George Takei

American actor, author and activist

Photo by: Library of Congress Life · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Born:April 20, 1937

Age:89

Zodiac Sign:Taurus

Born in:Los Angeles, United States

Languages:English

Actor Comedian Writer Television Actor Voice Actor Blogger Singer Director Opinion Journalist Film Actor

Signature

Links

Wikipedia Official Website IMDb Facebook X (Twitter)Instagram YouTube

Famous For

Movies & TV

The Big Bang TheoryScrubsStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek: The Motion PictureStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Books

To the Stars: The Autobiography of George TakeiThey Called Us EnemyGeorge Takei: Why I love a country that once betrayed meTo the Stars: The Autobiography of George TakeiIt Rhymes with Takei

Awards

Inkpot Award (2019)California Hall of Fame (2016)star on Hollywood Walk of FameOrder of the Rising Sun, 4th class

George Takei

American actor, author and activist

Biography

George Takei ( tə-KAY; born Hosato Takei, April 20, 1937) is an American actor, author, and activist. He is known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise. Takei was born to Japanese American parents, with whom he lived in Tule Lake Segregation Center during World War II. He began pursuing acting in college, which led in 1965 to the role of Sulu, to which he returned periodically into the 1990s. Upon coming out as gay in 2005, he became a prominent proponent of LGBTQ rights and active in state and local politics. He has been a vocal advocate of the rights of immigrants, in part through his work on the 2012 Broadway show Allegiance, about the internment experience. Takei spoke both English and Japanese growing up and remains fluent in both languages. He has won several awards and accolades for his work on human rights and Japan–United States relations, including his work with the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “George Takei”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Quotes

“I've been working with Bill Shatner yea these 40-plus years. He never seems to get it right. I gave him, "It's Takei, as in way." I even said, "as in gay"… I told him, "It's Takei, rhymes with toupee." I thought that would do it.”

— Quoted in Doug Elfman, "Takei celebrates legacy of diversity," Las Vegas Review-Journal (August 12, 2008); Describing how he advised William Shatner, who reportedly could never pronounce his name correctly, how to say it aloud.

Quotes sourced from the Wikiquote article "George Takei", available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

Author and actor George Takei speaks to local school groups at the Library of Congress, May 10, 2024. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress. Note: Privacy and publicity rights for individuals depicted may apply.

George Takei speaking with attendees at the 2019 Phoenix Fan Fusion at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.