George Takei Finally Plans To Marry

But no one needs to whisper about Takei because the former "Star Trek" and "Heroes" actor is proud of his 21-year relationship with business partner Brad Altman, and now that California has toppled restrictions against gay marriage, the couple plan on making their union legal.

"Our California dream is a reality," Takei said in a statement on his official Web site. "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."

Last week, the California Supreme Court struck down laws that restricted same-sex marriage nearly four years after the mayor of San Francisco tried to offer gay couples the chance to marry in his city. The 4-3 split decision declared the right for gays to marry was protected in the state's constitution, but that hasn't stopped some opponents from vowing to circumvent the decision. California becomes the second American state to allow gay marriage following Massachusetts in 2003.

"We've worked in partnership," Takei said of his relationship with Altman. "He manages the business side of my career and I do the performing. We've traveled the world together from Europe to Asia to Australia. We've shared the good times as well as struggled through the bad. He helped me care for my ailing mother who lived with us for the last years of her life. He is my love and I can't imagine life without him. Now, we can have the dignity as well as the responsibilities of marriage. We embrace it heartily."

Takei and Altman are the second celebrity couple to announce their pending nuptials following Ellen DeGeneres and actress Portia de Rossi.

Takei turned 71 last month, and most recently enjoyed a popular stint on the NBC series "Heroes" before his character was killed off early in the second season. But the original "Star Trek" presence continues on the show with Nichelle Nichols reportedly coming back for a third season as a New Orleans grandmother raising some kids who have some special abilities of their own.

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