link to a family who confirmed they had a relative named 'Chick' and got in touch with his children.
Chick's daughter agreed to take a DNA test and it was confirmed that they are half-siblings.
Peter told the Tampa Bay Times that it is disappointing that he never managed to meet 'Chick' who died in 2001.
The Canadian citizen was officially named Benjamin Freedman but nicknamed this because he formerly ran a chicken store.
Peter Shatner pictured, his real father was a Canadian citizen nicknamed 'Chick'
Peter claimed it was never about the money despite suing Shatner for $170million
'I will never have the opportunity to sit and talk to him,' he said. 'I just wanted to know where I came from.'
He also plans to change his name back from Shatner now that he knows he is not related to the actor, possibly back to Sloan, his adoptive father's name.
Yet, he has no regrets about his pursuits of Shatner that often hit the headlines.
'They called me a fraud,' he said of the actor and his team. 'I was not lying.'
William Shatner, 89, consistently denied he was the father publicly
Peter claims he first managed to meet Shatner in 1984 after a friend of his adoptive father's arranged for them to get together.
He claims that Shatner said during that meeting that he could have been the father but Shatner publicly denied that the meeting ever took place.
His publicist also denied that Shatner knew Burt, although there are photos of them acting together.
'The more they pushed back, the more it seemed they were hiding something,' Peter said. 'I wish they would have admitted they knew who I was and taken the DNA test.'
The pair met once more in March 2011 at an Orlando comic convention when Peter paid for a photograph with the man he thought was his father.
That same year, Peter again tried to make Shatner take a DNA-based paternity test but was shut down.
His lawyers responded to the request, saying Shatner is 'an incredibly busy, 80-year-old man, and is not interested in spending time discussing this issue with you.'
Peter eventually sued the actor in 2016, demanding the Hollywood legend submit a DNA test to confirm that he is his biological father.
He also accused Shatner of defamation and libel over his public statements denying paternity as he said that the star had admitted he was the father in 1984 but was now denying it to avoid negative repercussions to his acting career.
Peter had demanded $50 million for pain and suffering, $30 million for compensatory damages and $90 million in punitive damages.
Shatner has three daughters, Lisabeth (left), Leslie (right) and Melanie (not pictured), from his first marriage to Canadian actress Gloria Rand. He married Elizabeth Martin in 2001
However, a judge in June 2019 ordered that the $170million suit be tossed out.
'....[S]ince it has never been established that Shatner is plaintiff's biological father, the alleged defamatory statements he attributes to Shatner and his agents, could not have been, as a matter of law, false when made,' the court filings stated.
Despite losing the suit, Peter did successfully petition last year for the name change.
He hopes that he will now get to meet his biological siblings once the pandemic is over and has enjoyed learning of the similarities he has with his father, including them both selling life insurance.
'I found what I was looking for,' Peter said of his search for the truth about his parents. 'It took time and it was a fight, but I did it. I finally know where I come from.'
Shatner does have three daughters, Leslie, Lisabeth and Melanie, from his first marriage to Canadian actress Gloria Rand. He has been married to Elizabeth Martin since 2001.
The actor is worth an estimated $100 million, most of which was made from his Star Trek TV shows and films, as well as from Priceline stock and commercials.
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