William Shatner has struck it rich, but not just by playing Captain James T Kirk in Star Trek. It's revealed the 79-year-old actor has made a fortune from a most unlikely source as the voice and face of an online travel company. A smart bit of contract negotiation in 1997 has meant that the star is estimated to have earned $600m (£397m) from advertisements for Priceline.com.

The astonishing sum is down to Shatner agreeing to take shares as part of his payment.  At first shares fell during the dot-com bust to $1.80 in 2000. But over the last ten years the firm's fortunes have turned around and the shares are now worth almost $300 each. While Priceline has not said how much Shatner is paid, reports from Wall Street have put his fortune at $600m, according to The Times.