George Takei George Hosato Takei ( pronounced " Ta - Kay " ) is a Japanese - American actor best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the " Star Trek " franchise . He debuted as Sulu in the second pilot of the original series , , with his character making the transition from the physics department to the helm by the next episode , . In total , he appeared in 51 of the 79 original series episodes . He later voiced Sulu in and displayed his vocal talents playing other guest characters . He then reprised the role in the first six " Star Trek " motion pictures , and , an episode of . His image also appeared in , in a photograph that was among Spock ' s possessions bequeathed to . He has both narrated and recorded dialogue as Sulu in numerous audio novels and interactive games . Due to the fact that Sulu did not appear in the episode ( he was filming " The Green Berets " at the time ) , Takei was the only Original Series star not to appear in the 30th anniversary episode . He did , however , appear as Captain Sulu in " Star Trek : Voyager " s 30th anniversary episode , . Takei most recently played Sulu in an episode of the fan film s " Star Trek : New Voyages " entitled " World Enough and Time " , which premiered in 2007 and featured fellow " Trek " performers Grace Lee Whitney , Majel Barrett Roddenberry , James Cawley , Jeffery Quinn , and John Carrigan . The episode was directed by Marc Scott Zicree and written by Zicree and Michael Reaves . Stuntman Tom Morga worked as fencing coach for Takei while stunt coordinator Leslie Hoffman served as his personal assistant . Issue 356 of " Starburst Magazine " stated that Takei would be appearing in ' s , directed and produced by J . J . Abrams . The magazine claimed that Takei would be featured in a " flash forward sequence " with Leonard Nimoy . TrekMovie . com subsequently confirmed this to be false . Personal . Takei was born in Los Angeles , California , on 20 April 1937 . According to Takei on the 9 January 2006 airing of " The Howard Stern Show " , he was named after King George VI , who had just become king of the United Kingdom . In 1942 , Takei and his family were interned by the United States at the Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas , along with many other Japanese - Americans . They were later sent to the Tule Lake War Relocation Center in California and returned to Los Angeles after World War II . Takei discussed this experience in a 1996 interview , stating : Takei was educated at Mount Vernon Junior High School ( where he served as student body president ) and Los Angeles High School . He attended the University of California in Berkeley but transferred to the University of California in Los Angeles ( UCLA ) , where he began studying theater . He earned a bachelor of arts in theater from UCLA in 1960 , followed by a master of arts in theater four years later . After attending the Shakespeare Institute in England and the Sophia University in Tokyo , Japan , he returned to the States where he studied acting at the Desilu Workshop . Takei has been with his husband , Brad Altman , since 1988 , having met at a gay and lesbian running and walking club . On 28 October 2005 , Takei decided to publicly " come out of the closet " as gay , though this had been open information for some time . The story was widely reported in the media and was hailed by LGBT communities as a positive step for the larger gay community as well as for " Star Trek " . Takei and Altman currently reside in Los Angeles , California . In 2008 , following the California Supreme Court ' s decision to overturn a ruling which banned same - sex marriages in the state , Takei announced that he and Altman were engaged to be married . Takei and Altman married in the Democracy Forum at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles , California on . Takei ' s TOS co - stars Walter Koenig and Nichelle Nichols were Takei ' s best man and " best lady " , respectively . Leonard Nimoy and his wife , Susan Bay , were among the invited guests . Takei claimed to have invited his co - star William Shatner , for whom he ' d had bitter feelings for years . Shatner remarked that he never received an invitation and lashed out at Takei , calling him a " " poor man " " and accusing him of having a " " psychosis " " . The two have been feuding in the press since . In 2017 , Takei was accusing of sexually assaulting model Scott R . Brunton in 1981 . Early career . Takei ' s show business career began when he answered a newspaper advertisement for voice casting in 1957 and was hired to dub Japanese dialogue for the " monster movie " " Rodan " into English . He voiced eight different characters in the film . Shortly thereafter , he did voice dubbing for another Japanese monster movie , " Gigantis the Fire Monster " ( also known as " Godzilla Raids Again " ) . Two years later , Takei made his acting debut on live television , appearing in an episode of " Playhouse 90 " with Dean Stockwell , which was followed by an appearance on " Perry Mason " . That same year , he acted in his first film , the drama " Ice Palace " . He soon after made an uncredited appearance in the war film " Never So Few " ( which also featured Whit Bissell and John Hoyt ) , although this film was actually released a month before " Ice Palace " . This was followed with a role in " Hell to Eternity " , a film starring Jeffrey Hunter , the man originally destined to play the captain of the " Enterprise " on " Star Trek " . Takei went on to appear in the films " A Majority of One " ( 1961 , with Madlyn Rhue ) , " PT 109 " ( starring James Gregory ) , and " Morituri " ( with Roy Jenson ) . He had supporting roles in 1965 ' s " Red Line 7000 " ( co - starring Marianna Hill ) and 1966 ' s " Walk Don ' t Run " ( starring Samantha Eggar , with an appearance by Miko Mayama ) and " An American Dream " , as well as uncredited roles in the 1966 Matt Helm caper " Murderers ' Row " ( with James Gregory ) and Jerry Lewis ' 1967 comedy " The Big Mouth " . In addition , he made guest appearances on numerous television programs , including " The Twilight Zone " , " Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea " , " My Three Sons " , " I Spy " ( including an episode with John Abbott and Roger C . Carmel ) , " Felony Squad " ( with Ricardo Montalban ) and " Mission : Impossible " ( with Eddie Paskey and Barry Russo ) . It was around this time that Takei was cast as Sulu for the original " Star Trek " series . Takei took leave from " Star Trek " to film a supporting role in the popular Vietnam War film " The Green Berets " . The filming of that movie , however , went over schedule and Takei was forced to miss work on a number of " Star Trek " episodes in the second season – most notably " The Trouble with Tribbles , " in which Sulu was to have a " substantial role . " His lines in the episode were given to Walter Koenig , the actor playing Pavel Chekov . After " Star Trek " . Following " Star Trek " s cancellation in , Takei appeared in another Jerry Lewis comedy , " Which Way to the Front ? " , released in 1970 . He appeared on a number of television shows , as well , including " Ironside " , " Kung Fu " , " Baa Baa Black Sheep " ( starring John Larroquette and James Whitmore , Jr . ) , an episode of " The Six Million Dollar Man " with France Nuyen and Alan Oppenheimer , an episode of " Hawaii Five - O " with John Colicos , and an episode of " Hallmark Hall of Fame " with Adrienne Barbeau . In 1979 , he and his fellow " Star Trek " castmates brought their characters to the big screen in . In 2004 , he was in the commentary booth to record commentary alongside the cast of " Invader ZIM " ; the episode with his commentary is the first one , " The Nightmare Begins " . Takei would go on to star in five more " Star Trek " films . His other credits throughout the years include guest spots on " MacGyver " ( in an episode co - produced and co - written by Stephen Kandel ) , " Murder , She Wrote " , " Miami Vice " , " Kung Fu : The Legend Continues " , and " 3rd Rock from the Sun " ( " I ' m George Takei , dammit ! " ) . He also starred in films like " Return from the River Kwai " , " Prisoners of the Sun " ( co - starring Terry O ' Quinn ) , " Live by the Fist " , and the science fiction westerns " Oblivion " , and " Oblivion 2 : Backlash " . The latter two films – in which Takei plays the role of " Doc Valentine " – also stars the likes of Meg Foster , Julie Newmar , Jimmie F . Skaggs , Carel Struycken , and Musetta Vander . The 1998 B - grade movie " Bug Buster " featured both Takei and his former " Star Trek " co - star James Doohan , but the two did not share any scenes together . Takei ' s more recent acting work includes the 2003 TV movie " DC 9 / 11 : Time of Crisis " ( co - starring fellow " Trek " alumni Gregory Itzin , Penny Johnson , Stephen Macht , Lawrence Pressman , and Allan G . Royal ) and the 2006 direct - to - DVD release " A . I . Assault " ( co - starring Michael Dorn , Lisa LoCicero , Bill Mumy , Robert Picardo , and Terrell Tilford ) , as well as guest spots on shows like " The Young and the Restless " , " Will & Grace " , and " Scrubs " . He also participated in the short film " Roddenberry on Patrol " , a comic look at Gene Roddenberry ' s creation of " Star Trek " directed by Tim Russ and co - starring Russ , Robert Beltran , Richard Herd , Walter Koenig , Nichelle Nichols , Robert O ' Reilly , Ethan Phillips , and Robert Picardo . In addition , Takei , known for his deep , low voice , has done voice - overs for a number of animated productions and video games . For Disney , he voiced the " First Ancestor " in 1998 ' s ( also featuring the voices of Miguel Ferrer and Frank Welker ) , a role Takei would reprise in the 2005 direct - to - video sequel . Takei also provided the voice of in the Disney Channel series . Ricardo Montalban also had a recurring role on the series , and other " Trek " performers who appeared in the same episodes as Takei included John Cho and Clancy Brown . In 2009 , Takei also voiced " Lok Durd " in two episodes of the " Star Wars : The Clone Wars " TV series , becoming the first main " Star Trek " cast member to participate in a " Star Wars " television show production ( Charles Rocket had previously been a " Trek " guest - star who later did voice - overs for a " Star Wars " videogame spin - off ) . Takei has also supplied voice - overs for " Hey , Arnold ! " , " Batman Beyond " ( with Sherman Howard ) , " The Brak Show " , the video game " Freelancer " , various episodes of " The Simpsons " , and " Avatar : The Last Airbender " , among many other projects . Perhaps most notably , Takei and many of his " Star Trek " castmates voiced parodies of themselves in the " Futurama " episode " Where No Fan Has Gone Before " . Takei also appeared in the direct - to - DVD " Futurama " movie , " Bender ' s Game " , and in the 2010 " Futurama " episode " Proposition Infinity " , in which he served as a moderator in a debate on the aforementioned proposition which would legalize robosexual ( humanoid / robot ) marriages . On 9 January 2006 , Takei was named the official announcer of Sirius Satellite Radio ' s " The Howard Stern Show " . He has been a semi - regular on the show ever since . In addition , Takei has served as guest narrator for several symphony orchestras , the most recent being the Seattle Symphony Orchestra ' s Sci - Fi Favorites concert in September 2007 . Takei had a recurring role on the NBC series " Heroes " , playing Kaito Nakamura , the father of time - traveling Trekkie Hiro Nakamura . As an in - joke , Kaito ' s car ' s license plate is NCC - 1701 . Among the other " Star Trek " actors who performed in the series are Joanna Cassidy , Michael Dorn , Greg Grunberg , Dominic Keating , Malcolm McDowell , Zachary Quinto , and Christine Rose ; Takei ' s " Star Trek " co - star Nichelle Nichols appeared in the show ' s second season . On April 08 , 2008 George appeared on " Secret Talents of the Stars " , a celebrity talent competition series which lasted for one episode on CBS . On the show , he publicly expressed his hidden , " secret " interest and talent in country singing , going on to train with Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry , whom he found out are both " Star Trek " fans . Takei then performed on the show . Also in early April , Takei filmed a " last minute cameo " for the comedy " You Don ' t Mess with the Zohan " . He also plays a " snooty maître d ' " in the comedy " American Summer " , from the producer of the " American Pie " films . In addition , he recently co - starred with John Savage in the action film " The Red Canvas " . Takei appeared in the 2008 video game " Command & Conquer : Red Alert 3 " . In the first episode of the game show " Wanna Bet ? " ( broadcast 21 July 2008 ) , Takei won $ 106 , 150 for his charity : The Japanese American National Museum . He was also a contestant in the 2008 series of " I ' m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here " . Takei ' s most recent film roles are in the Tom Hanks starred and directed comedy " Larry Crowne " teamed with Margot Farley and Holmes R . Osborne and the drama " Strange Fame : Love & Sax " with Michael Dorn and Ron Glass . In September 2010 , Takei performed in a benefit for the Washington Shakespeare Company , in which excerpts from " Hamlet " and " Much Ado About Nothing " were performed in Klingon . Takei was one of the contestants on the seventh season of " Celebrity Apprentice , " appearing in 14 episodes . As of August 2012 , Takei is in filming for the second season of " Supah Ninjas " on Nickelodeon , playing the Grandfather and his evil twin , Kagema Fukanaga . A premiere date has not been announced . He is also currently in rehearsal for the new musical " Allegiance , " in which he stars as Old Sam Kimura and Ojii - san . The play opens on September 7 at The Old Globe in San Diego , CA . Politics and activism . In 1973 , while the animated " Star Trek " series was on the air , Takei ran for and narrowly lost a seat on the Los Angeles City Council . He ultimately chose to continue acting rather than to pursue a political career , though he would remain involved in civic affairs . Takei served on the Southern California Rapid Transit District ' s board of directors from 1973 through 1984 . He also once served as a vice president of the American Public Transit Association and served two terms on the board of the Japan - United States Friendship Commission , a position bestowed upon him by then - President of the United States , Bill Clinton . He currently serves as chair of the council of governors of East West Players , America ' s foremost Asian Pacific American theater . He is also chairman emeritus of the Japanese American National Museum ' s board of trustees and was once a member of the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program ' s advisory committee . In addition , he is a member of the board of directors of the United States - Japan Bridging Foundation . Takei is also a member of the Human Rights Campaign and was a spokesman for the organization ' s Coming Out Project . In April 2006 , Takei spoke about being a gay Japanese American to audiences nationwide during a tour he called " Equality Trek " . Takei joined the many celebrities who took to protesting actor / comedian Tracy Morgan . Morgan onstage doing a stand - up routine , made several homophobic statements . Takei publicly declared Morgan , " A sad , sad man ! " . Awards and honors . Takei received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986 . The following year , he and Leonard Nimoy shared a Grammy Award nomination in the " Best Spoken Word or Non - Musical Recording " category for the audio version of the adaptation of . In 1991 , Takei received the honor of placing his hand - prints and signature in front of Grauman ' s Chinese Theater . Emperor Akihito of Japan conferred Takei with the 4th Class , Gold Rays with Rosette in recognition of his work in Japan - United States relations . Takei received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival in October 2007 . In 2007 , the asteroid " 7307 Takei " was named for him , both in recognition for his work on " Star Trek " and also for his public service work . On 29 June 2009 , Takei received the Ivy Bethune Tri - Union Diversity Award for his outstanding support on issues of marriage equality and sexual orientation discrimination and for his work on the Arts in Transit program . " Screen Actors Guild Magazine " , Volume 50 , No , 3 , page 21