They were working out in a running club and he couldn't take his eyes off Altman, who had a "lean, tightly muscled" body, the 71-year-old actor told AP Radio in an interview.
Takei said he asked Altman to help him train for a marathon, they fell in love, and now they've been living together for 21 years.
Altman said he proposed by getting down on one knee in their kitchen while Takei was eating a sandwich after seeing on TV that the California Supreme Court had legalized same-sex marriage. It surprised Takei, who thought he would be the one who popped the question.
They bought each other turquoise and silver wedding rings.
Takei and Altman plan to marry Sept. 14 in the Democracy Forum at the Japanese National Museum in Los Angeles.
Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in "Star Trek," will be the best man and Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, will be the matron of honor. Castmate Leonard Nimoy will be among the 200 guests, but probably not William Shatner. Takei has said Shatner didn't treat him and most of the cast very well.
As happy as this news is, it saddens us that Shatner can't drum up for his co-star's wedding the same kinds of enthusiasm he musters for his heterosexual pursuits, and boldly join Takei on his journey to where no man-loving-man (who doesn't hail from Massachusetts and certain Benolux countries) has gone before.
Senate Democrats hinted at payback for Sen. Joe Lieberman, who called Barack Obama an untested candidate beholden to Democratic interest groups in a prime-time GOP convention address.
AFP - Authorities in China's Muslim-populated far northwest are seeking to prevent mass prayers and the distribution of religious material as part of a security crackdown for Ramadan, government notices said.
Reuters - Condoleezza Rice travels to Libya on
Friday, the first trip there by a U.S. secretary of state in 55
years, signaling improved ties between the two countries.