Speaker Bio

With a career spanning five decades, George Takei is known around the world for his founding role in the acclaimed television series Star Trek, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the Starship Enterprise. But George Takei’s story goes where few stories have gone before. From a childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in a Japanese Internment Camp during WWII, to becoming one of the country’s leading figures in the fight for social justice, LGBTQ rights, and marriage equality—George Takei remains a powerful voice on issues ranging from politics to pop culture.

In 2012, Mashable.com named Takei the No. 1 most-influential person on Facebook, currently with nearly 10 million likes and more than 1.81 million followers on Twitter.

Currently, Takei hosts the AARP-produced YouTube series Takei’s Take, and is the subject of To Be Takei (2014), a documentary on his life and career. On his own YouTube channel, Takei and his husband Brad bring viewers into their personal life in the “heightened reality”-webseries, It Takeis Two.

In 2015, Takei made his Broadway debut with the premiere of his first musical, Allegiance. Inspired by Takei’s true-life experience, Allegiance follows one family’s extraordinary journey in an untold American story of forgiveness, joy, and the redemptive power of love.

With an uncanny eloquence and signature wit, Takei shares the story of his family’s forced internment as Japanese Americans during WWII—a seemingly forgotten part of American history. He also takes audiences through his rise to celebrity as a sci-fi icon, his remarkable journey as social media mega power, and his passionate fight for LGBTQ rights and marriage equality in America—empowering others to beat the odds and make a difference.

Takei, a Japanese American who from age 4 to 8 was unjustly imprisoned in two U.S. internment camps during World War II, is an outspoken supporter of human right issues and a passionate community activist.

Takei’s on-camera television credits include guest appearances on Lost Girl, The Neighbors, Hawaii Five-0, The New Normal, Supah Ninjas, Malcolm in the Middle, Scrubs, Miami Vice, MacGyver, The Six Million Dollar Man, Mission: Impossible, My Three Sons, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and The Twilight Zone. He has appeared on The Big Bang Theory, Psych, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Will & Grace.

In addition to a busy acting career, Takei regularly appears on Howard Stern’s Sirius XM satellite radio show.

Adding to his resume, Takei has provided narration on many projects including the 2009 PBS series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, the 2006 Peabody Award-winning radio documentary, Crossing East, centered on the history of Asian American immigration to the United States, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (cassette) which garnered Takei a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album.

Takei has brought his voiceover talent to hundreds of characters in film, television, video games, and commercials during his prolific career. In film, Takei can be heard voicing characters in such films as Mulan, Mulan II, and Batman Beyond: The Movie. He has voiced characters for numerous animated series including The Simpsons, Transformers: Animated, Kim Possible, Futurama, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Spider-Man, The Smurfs, and George Lucas’ Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

George Takei is also an accomplished author. He co-wrote the science-fiction novel Mirror Friend, Mirror Foe with Robert Asprin, and published his autobiography To the Stars. Takei also authored Lions and Tigers and Bears: The Internet Strikes Back and Oh Myyy! There Goes the Internet, released in paperback and e-Book in 2012. The latter ranked No. 10 on The New York Times e-Book nonfiction list.

Takei, who is openly gay, has long been a passionate advocate for social justice. He has served as the spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign “Coming Out Project,” and was Cultural Affairs Chairman of the Japanese American Citizens League. He is also chairman emeritus and a trustee of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. He was appointed to the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission by former President Clinton and the government of Japan awarded Takei the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his contribution to U.S.-Japanese relations. In 2007, Asteroid 7307 Takei—located between Mars and Jupiter—was named in the performer’s honor in appreciation for his social work.

Takei lives in Los Angeles with his husband Brad.