Mako

Personal Info

Birthday

December 10, 1933

Day of Death

2006-07-21

(72 years old)

Place of Birth

Kobe, Japan

Also Known As

Mako Iwamatsu

Mako Wakamatsu

Μάκο Ιβαμάτσου

Iwamatsu Mako

岩松信

マコ岩松

ماکو

Mako

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.

Known For

Monk

Columbo

Frasier

JAG

The West Wing

Diagnosis: Murder

Samurai Jack

Magnum, P.I.

Filmography

2017
Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie
as Aku (voice)
2007
Rise: Blood Hunter
as Poe
TMNT
as Splinter (voice)
2006
The Slanted Screen
as Himself
2005
Memoirs of a Geisha
as Sakamoto
Cages
as Tan
2003
Bulletproof Monk
as Mr. Kojima
2002
Cruel Game
as Straw Hat
2001
Pearl Harbor
as Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto
2000
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
as Mr. Yamaguchi (voice)
Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
as The Wizard (archive footage)
1999
Alegría: An Enchanting Fable
as Old Momo
1998
The Bird People in China
as Shen
1997
Seven Years in Tibet
as Kungo Tsarong
Riot
as Mr. Lee
1996
Sworn to Justice
as Mr. Young
Balance of Power
as Todo Matsumoto
1995
Midnight Man
as Buun Som
Crying Freeman
as Shudo Shimazaki
1994
Highlander III: The Sorcerer
as Nakano
A Dangerous Place
as Sensei
Red Sun Rising
as Buntoro Iga
1993
Rising Sun
as Yoshida-san
RoboCop 3
as Kanemitsu
1992
Sidekicks
as Mr. Lee
Nightingale
as Narrator (voice)
1991
Strawberry Road
as Frank Machida
The Perfect Weapon
as Kim
1990
Pacific Heights
as Toshio Watanabe
Taking Care of Business
as Mr. Sakamoto
Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes
as Sgt. Moritaki
Fatal Mission
as Trang
Murder in Paradise
as Capt. Kilalo
1989
An Unremarkable Life
as Max Chin
1988
The Wash
as Nobu Matsumoto
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
as Jimmy
Silent Assassins
as Oyama
1986
Armed Response
as Akira Tanaka
P.O.W. The Escape
as Capt. Vinh
Kung Fu: The Movie
as The Manchu
1984
Conan the Destroyer
as Akiro 'The Wizard'
1983
Girls of the White Orchid
as Mori
Testament
as Mike
The Last Ninja
as Aitaro Sakura
The Nightingale
as Gardener / Minister
1982
Conan the Barbarian
as The Wizard / Narrator
1981
An Eye for an Eye
as James Chan
Under the Rainbow
as Nakomuri
The Bushido Blade
as Enjiro
1980
Hito Hata: Raise the Banner
as Oda
The Big Brawl
as Herbert
1979
When Hell Was in Session
as Maj. Bai
1976
Pacific Overtures
as Reciter/Shogun/Jonathan Goble
Farewell to Manzanar
as Fukimoto
Wataridori: Birds of Passage
as narrator
1975
The Killer Elite
as Yuen Chung
Prisoners
as Sgt. Nguyen
1974
Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders
as Tao Gan
The Island at the Top of the World
as Oomiak
1972
Yokahama Mama
as Rooster (voice)
1971
If Tomorrow Comes
as Tadashi
Silence
as Kichijiro
1970
Fools
as Psychiatrist
The Hawaiians
as Mun Ki
The Challenge
as Yuro
1969
The Great Bank Robbery
as Secret Agent Fong
1968
The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell
as Calvin Coolidge Ishimura
1966
The Sand Pebbles
as Po-han
The Ugly Dachshund
as Kenji
1965
McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force
as Japanese Submarine Captain (uncredited)
1959
Never So Few
as Soldier in Hospital