Chances are that if you know George Takei’s name right off the bat then it’s because you’re a fan of “Star Trek: The Original Series.” He played Hikaru Sulu, a role people have long loved him for. However, he’s actually had a very diverse career, mostly (but not entirely) in acting. So let’s take a look at his career. Then let’s figure out George Takei’s net worth.
Who Is George Takei?
George Takei has one of the most comprehensive IMDB profiles we’ve seen. Therefore, if you want to learn more about him, check out his full bio there. To get you started, though, we’ll give you an overview. He was born in 1937 in Los Angeles, California to Japanese-American parents. Unfortunately, Pearl Harbor happened not too long after that, and his family was forced to move to an internment camp in Arkansas. From there they eventually moved to a second camp in Northern California. This experience shaped Takei’s life, and he has been known as much for his activism as for his acting.
In fact, he didn’t originally intend to become an actor. He started out studying architecture at Berkeley. However, while there, he got a summer job dubbing Japanese characters into English for “Rodan.” He immediately discovered that he loved acting. As a result, he transferred to UCLA and majored in theater.
George Takei’s Acting Experience
The dubbing work he’d done at MGM led him to meet an agent. Once in LA, he tapped that connection. He was quickly cast in small roles, starting with an appearance on the TV series “Playhouse 90.” That same year, 1959, he was in four other television and film roles, including an appearance on “Perry Mason.” He continued to appear in various roles, including some recurring television roles, over the next decade, while also continuing his education and eventually getting a Master’s degree.
“Star Trek: The Original Series”
As aforementioned, he’s often best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in “Star Trek: The Original’s Series.” “Star Trek” is well-known as a series that embraced diversity in its casting. Takei was specifically sought out to increase the racial diversity of the cast for the pilot episode. He went on to appear in more than fifty episodes of the show from 1966-1969.
During those years he continued to take on other small acting roles, including an appearance on “Mission Impossible.” He’s also known for his role as Captain Nimbuses in 1968’s “The Green Berets.”
His “Star Trek” role might have ended in 1969. However, just four years later, “Star Trek: The Animated Series” came along. He voiced his character in nearly two dozen episodes.
Later, he would go on to join the cast of the first six “Star Trek” movies. The series has obviously been a big part of George Takei’s net worth.
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Beyond “Star Trek”
If you take a look at Takei’s IMDB filmography list, you’ll see he’s got more than 200 acting credits to his name. He’s consistently taken on television and feature film roles pretty much every year since he began acting. In addition to traditional acting, he’s also done a lot of voice acting for animated work. Moreover, he’s done some voice work for video games.
Some of the roles he spent the most time in include:
- 2020’s “Love Monster” as the voice of Elder Panda
- King Toshi in Elena of Avalor
- 2019’s “The Terror”
- Recurring roles over the years on “The Simpsons” and “Futurama”
- Grandfather on the TV show “The Neighbors”
- Kaito Nakamura on the TV show “Heroes”
- Voice of Sensei on “Kim Possible”
Some of the other shows and movies he’s worked on that you might recognize include:
- “The Twilight Zone”
- “Robot Chicken”
- “Fresh Off the Boat”
- “Kubo and the Two Strings”
- “True Justice”
- “The Super Hero Squad”
- “The Big Bang Theory”
He also transitioned seamlessly from “Star Trek” over to “Star Wars.” First, he appeared in an episode of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” in 2009. Then in this year he did a voice part for “Star Wars: Visions.”
Beyond His Acting Career
Obviously, most of George Takei’s net worth comes from acting. He’s clearly a very prolific actor. Oh, and he’s also appeared in a lot of television commercials over the years.
However, somehow he’s found time to do other things with his life as well. He’s authored a number of books, including graphic novels and an autobiography.
Celebrity Net Worth points out that he’s also done work on Broadway. He began stage work in 1961 with “Fly Blackbird!” Over the years he appeared in “Aladdin,” “Equus,” and “8.” From 2012 – 2016, he took to the stage in “Allegiance,” a musical based on his own experiences in those internment camps.
Activism and Politics
Also, as aforementioned, he’s also known for his activism. He’s taken an interest in politics over the years. IMDB reports that he hosted a “public affairs” show in the early 1970s. Around this same time, he ran for office with LA City Council, using by just a small number of votes. However, the mayor appointed him to the Southern California Rapid Transit Distract board of directors where he served for about a decade.
His Amazon bio and Celebrity Net Worth report that following roles and achievements
- LA’s Japanese American National Museum trustee and chairman emeritus; they awarded him a Distinguished Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement and Public Service in 2015
- Human Rights Campaign “Coming Out Project” spokesperson
- Japanese American Citizens League cultural affairs chairman
- The Japanese government gave him an award for his work with the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission
- The American Humanist Association gave him the 2012 LGBT Humanist Award
- He has an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from California State University
- There’s an asteroid named after him in honor of the social justice work that he’s done throughout his lifetime.
He’s also earned various film festival awards, a Webby, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Personal Life
George Takei married his husband Brad (who took the actor’s last name) in 2008. They had been together for more than two decades when California’s marriage laws changed, allowing them to marry. Celebrity Net Worth reports that they had a Buddhist ceremony at the Japanese American National Museum. They live together in Los Angeles. Wealthy Gorilla reports that they bought the home in 1996 for $610,000. It’s not on the market but imagine what it would be worth today!
George Takei’s Net Worth
It’s hard to even fathom a guess as to what George Takei’s net worth must be, isn’t it? He’s appeared in so many different shows and movies over the years. He’s narrated audio books, hosted various shows, and authored his own works. Each of those has contributed to his income over the past six decades of his career.
Celebrity Net Worth and Wealthy Gorilla both place George Takei’s net worth at about $14 million.
Read More:
- William Shatner’s Net Worth Reaches to the Stars and Beyond
- Kim Rhodes’ Net Worth Is More Than You’d Think
- Tom Hardy’s Net Worth
Kathryn Vercillo is a professional writer who loves to live a balanced life. She appreciates a good work-life balance. She enjoys balance in her relationships and has worked hard to learn how to balance her finances to allow for a balanced life overall. Although she’s only blonde some of the time, she’s always striving for total balance. She’s excited to share what she’s learned with you and to discover more together along the way. Learn more about her at www.kathrynvercillo.com.
