NEWS'Disappointed' William Shatner Recalls Watching 'Drunk' Judy Garland Perform in Theater Show: 'She Was Very Fragile'
William Shatner and Judy Garland starred in 'Judgment at Nuremberg' together.
Feb. 20 2026, Updated 5:47 p.m. ET
As a teen, William Shatner was excited to watch Judy Garland perform in a NYC Broadway show, but he recalled feeling "so disappointed" when he realized she was inebriated.
"As a teenager from Montreal, every so often I'd go down with my parents to New York and go to the theater. And I saw her on stage in Times Square doing a concert — but she was drunk," he shared in a new interview.
Judy Garland Was William Shatner's 'Heroine'
William Shatner admitted he was shocked to see Judy Garland drunk on stage.
"I kept looking at her thinking, 'My God, she's my heroine. And I think she's drunk,'" the Star Trek icon continued. "I was a teenager. I thought, 'Why, she can't possibly be drunk on stage!' And, well, she was, and made no sense. And I was so disappointed."
It wasn't until some time later that Shatner, 94, learned "about her problems and what she was dealing with," as Garland — who passed away from an accidental drug overdose at age 47 in 1969 — struggled with addiction.
Judy Garland died from an accidental drug overdose in 1969.
Shatner wound up getting to know "very fragile" Garland on a personal level when they filmed the 1961 movie Judgment at Nuremberg.
"She was an enormous talent," he raved. "And when she came on to do her scene, I hadn't seen anything of her since that experience so many years ago. There she was, doing her fragile bit. And it was part of a continuity that I treasure."
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Inside Judy Garland's Struggles
'The Wizard of Oz' star had 'personal demons.'
In David Fantle and Tom Johnson's C’mon, Get Happy: The Making of Summer Stock, the authors revealed that some of her depression may have stemmed from childhood stardom.
"She had a growing dependency on prescription medications. So, she was going through a lot of personal emotional upheaval at that time. … She was signed at MGM at age 13 in 1935. I think that while some child stars can go to adulthood and make that transition, many can’t," the writers shared. "Judy was successful, but she certainly had to struggle with her personal demons."
The Movie Icon Dealt With Insecurities Over Her Looks
The actress reportedly struggled with insecurity over her appearance.
One of her biggest struggles was over her appearance, as she allegedly dreamed of looking like Marilyn Monroe.
"Something that [director] Charles Walters told us years and years ago, back in the '80s. We were asking that exact question, 'Why was Judy bedeviled by all these insecurities?' And he said, ‘You have to look no further than Marilyn Monroe,'" Fantle explained. "He said that Judy would’ve given everything, given every bit of her talent to be [Monroe]. He said she wanted to be just like Marilyn. She wanted to be gorgeous like Marilyn. And she never considered herself pretty."
"She just wanted to be gorgeous," Johnson added. "She would’ve sacrificed all of her talent for that in the same way that Marilyn would’ve sacrificed her beauty to be taken seriously as an actress."
