Draft:Peter Shatner
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Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. 71.44.217.119 (talk) 12:45, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
Peter Shatner (born December 9, 1956) is an American individual known for his personal journey to discover his biological heritage, which he later chronicled in his memoir The Search. Born in New York to Canadian-born actress Katherine Burt (later known as Kathy McNeil), he was placed for adoption shortly after birth.
He was adopted by journalist George Tilden Orick, a Time/Life correspondent who later became a writer for ABC’s 20/20, and artist Barbara Lalone Byrne. They named him Peter Michael Orick. After his adoptive parents divorced in 1962, George Orick relocated to Lagos, Nigeria. In 1964, Barbara married John Colles Sloan, a widower with two children from a previous marriage. John Sloan adopted Peter in 1965, and his name was changed to Peter Michael Sloan.
In 1983, Peter reunited with his adoptive father George Orick after discovering an article Orick had written about an Antarctic expedition. This reunion inspired him to begin searching for his biological parents. With encouragement from Orick and assistance from the Children's Aid Society, Peter received identifying information about his biological mother.
His search led him to Toronto, Ontario—his birth mother’s hometown. With support from the office of then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, various Canadian and American public figures, and resources from Lincoln Center and the CBC archives, he eventually identified his birth mother as Katherine Burt-McNeil.
Shatner published his account in 2016, prior to DNA confirmation of his parentage. In 2020, with the help of genealogist Pamela Vittorio and DNA testing, his biological father was identified as Benjamin Freedman, a Canadian-born life insurance salesman.