Brad Takei: Who is George Takei’s husband?

Brad Takei is the husband of George Takei. Brad Takei’s husband is an actor, author, and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship USS Enterprise in the television series Star Trek and subsequent films. Though NBC canceled “Star Trek” after a brief three-season run, the show reached a new audience in syndication and gained a loyal cult following. George Takei continued to play a major role in shaping the public image of Asian Americans, entering into state politics while continuing to act in television and film.

Brad Takei: Bio Summary

Who is Brad Takei, George Takei’s husband?

Brad Takei was born on February 25, 1954, in the United States of America. As of 2023, he is 66 years old. Brad is a producer and actor, known for Star Trek Phase II (2004), Whatever, the Series (2011), and It Takeis Two (2015). He was an additional crew in Star Trek Phase II and played Andy in Whatever, the Series.

ALSO, READ; Henry Takei: Where is George Takei’s brother now?

How did George Takei and his husband Brad meet?

The couple first laid eyes on one another way back in the 1980s at an LGBT club called LA Frontrunners. “Brad was a runner and I was a runner, and we both happened to join a gay running club,” The Star Trek actor explained of their meeting in a 2017 interview. “He was the best runner in the club. And also great-looking.” As Brad told Howard Stern in 2020, the feeling was mutual. “George was a hot guy, too!” he gushed.

It was George who made the first move and approached Brad. “I went up to him and asked him to train me for my first marathon,” he remembered. “Before long, we became partners.” George and his husband Brad Takei have been together since the 1980s. After their first meeting, they kept their relationship a secret for more than two decades.

ALSO, READ; Nancy Reiko Takei: Where is George Takei’s sister now?

Brad Takei moved from finance journalism to become George’s business partner in the early 1990s, as he revealed in a 2019 podcast with the couple. “Eventually, I helped George with some of his public relations, press releases, and various projects. He needed somebody to help make sure that things got accomplished so that he could be a visionary and artist and I could do the detail work—and it sort of gradually evolved that I became his business manager,” he explained.

George Takei and Brad Altman’s marriage

Just one day after the California Supreme Court lifted its ban on gay marriage, the Star Trek actor announced his plans to marry his longtime love on his website. “Our California dream is reality. Brad Altman and I can now marry,” the message read. “We are overjoyed! At long last, the barrier to full marriage rights for same-sex couples has been torn down. We are equal with all citizens of our state!“

Sharing how they got engaged, George Takei, revealed on his podcast, Oh Myyy Pod. – “We were having lunch at home and the news came on that the California Supreme court this time ruled in favor of marriage equality,” he Shared. “I have my mouth full, but suddenly Brad slipped out of his chair and was on the floor, and he said, ‘George, will you marry me?’ And I said, ‘You beat me to it, I was gonna ask you!’”

On September 14, 2008, George and Brad Takei tied the knot at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California. They finally got married 21 years after they first got together. According to NBC, George and Brad Takei’s wedding ceremony featured elements from many cultures, including a Buddhist priest, Native American wedding bands, a Japanese kopo harp and bagpipes, and also some Star Trek pals.

ALSO, READ; Fumiko Emily Takei: Inside the Life of George Takei’s mother

According to NBC a snippet from George’s handwritten vows to his spouse read: “I vow to care for you as you’ve cared for me… and to love you as my husband and the only man in my life.” George and Brad became the first openly gay contestants to compete on The Newlywed Game since its inception more than 40 years earlier in 1967. 

George Takei and her husband Brad Takei invited the world into their home with a web series called It Takies Two. The show showcased them sparring over internet memes, cheering each other up. Before  It Takies Two, George’s fans got to know his other half in 2014, when the lens turned on the couple for the Apprentice alum’s documentary, To Be Takei.

The Star Trek star said the film served as a tool for activism. “The mission statement was to allow access into our private lives to show fair-minded Americans that a same-sex couple, this is like everyone else in our culture dominated by opposite-sex couples,” he revealed to The Wrap in an interview. “Maybe if our doc showed we’re just like everyone else, just the same gender, maybe fair-minded people will think twice about wanting to discriminate against the LGBT community.”