George Hosato Takei (武井 穂郷, Takei Hosato?, /təˈkeɪ/; born April 20, 1937) is an American actor, director, author, and activist. Takei is most widely known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the television series Star Trek.[2][3] He also portrayed the character in six Star Trek feature films and in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager.