George Takei is an instantly recognisable face. Known across the globe for his role in the cult franchise Star Trek as Hikaru Sulu, the helmsman of the USS Enterprise. Although is intergalactic days are behind him, Takei continues to enjoy great popularity and a large following. His active presence on social media as well as his prominent advocacy for LGBT rights has earned him a large and diverse following and he remains an in demand celebrity talent internationally.
Takei was born during the Second World War in California, to Japanese-American parents and he was named for the British monarch King George VI, who had ascended shortly after his birth. After a period of much relocation, often forced, in his former years, Takei went on to study architecture at the University of California, Berkeley and then, in 1964, an M.A in theatre at UCLA. Takei’s impressive resume saw him then attend the Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-upon-Avon and then Sophia University in Tokyo.
In the late 1950s, when Takei began embarking on a career in Hollywood, the opportunities for Asian actors were far and few- the limited options meant that not only were the roles often rather demeaning in their stereotypes, but that competition was extremely fierce, even by Hollywood’s standards. Takei began his career by providing the English dub voiceovers for Japanese ‘kaijū’ (‘monster’) films such as Godzilla Raids Again and soon progressed onto short roles on successful television series such as Playhouse 90 and The Twilight Zone. However, Takei would soon be appearing in films, again in minor roles, with stars such as Frank Sinatra (Never So Few), Richard Burton (Ice Palace) and Cary Grant (Walk, Don’t Run).
Takei’s big break came in 1965, when he was cast in Star Trek as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu. Takei’s other filming obligations, namely his role in the John Wayne led The Green Berets, meant that Walter Koenig was taken on as the character Pavel Chekov to fill any gaps. The image of the two men standing together at the helm of the ship, went on to become iconic. Takei would reprise his role as Sulu in six Star Trek feature films and also lend his voice for several computer games and Star Trek: The Animated Series.
In the years following Star Trek, Takei made a foray into politics, running for City Council of Los Angeles (he came second when he lost by a mere 1,647 votes) and engaging in other civil projects for the improvement and development of the city, such as the Los Angeles subway system. Additionally, Takei followed other creative pursuits when in 1979 he co-authored the science-fiction novel Mirror Friend, Mirror Foe with Robert Asprin. After roles in Blood Oath (1990) and popular medical comedy Scrubs (2004), Takei took a long running role as Kaito Nakamura in the ground-breaking science-fiction series Heroes.
Takei’s enduring popularity with the British public was confirmed in 2008, when he joined the reality series I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and was voted into the final three of the series. Indeed, Takei has described himself as “an inconvertible Anglophile – or more broadly, a Britanophile”
In recent years, Takei has remained very active, participating in plays such as Dustin Lance Black’s 8, alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Martin Sheen in 2011 and the musical Allegiance in 2012. In 2013, he would become the subject of art himself, in Jennifer Kroot’s documentary film, To Be Takei, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival to very positive reviews. Currently, Takei is a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign “Coming Out Project” and has been an active member of LGBT organisations such as Frontrunners for decades. His dedication, earnest approach to discussion and readiness to share his experiences as a gay Japanese American man has made him into a gay icon for a great many. In 2012, Takei received the LGBT Humanist Award from the American Humanist Association and then went on to be honoured with the GLAAD Vito Russo Award by GLAAD in 2014.
For his contributions to US-Japanese relations as well as his extensive work with and donations to the Japanese American National Museum Takei has also been honoured with several awards. These include the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, bestowed upon him in 2004 by the Japanese government and the JANM (Japanese American National Museum) Distinguished Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement and Public Service in 2015.
Takei has received another honour, of a different but ultimately fitting kind. In a tribute to his days of space travel on Star Trek, NASA named an asteroid after him, the Asteroid 7307 Takei.
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