Mako Iwamatsu Biography

Mako Iwamatsu was a Japanese-born American actor and voice-artiste known for his extensive career in the film, television, and theater industries. For the majority of his career, he had chosen to be credited simply as “Mako”. The child of political dissidents, he served in the American military in the 1950s before pursuing acting in a professional capacity. Mako made his screen debut in the 1959 film ‘Never So Few’. Three years later, he debuted on the small screen with an appearance on an episode of the anthology series ‘The Lloyd Bridges Show’. His first important role came about in 1966 when he was cast in ‘The Sand Pebbles’ as Po-han, for which he received both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. He was active through the next three decades, portraying significant characters in classic films, such as 1982’s ‘Conan the Barbarian’ and its sequel ‘Conan the Destroyer’, 1986’s ‘Behind Enemy Lines’, and ‘Seven Years in Tibet’. The veteran actor garnered a whole new generation of fans by lending his voice to some of the most memorable characters in the history of western animation, including Aku in ‘Samurai Jack’ and Uncle Iroh in ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’. In 1994, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.