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IMDbPro

Yoshio Yoda(1934-2023)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Yoshio Yoda
While best remembered as Ernest Borgnine's Japanese prisoner-of-war Fuji Kobiashi in the wartime sitcom McHale's Navy (1962), Yoshio Yoda came to acting reluctantly and purely by accident. Born in Tokyo, the only son of Honshu middle-class manufacturers, he initially studied law at the prestigious Keio University. However, he quickly realized that neither law nor industry suited his aspirations. A chance meeting with motion picture executive Edward Ugast (1900-1964), general manager in Asia for 20th Century Fox and Vice-President of Four Star Films, persuaded Yoda to study cinema technique in the United States with the prospect of becoming a producer. In 1958, Yoda arrived in California and enrolled at USC.

Three years into his studies, Yoda's faculty was contacted by producer Joe Pasternak at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who was casting for an Asian actor required to be fluent in both English and Japanese. Yoda naturally fitted the bill. Despite his initial misgivings, a mere ten minute interview led to the youngster being signed for the role of Sgt. Roy Tada in Vaakasuora luutnantti (1962), a comedy starring Jim Hutton and Paula Prentiss. On the strength of his performance he was subsequently able to secure the gig on McHale's Navy. When that series had run its course, so did Yoda's acting career. After one more brief TV appearance in 1969, he returned to his roots to forge a career in the car manufacture business at Toyota. He lived in Hawaii for fifteen years, became a United States citizen under the name of James Yoda, and, by 1987, had risen to the position of assistant vice president of inventory and senior division manager. He later resided in Fullerton, California.
BornMarch 31, 1934
DiedJanuary 13, 2023(88)
BornMarch 31, 1934
DiedJanuary 13, 2023(88)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos6

"McHale's Navy" (back row, left to right) Edson Stroll, John Wright, Carl Ballantine, Gary Vinson (middle row, left to right) Billy Sands, Gavin MacLeod, Bob Hastings (front row, left to right) Joe Flynn, Yoshio Yoda, Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway
"McHale's Navy" Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, Joe Flynn, Carl Ballantine
"McHale's Navy" Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, Joe Flynn, Carl Ballantine
Ernest Borgnine, Carl Ballantine, Tim Conway, Joe Flynn, Bob Hastings, Billy Sands, Edson Stroll, Gary Vinson, John Wright, and Yoshio Yoda in McHale's Navy (1962)
Ernest Borgnine, Carl Ballantine, Tim Conway, Joe Flynn, Gavin MacLeod, Billy Sands, Edson Stroll, Gary Vinson, John Wright, and Yoshio Yoda in McHale's Navy (1962)

Known for:

McHale's Navy (1962)
McHale's Navy
7.4
TV Series
  • Fuji Kobiaji
Ernest Borgnine, Carl Ballantine, Tim Conway, Joe Flynn, and Yoshio Yoda in McHale's Navy (1964)
McHale's Navy
6.4
  • Fuji Kobiaji
  • 1964
Jim Hutton, Paula Prentiss, and Miyoshi Umeki in Vaakasuora luutnantti (1962)
Vaakasuora luutnantti
5.9
  • Sgt. Roy Tada
  • 1962
Tim Conway, Joe Flynn, Bob Hastings, and Yoshio Yoda in McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force (1965)
McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force
5.7
  • Takeo 'Fuji' Fugiwara
  • 1965

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Love, American Style (1969)
    Love, American Style
    6.8
    TV Series
    • Mr. Tenaka (segment "Love and the Letter")
    • 1969
  • McHale's Navy (1962)
    McHale's Navy
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Fuji Kobiaji
    • 1962–1966
  • Tim Conway, Joe Flynn, Bob Hastings, and Yoshio Yoda in McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force (1965)
    McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force
    5.7
    • Takeo 'Fuji' Fugiwara
    • 1965
  • Ernest Borgnine, Carl Ballantine, Tim Conway, Joe Flynn, and Yoshio Yoda in McHale's Navy (1964)
    McHale's Navy
    6.4
    • Fuji Kobiaji
    • 1964
  • Jim Hutton, Paula Prentiss, and Miyoshi Umeki in Vaakasuora luutnantti (1962)
    Vaakasuora luutnantti
    5.9
    • Sgt. Roy Tada
    • 1962

Personal details

Edit
  • Born
    • March 31, 1934
    • Tokyo, Japan
  • Died
    • January 13, 2023
    • Fullerton, California, USA(Undisclosed)

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    After McHale's Navy (1962) went off the air, he did a segment of Love, American Style (1969), then left show business. He became a United States citizen--he was actually a Japanese citizen when he did "McHale's Navy"--and legally changed his name to James Yoda. He went to work for Toyota Motors and eventually became Vice President.
  • Nickname
    • James Yoda

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