Condo developer called out by William Shatner says he was paying tribute to stars

Canadian actor William Shatner is accusing the developer of an upcoming Hamilton condo project of boldly using his name to help sell real estate.

On Wednesday, Shatner tweeted at Brad Lamb — the Toronto real estate mogul behind the proposed Television City development — and claimed he was using names of celebrities without permission in marketing elements for the 618-unit project.

“Mr. @BradJLamb it has come to my attention you are using my name and caricature likeness in your brochures to sell real estate,” he wrote. “You are also using the name & likeness of @hwinkler4real and others I do not recall giving you permission to use my name or likeness.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Mr. <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/BradJLamb" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>@BradJLamb</b></a> it has come to my attention you are using my name and caricature likeness in your brochures to sell real estate," he wrote. "You are also using the name & likeness of <a class="twitter-atreply pretty-link js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/hwinkler4real" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><b>@hwinkler4real</b></a> and others I do not recall giving you permission to use my name or likeness."

References to the 86-year-old actor, and stars including Betty White, Bob Barker and Mr. T, have been removed from the Television City website as a result of Shatner’s tweet, Lamb confirmed.

The condo’s units were named in a tribute to each star, and their names and caricature likenesses were featured in floor plans featured on the website.

The William Shatner, a two-bedroom, 1,370- square foot “Sky Penthouse” suite, was listed at a sample price of $1,023,900.

The most expensive unit, a three-bedroom at $1.5 million, is named after actor Andy Griffith, while the bachelor suite honour went to former Price is Right host Bob Barker.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Lamb responded to the former Star Trek captain on Twitter late Wednesday afternoon. He said his intention was to “honour” the stars while playing into the theme of the project.

The development site, located on Jackson Street West, is the head office of TV station CHCH.

“Due to the obvious television connection, I decided to name the units after my favourite TV personalities,” he said. “I chose the names of stars I grew up loving to pay tribute to their legacy and to add an element of playfulness to our project.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Due to the obvious television connection, I decided to name the units after my favourite TV personalities," he said. "I chose the names of stars I grew up loving to pay tribute to their legacy and to add an element of playfulness to our project."

Lamb said naming suites is common in the industry, and added he has “yet to meet a person who purchased a condo merely because it was named one thing or another,” he stated.

New names for the suites would be announced soon, Lamb said.

A $360-million, mixed retail and residential project is being proposed for the CHCH site. It’s expected to feature two towers, one at 30 storeys, the other at 40, while the historic Pinehurst Mansion currently on site would be preserved.

The developer expects it to be ready for occupancy by 2022.