With an acting career spanning six decades, George Takei is known around the world for his founding role in the acclaimed television series Star Trek, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the starship Enterprise. But his story goes where few stories have gone before. From a childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in Japanese American internment camps during World War II, to becoming one of the country’s leading figures in the fight for social justice, LGBTQ rights, and marriage equality, Mr. Takei remains a powerful voice on issues ranging from politics to pop culture. Mashable.com named him the #1 most-influential person on Facebook, with nearly 10 million likes, and 3 million followers on Twitter.

Mr. Takei has been a passionate advocate for social justice, outspoken supporter of human rights issues and a community activist. He has served as the spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign “Coming Out Project,” and was Cultural Affairs Chairman of the Japanese American Citizens League. He is also chairman emeritus and a trustee of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. He was appointed to the Japan-US Friendship Commission by former President Clinton and the government of Japan awarded Mr. Takei the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his contribution to US-Japanese relations. The decoration was conferred by His Majesty, Emperor Akihito, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Last year, he became a New York Times bestselling author with the release of his graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, co-written with Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott and drawn by Harmony Becker. They Called Us Enemy recently received the Young Adult Literature Award from the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association and the Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work.