Cult Spy Icons: Kaito Nakamura from 'Heroes'

Okay, so perhaps Mr Sulu is deserving of his own Cult Spy Icon recognition, but that time will just have to wait! For actor George Takei's performance on Heroes is simply too legendary to ignore, portraying Hiro's intriguing father Kaito Nakamura. The lucky guy also managed to finally break free from the shackles of Sulu typecasting after a good four decades!

At first he's introduced to us as a strict businessman, trying to coax his son back to the family business in Japan with some misguided intentions. Alas, Hiro tricks him into giving his brainiac sister the job instead and the family issue is seemingly solved so the cheerful tourist can continue on his mission.

But - it was all a big con from Kaito! The clever swine is soon seen in flashback in the company of Mr Bennet and Thompson, linking him to the creepy organisation that lies behind Primatech Paper.

The revelations weren't over though, as Kaito soon defied his years to display some seriously athletic moves with the sword as he trained his son to take on Sylar. This awesome sequence came about after he suddenly returned to Heroes in the back room of a sword repair shop (where many family reunions take place across the world) in order to reveal to his son the truth about his destiny.

So with revelations that make Keyser Soze weep, Kaito Nakamura has defied typecasting, age and his initial characterisation to become a true legend. Here's hoping he's back for the second season of Heroes, if only to show us that he's actually a skilled ballet dancer...