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IMDbPro

Mako(1933-2006)

  • Actor
  • Production Designer
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000538
Mako at an event for TMNT (2007)
Theatrical Extra (Clip) from Warner Bros. Pictures
Play trailer0:20
TMNT (2007)
22 Videos
27 Photos
Born in Japan, Makoto Iwamatsu was living there with his grandparents while his parents studied art in the United States, when Japan and the U.S. went to war in 1941. His parents remained in the U.S., working for the Office of War Information, and, at the cessation of the conflict, were granted U.S. residency by Congress. "Mako", as he became known, joined his parents in New York and studied architecture.

He entered the U.S. Army in the early 1950s and acted in shows for military personnel, discovering a talent and love for the theatre. He abandoned his plans to become an architect and instead enrolled at the famed Pasadena Community Playhouse. Following his studies there, he appeared in many stage productions and on television. In 1966, he won an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his first film role, as the coolie "Po-Han" in The Sand Pebbles (1966). He worked steadily in feature films since.

He appeared on Broadway in the leading role in Stephen Sondheim's "Pacific Overtures", and co-founded and served as artistic director for the highly-acclaimed East-West Players theatre company in Los Angeles.

Following a long battle with cancer, Mako passed away on July 21, 2006, at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife, Shizuko Hoshi (who co-starred in episodes of M*A*S*H (1972)) as well, and his children and grandchildren.
BornDecember 10, 1933
DiedJuly 21, 2006(72)
BornDecember 10, 1933
DiedJuly 21, 2006(72)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000538
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 2 wins & 2 nominations total

Asian Icons of Film and Television

Asian Icons of Film and Television

Celebrate some of the most iconic Asian actors in film and television history, from Michelle Yeoh to Donnie Yen, plus many more.
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Photos

Photos27

Steve McQueen, Mako, and Simon Oakland in The Sand Pebbles (1966)
Steve McQueen, Mako, and Thomas H. Middleton in The Sand Pebbles (1966)
Mako, Simon Oakland, and Shepherd Sanders in The Sand Pebbles (1966)
Mako in The Sand Pebbles (1966)
Dante Basco, Mako, and Jeff Speakman in The Perfect Weapon (1991)
Mako in The Perfect Weapon (1991)
George Cheung, Mako, Haunani Minn, and Marcus K. Mukai in M*A*S*H (1972)
Tom Selleck and Mako in Magnum, P.I. (1980)
Mako in M*A*S*H (1972)
Christian Slater, Jeff Bridges, Elias Koteas, Frederic Forrest, and Mako in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
Mako and Lauren Tom in The Facts of Life (1979)
Mako, Simon Oakland, and Barney Phillips in The Sand Pebbles (1966)

Known for

Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Conan the Barbarian
6.9
  • The Wizard
  • Narrator
  • 1982
Publicity Poster
Pearl Harbor
6.2
  • Admiral Yamamoto
  • 2001
Candice Bergen, Steve McQueen, and Emmanuelle Arsan in The Sand Pebbles (1966)
The Sand Pebbles
7.5
  • Po-han
  • 1966
Conan the Destroyer (1984)
Conan the Destroyer
5.9
  • Akiro 'The Wizard'
  • 1984

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Lucy Liu in Rise: Blood Hunter (2007)
    Rise: Blood Hunter
    • Poe
    • 2007
  • Mikey Kelley, Nolan North, James Arnold Taylor, and Mitchell Whitfield in TMNT (2007)
    TMNT
    • Splinter (voice)
    • 2007
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005)
    Avatar: The Last Airbender
    • Uncle
    • Red Dragon
    • Additional Voices (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2005–2006
  • Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! (2004)
    Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
    • Master Offay (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2005
  • Ziyi Zhang in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
    Memoirs of a Geisha
    • Sakamoto
    • 2005
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Legend So Far (2005)
    Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Legend So Far
    • Uncle Iroh (voice)
    • TV Movie
    • 2005
  • Dan Castellaneta in Duck Dodgers (2003)
    Duck Dodgers
    • Happy Cat
    • Ah-Choo (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2003–2005
  • Mako and Kheng Hua Tan in Cages (2005)
    Cages
    • Tan
    • 2005
  • Sokoku
    • Leo Moriya (as Mako Iwamatsu)
    • TV Movie
    • 2005
  • Genndy's Scrapbook
    • Narrator (voice, uncredited)
    • Video
    • 2005
  • Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Dulé Hill, Moira Kelly, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, and Bradley Whitford in The West Wing (1999)
    The West Wing
    • Dr. Yosh Takahashi
    • TV Series
    • 2005
  • Tony Shalhoub in Monk (2002)
    Monk
    • Master Zi
    • TV Series
    • 2005
  • The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2001)
    The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
    • Narrator (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2004
  • Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku (2004)
    Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku
    • Aku (voice)
    • Video Game
    • 2004
  • Samurai Jack (2001)
    Samurai Jack
    • Aku
    • Hermit
    • TV Series
    • 2001–2004

Production Designer

  • Chinmoku (1971)
    Chinmoku
    • Production Designer (as Mako Iwamatsu)
    • 1971

Soundtrack

  • Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005)
    Avatar: The Last Airbender
    • performer: "Leaves from the Vine"
    • TV Series
    • 2006
  • Pacific Overtures (1976)
    Pacific Overtures
    • performer: "The Advantages Of Floating In The Middle Of The Sea", "Four Black Dragons", "Chrysanthemum Tea", "Someone In A Tree", "Please Hello", "Next"
    • TV Movie
    • 1976
  • The 30th Annual Tony Awards
    • performer: "Advantages of Floating in the Middle of the Sea"
    • TV Special
    • 1976
  • Anatomy of a Song
    • performer: "Someone In A Tree"
    • TV Movie
    • 1976

Videos22

TMNT
Clip 1:15
TMNT
TMNT
Clip 0:57
TMNT
TMNT
Interview 0:16
TMNT
TMNT
Interview 0:16
TMNT
Trailer
Trailer 1:35
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:57
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 3:19
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:00
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 0:31
Official Trailer
Season 5 Trailer
Trailer 1:21
Season 5 Trailer
Seven Years in Tibet
Trailer 1:54
Seven Years in Tibet
Battle Creek Brawl
Trailer 2:38
Battle Creek Brawl

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Mako Iwamatsu
  • Height
    • 5′ 4″ (1.63 m)
  • Born
    • December 10, 1933
    • Kobe, Japan
  • Died
    • July 21, 2006
    • Somis, California, USA(esophageal cancer)
  • Spouse
    • Shizuko Hoshi? - July 21, 2006 (his death, 2 children)
  • Children
      Sala Iwamatsu
  • Parents
      Atsushi Iwamatsu
  • Relatives
    • Momo Yashima(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Mako's voice was used in the video game "Wrath Unleashed"
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Was an American actor.
  • Quotes
    [on the barriers that Asian-American actors have to face in Hollywood]: I go into a young film director's office these days and he says, "Hey man, I know who you are. I grew up watching McHale's Navy (1962)." And I think, "Oh boy, here we go again.".
  • Trademark
      Raspy, thick-accented voice

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