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http://www.tbo.com/news/nationworld/MGB2O6EUYPE.html
In the early days of his acting career, when most roles offered to Asian-American actors were caricatures or stereotypes, Mako took just such a part and used it to open the doors of Hollywood and Broadway to others.
In the 1966 film "The Sand Pebbles," he played the Chinese character Po-han who spoke pidgin English, called the white sailors in the movie "master," and treated them as such. Through the power of his acting, though, Mako transformed Po-han and compelled the audience to empathize and identify with the "coolie."
Mako, whose portrayal earned an Academy Award nomination, died Friday of esophageal cancer at his home in Somis, Calif. He was 72.
In an acting career that spanned more than four decades, Mako was a familiar face in film and television. He appeared on series including "McHale's Navy," "I Spy," "M*A*S*H," "Quincy," and "Walker, Texas Ranger."
In films, he was a Japanese admiral in the film "Pearl Harbor," and a Singaporean in "Seven Years in Tibet." He was Akiro the wizard in "Conan the Barbarian" and "Conan the Destroyer" with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Mako, though, had a larger view of the possibilities for Asian-American actors.
In 1965, he co-founded the East West Players, the nation's first Asian-American theater company. As artistic director, Mako trained generations of actors and playwrights. He brought to the stage classics including Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," Chekhov's "Three Sisters" and lesser-known contemporary works.
He devoted the entire 1981 season to works discussing the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The series coincided with the opening of a national discussion on internment reparations.
"Of course, we've been fighting against stereotypes from Day 1 at East West," Mako said in 1986. "That's the reason we formed: to combat that, and to show we are capable of more than just fulfilling the stereotypes - waiter, laundryman, gardener, martial artist, villain."
And for animation fans, he voiced Aku in Samurai Jack. His final role will be as the voice of Splinter in the new TMNT movie
In the early days of his acting career, when most roles offered to Asian-American actors were caricatures or stereotypes, Mako took just such a part and used it to open the doors of Hollywood and Broadway to others.
In the 1966 film "The Sand Pebbles," he played the Chinese character Po-han who spoke pidgin English, called the white sailors in the movie "master," and treated them as such. Through the power of his acting, though, Mako transformed Po-han and compelled the audience to empathize and identify with the "coolie."
Mako, whose portrayal earned an Academy Award nomination, died Friday of esophageal cancer at his home in Somis, Calif. He was 72.
In an acting career that spanned more than four decades, Mako was a familiar face in film and television. He appeared on series including "McHale's Navy," "I Spy," "M*A*S*H," "Quincy," and "Walker, Texas Ranger."
In films, he was a Japanese admiral in the film "Pearl Harbor," and a Singaporean in "Seven Years in Tibet." He was Akiro the wizard in "Conan the Barbarian" and "Conan the Destroyer" with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Mako, though, had a larger view of the possibilities for Asian-American actors.
In 1965, he co-founded the East West Players, the nation's first Asian-American theater company. As artistic director, Mako trained generations of actors and playwrights. He brought to the stage classics including Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," Chekhov's "Three Sisters" and lesser-known contemporary works.
He devoted the entire 1981 season to works discussing the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The series coincided with the opening of a national discussion on internment reparations.
"Of course, we've been fighting against stereotypes from Day 1 at East West," Mako said in 1986. "That's the reason we formed: to combat that, and to show we are capable of more than just fulfilling the stereotypes - waiter, laundryman, gardener, martial artist, villain."
And for animation fans, he voiced Aku in Samurai Jack. His final role will be as the voice of Splinter in the new TMNT movie
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