James T. Kirk

James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe. He was the principal lead character in the original Star Trek television series and most of the films based on the series. The character was initially portrayed by Canadian actor William Shatner who has reprised the role in the forty years since the character's inception. Producer J. J. Abrams announced that actor Chris Pine had been cast in the role of Kirk in the upcoming 2009 Star Trek film, marking the first time that an actor other than Shatner will portray the character in an official production (though the character has been portrayed in various fan-films). The late series creator Gene Roddenberry is said to have based the character on C. S. Forester's fictional hero Horatio Hornblower , noting in 1991 that "Captain Kirk is Capt. Hornblower of the sailing ships. [He] was a great hero, and Hemingway said [Hornblower] is the most exciting adventure fiction in the human language." The character James Kirk... full article at wikipedia