'Star Trek' actor, social justice activist George Takei to speak at UF Oct. 7

September 25, 2014

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – ACCENT Speakers Bureau at the University of Florida, Pride Student Union and the Asian American Student Union will bring actor and activist George Takei to campus Oct. 7.

Takei’s visit coincides with Pride History Week and Asian Kaleidoscope Month. 

With a career spanning five decades, Takei is best known for his founding role in the acclaimed television series “Star Trek,” in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the Starship Enterprise. He starred in three seasons of the show and later reprised his iconic role in six movies.

Since “Star Trek,” Takei has guest starred in many shows and brought his voiceover talent to hundreds of characters in film, television, video games and commercials. His work on the award-winning radio documentary, “Crossing East,” earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album.

In addition to a busy acting career, Takei regularly appears on Howard Stern's radio show.

Takei has created an influential online presence. In 2012, Mashable.com reported Takei is the No. 1 most-influential person on Facebook, currently with more than 7.7 million likes.

Takei has more than 1.25 million followers on Twitter. “Takei’s Take” is a YouTube series in which the actor explores the world of technology, trends, current events and pop culture.

As a Japanese-American who spent time in two U.S. internment camps during World War II, Takei is an outspoken supporter of human rights issues. The openly gay Takei has served as the spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign "Coming Out Project," among countless other initiatives to combat homophobia in politics and media.

Takei served as cultural affairs chairman of the Japanese American Citizens League. 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 American-Japanese relations.

The program starts at 8 p.m. at the University Auditorium. Doors open at 7 p.m., and admission is free. Students with a valid Gator 1 ID may pick up tickets from the University Auditorium box office at noon Oct. 6. The general public may pick up any remaining tickets from the box office at 7 p.m. the day of the show. Photography is not allowed during the program, but news media may record and photograph during the first five minutes of remarks.

For persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations, email accommodate@sg.ufl.edu or call 711 at least 72 hours prior to the event.

Media credentials will be managed through UF Media Relations. Requests should be sent to sfo@ufl.edu and should include the name of the attendee, the name of the news organization and the contact phone and email address of the attendee. The deadline to submit requests for credentials is 5 p.m. Oct. 6.