Actor George Hosato Takei was born on April 20, 1937 in Los Angeles, California. He was just five years old when the family lived at the Rohwer War Relocation Center due to the internment in Arkansas. After a while, they were transferred to California's Tule Lake War Relocation Center. It was only at the end of the World War II that they were able to return to L.A.
George was a student body president at the Mount Vernon Junior High School. He studied architecture at the University of California. During summer, he worked for MGM and dubbed the dialogues of eight characters from Japanese to English. This perked his interest in acting and he eventually transferred to University of California, Los Angeles and took up a major in theater. In 1960, he graduated with a bachelor's degree and in 1964, he finished his master's degree. Bent on excelling in his chosen field,
George Takei also studied at England's Shakespeare Institute, at Japan's Sophia University and at Hollywood's Desilu Workshop.
George Takei is most famous for portraying Mr. Hikaru Sulu on
Star Trek TV series. He was chosen by producer Gene Roddenberry because the latter wanted a multi-racial cast for his show. George also appeared on
Malcolm in the Middle ,
Scrubs ,
General Hospital , Grosse Point and Vega$ among several others. Most recently, he played Kaito Nakamura on the popular NBC drama
Heroes .
His big screen debut was on the 1960 movie Ice Palace. His other film credits include Ninja Cheerleaders, Finishing the Game, The Eavesdropper, New World Order and Who Gets the House?
He also lent his voice to
Kim Possible , Hercules and Mulan I and II. He also did voice-overs for Jackie Chan Adventures, Batman Beyond: the Movie and the Simpsons. In 2006, he became a regular announcer on The Howard Stern Show.
George Takei is a contestant on CBS' reality TV series
Secret Talents of the Stars , a show that pits celebrities against each other as they showcase their hidden abilities. George's hidden talent is performing country songs.
(Photo courtesy of NBC)