Personal details
- Birth Date: 1937-04-20
- Height: 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
- Birth Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Parents: Takekuma Norman Takei
- Professions: Actor, Additional Crew, Writer
George Takei, born Hosato Takei in LA, grew up with a foot in two worlds—his mom was a Sacramento native, his dad came straight from Japan. Things took a wild, dark turn after Pearl Harbor. Like thousands of other Japanese Americans, his family got yanked out of their lives and shoved into internment camps—first in Arkansas, then Tule Lake. That experience? Left a permanent mark on him, fueling his passion for politics and speaking out for his community. He finished high school in ‘56, started out studying architecture at Berkeley (imagine that timeline), but a random gig dubbing voices for a monster movie over at MGM flipped the switch for him. Acting bug bites hard, you know? So he moved to UCLA, switched to theater, and before long, he scored a part on Playhouse 90, then landed his first film role in Ice Palace. Not bad for a guy who just wanted to draw buildings, right? He even squeezed in time at the legit Shakespeare Institute in England. Takei kept chasing roles, hustling through odd jobs, and even jumped into a master’s at UCLA. By ‘64, he’d locked down that degree. The big break, though, was Star Trek—Gene Roddenberry wanted a crew that actually looked like the world, so in came Sulu. Even after Star Trek wrapped, Takei kept busy: animated series, conventions, some TV guest spots, and even a run at city council. Didn’t win, but still shaped LA’s transit plans. He’s run marathons, lit the Olympic torch, and has his own star on Hollywood Blvd. And he never stopped repping his community or acting—still at it, still making noise.
During WWII, George Takei and his family got tossed into a series of government-run internment camps simply because they were of Japanese descent. FDR signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942 and, just like that, families like the Takeis were uprooted and shoved into these camps. Fast forward to December 1944—Roosevelt finally decided to suspend that order. People slowly started getting released, but it wasn’t like they were heading home; most ended up in weird resettlement centers or crammed into temporary housing. The actual camps didn’t fully close down until 1946. Oh, and here’s a wild bit of trivia: George Takei was born on the exact same day as Adolf Hitler’s 48th birthday. Seriously, what are the odds? Just another strange twist in an already surreal stretch of history.
William Shatner’s got this thing, right? The way he played Captain Kirk—nobody else could’ve pulled that off. It’s not just about the lines or the way he stands on the bridge looking all heroic, it’s that raw, weirdly unstoppable energy he brings. Seriously, the guy just oozes this wild determination, like nothing’s gonna shake him, not even getting zapped by some alien or arguing with Spock for the thousandth time. That’s Bill, through and through. Honestly, Kirk would probably be a totally different dude if anyone else wore the uniform. Shatner’s got this mix of swagger and sincerity—he’s a little over-the-top sometimes, but that’s exactly what makes Kirk so dang memorable. You just can’t imagine Star Trek without him; it’d be like spaghetti without the sauce. The guy basically *is* the character, and that’s not something you see every day.
April 20, 1937
5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Los Angeles, California, USA
Takekuma Norman Takei and Surekha
88 years old