Mako
Acting
Biography
Mako was born in Kobe, Japan, the son of noted children's book author and illustrator Taro Yashima. His parents moved to the United States when he was a small child. He joined them there after World War II, in 1949, joining the military in the 1950s. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1956. When Mako first joined his parents in the USA, he studied architecture. During his military service, he discovered his theatrical talent, and trained at the Pasadena Community Playhouse. Mako was married to actress Shizuko Hoshi with whom he had two daughters (both are actresses) and three grandchildren.
Born: December 10, 1933
Place of Birth: Kobe, Japan
Known For
The Slanted Screen
From silent film star Sessue Hayakawa to Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle, the Slanted Screen examines the portrayal Asian men in film and television, and how new filmmakers are now re-defining age-old stereotypes.
Strawberry Road
Hisa Ishii and his brother Akira emigrate from Japan to the United States. They settle in rural California and start a strawberry farm, slowly integrating themselves into the life of the community, which includes Japanese-Americans of both lengthy and brief residence.
Fatal Mission
A CIA Agent must rely on reluctant help from a female spy in the North Vietnam jungle in order to pass through enemy lines.
Pacific Overtures
In 1853 Japan, the story follows the Westernization of Japan, mainly through the story of Kayama, a samurai, and Manjiro, a fisherman. The lives of both men are radically changed by the coming of American ships to Japan.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
Samurai Jack
A great warrior is displaced to the distant future by the evil shape-shifting wizard Aku. The world has become a bleak place under the rule of Aku, segregated into fantastic tribes and ruled by Aku's evil robot warlords. Jack travels this foreign landscape in search of a time portal that can return him to his home time so he can "undo the future that is Aku!".
The West Wing
The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life.
Faerie Tale Theatre
A live-action children's television anthology series retelling popular fairy tales.
Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie
A small boy is sent away from his village. He is to be trained as a samurai warrior and return to fight the evil shapeshifter, Aku, who has wreaked havoc throughout the village. His skills honed, the warrior attempts a return to his home, but winds up in a future time landscape. Here, the locals call the stranger, a sort of Dirty Harry kung fu loner, "Jack" and assist him in his path homeward. This is the original feature length presentation that kicked off the SAMURAI JACK phenomenon on the Cartoon Network.
Columbo
Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.
Filmography
as Aku (voice)
as Poe
as Splinter (voice)
as Tan
as Himself
as Sakamoto
as Iroh (voice)
as Happy Cat / Ah-Choo (voice)
as Happy Cat (voice)
as Mr. Kojima
as Straw Hat
as The Ancient One (voice)
as Master Zi
as Aku (voice)
as Isoroku Yamamoto
as Mr. Yamaguchi (voice)
as The Wizard (archive footage)
as Dr. Yosh Takahashi
as Santos
as Old Momo
as Master Reng
as Shen
as Kungo Tsarong
as Mr. Lee
as Mr. Young
as Henry Muranaka
as Todo Matsumoto
as Ichiro Higashimori
as Buun Som
as Shudo Shimazaki
as Mr. Loo
as Nakano
as Sensei
as Buntoro Iga
as Lee Moy
as Sam Tanaka
as Yoshida-san
as Dr. Henry Lee
as Edward Song
as Li Sung
as Kanemitsu
as Mr. Lee
as Narrator (voice)
as Frank Machida
as Kim
as Toshio Watanabe
as Mr. Sakamoto
as Sgt. Moritaki
as Trang
as Capt. Kilalo
as Max Chin
as Mr. Yamamoto
as Kao
as Nobu Matsumoto
as Jimmy
as Oyama
as Tran
as Akira Tanaka
as Capt. Vinh
as The Manchu
as Toshiro Tanaka
as Jimmy Thanarat
as Maj. Taro Oshira
as Maj. Taro Oshira
as Akiro 'The Wizard'
as Mori
as Mike
as Aitaro Sakura
as Gardener / Minister
as Pastry Chef
as Gardener / Minister
as The Wizard / Narrator
as James Chan
as Nakomuri
as Enjiro
as Master of Flowers
as Tozan
as Herbert
as Maj. Bai
as Tanaka
as Mr. Wakamatsu
as Li Sung
as Mr. Yamaguchi
as John Moroshima
as Reciter/Shogun/Jonathan Goble
as Fukimoto
as Narrator
as Yuen Chung
as Mr. Brown
as Sgt. Nguyen
as Tao Gan
as Oomiak
as Low Sing
as Rooster (voice)
as Wong Ti Lu
as Major Choi
as Tadashi
as Kichijiro
as Kanji Ousu
as Psychiatrist
as Mun Ki
as Yuro
as Jack
as Secret Agent Fong
as Kazuo Tahashi
as Calvin Coolidge Ishimura
as Tami Okada
as Phil Tsang
as Po-han
as Lt. Nakamura
as Low Sing
as Kenji
as Yoshimura
as Angry Youth (uncredited)
as Kato
as Wong Lo
as Samurai Warrior
as Japanese Submarine Captain (uncredited)
as The Japanese Commander
as Captain Osato
as Happy Tuava
as Pete
as Kyoto
as Lt. Sakawa
as Yamada, Jr.
as Akai Takahashi
as Soldier in Hospital
as Ito Nakayama