Shortly after the cancellation of the original “Star Trek” television show, William Shatner was an out-of-work actor living out of a truck camper. He was type-cast as Captain Kirk. Ironically what got him out of poverty were the emerging Star Trek conventions, the producers of which were willing to pay Shatner to attend as a celebrity. He then did get a few “guest star” appearances on television shows in the 1970’s such as on “Columbo” where he played ironically enough a television star who is completely full of himself. (By all accounts he was the most conceited actor on “Star Trek”.) Then the Star Trek movies made him a multi-millionaire.
Columbo (Peter Falk) with Ward Fowler (William Shatner) in “Fade in to Murder”.