George Takei starred as Captain Sulu in the original Star Trek TV series and six movies |
Star Trek legend George Takei has been the ultimate outsider for much of his life. Interned in American “War Relocation Camps” during World War II, Takei later dealt with racism and the Hollywood closet during his Tinseltown years.
Takei is currently advocating for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics to be relocated to a country that respects gay civil rights.
George Takei |
Takei's personal experiences in WWII internment camps would later inspire the 2012 play Allegiance in which Takei also starred.
“I remember the barbwire fences, but I also remember chasing butterflies,” Takei says. “A child is amazingly adaptable. It wasn’t until I became a teenager after the war, talking with my father, that I learnt how degrading and humiliating it really was for my parents.”
By the time Takei got to Hollywood in the 1950s, he was relegated to playing stereotypes. But Takei told his father, “I’m going to change that.”