George Takei American film actor Date of Birth: 20.04.1937 Country: USA

Biography of George Takei

George Hosato Takei, an American actor, is widely known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, the helmsman of the starship 'Enterprise (NCC-1701)', in the television series 'Star Trek'. He gained even more popularity through social media, with over 9 million followers on his Facebook page, which he joined in 2011. Takei often shares photos accompanied by humorous comments, although not all of his jokes are well-received by the public. Being an openly gay man, Takei is an advocate for LGBT rights. He is married to Brad Altman, his same-sex partner.

Takei was born on April 20, 1937, in Los Angeles, California, to a Japanese-American family. After completing high school, he attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied architecture. He later earned a Master of Arts in Theater from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Takei honed his acting skills through workshops at the television company 'Desilu'. His Hollywood career began in the late 1950s, a time when Asians rarely received roles in American TV and film. His first acting job was dubbing films about Japanese monsters, including 'Godzilla Raids Again' and 'Rodan'.

After a few minor roles, Takei was cast by producer Gene Roddenberry in 1965 for the role of Lieutenant Sulu in the second pilot episode of 'Star Trek' and the subsequent iconic television series. Since then, he has participated in numerous TV, film, and animated projects directly related to the 'Star Trek' franchise. Currently, Takei is a regular presence at 'Star Trek' and science fiction conventions. He has also voiced characters in several 'Star Trek' video games as well as the game 'Freelancer'. In 1996, for the franchise's 30th anniversary, Takei reprised his iconic role as Hikaru Sulu in an episode of the series 'Star Trek: Voyager'.

In 1973, Takei ran for Los Angeles City Council, finishing second but losing to the leader by only 1,647 votes. In collaboration with Robert Asprin, he co-wrote the science fiction novel 'Mirror Friend, Mirror Foe' in 1979. He portrayed Lieutenant Tanaka in the 1989 film 'Return from the River Kwai'. In 1994, Takei published his autobiography, 'To the Stars'. At one point, he planned to adapt chapters from this autobiography about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II into a feature film or TV movie.

In January 2007, Takei was cast as Kaito Nakamura, a successful businessman and the father of one of the main characters, Hiro Nakamura, in the popular series 'Heroes'. Hiro, who has the ability to time travel and manipulate space, is a devoted fan of the 'Star Trek' universe. Another reference to the same universe is the license plate on Kaito's limousine, which reads NCC-1701, the registry index of the fictional starship 'Enterprise'.

Takei publicly came out about his non-traditional orientation in an October 2005 article in 'Frontiers' magazine, revealing that he had been in a relationship with Brad Altman for 18 years. However, fans of 'Star Trek' already knew the "secret" about his sexuality as early as the 1970s. In a phone interview with Howard Stern in December 2005, Takei stated, "We gay people are masculine, feminine, caring, and cruel, just like straight people. The only difference is that we are oriented to members of our own sex." On May 16, 2008, Takei announced his plans to marry Brad Altman. They became the first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license in West Hollywood. Their wedding took place on September 14, 2008, at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.

Dubbed by some as the "funniest guy on Facebook," George has gathered a large following on his social media accounts, including many who have no interest in the 'Star Trek' franchise. Using his Facebook page, Takei defended Nina Davuluri, who faced racist and xenophobic remarks after becoming Miss America in 2014. Takei and Davuluri later gave an interview together to ABC, revealing that she is a fan of 'Star Trek'. Takei told her, "In the 'Star Trek' universe, we believe in a credo: 'Infinite diversity in infinite combinations.' That is the beauty of Starfleet, and you can be part of that diversity."

However, Takei faced criticism from some individuals with disabilities in 2014 when he posted a meme on Facebook and Twitter featuring a woman in a wheelchair reaching for alcohol on a high shelf in a store. The caption below the meme read, "Miracle in the liquor aisle." Displeased representatives of the disability community pointed out that a person does not need to be paralyzed to require a wheelchair. Takei eventually deleted the meme and posted an apology on Facebook for his comment.

In 2015, following the Supreme Court's ruling on 'Obergefell v. Hodges', which required all states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Takei criticized Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, known for his conservative views, and referred to him as a "clown in blackface." Takei defended his remarks for a week but eventually offered an apology.