Shatner's $600M payout

You know William Shatner as Capt. Kirk from "Star Trek" or perhaps Denny Crane from "Boston Legal."

But Shatner's accountant knows him as the man who had the foresight to ask for stock 10 years ago instead of cash when he started appearing in ads for the online travel company Priceline.com.

The Toronto Sun reported that Shatner, a Canadian native, has made a startling $600 million thanks to his early decision.

Priceline has been a huge winner on Wall Street in the past few years. Its stock price has gone up from just $50 a share last October to more than $250 last week.

$MART: Priceline paid Shatner in stocks instead of cash." title="$MART: Priceline paid Shatner in stocks instead of cash." src="http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2010/05/03/entertainment/photos_stories/cropped/william_shatner--300x300.jpg" height="300" width="300">

$MART: Priceline paid Shatner in stocks instead of cash.

During the dot.com bust 10 years ago, the stock was selling for less than $2 a share -- which is about the time Shatner got into the commercials as the tough-talking "negotiator" who karate-chops his way to good deals.

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