Overview (4)

Mini Bio (1)

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.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jim Beaver/Robert Sieger

Spouse (1)

Trade Mark (1)

Raspy thick-accented voice



Trivia (19)

Became a naturalized citizen in 1956.





Frequently cast by Chuck Norris

Children: daughters Sala and Mimosa.



Was nominated for Broadway's 1976 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for "Pacific Overtures".



Artistic Director Emeritus of the nation's premier Asian-American theatre organization, East West Players, located in the "Little Tokyo" area of Los Angeles, California, USA.





Passed away one day after being officially announced as the voice of Master Splinter in the animated movie TMNT (2007).

In the months before his death, he was preparing to appear with his wife in an East West production of the comedy "Motty Chon". Instead of recasting the role, the company, out of respect, canceled the production.



Pioneer of Asian-American theater in Los Angeles, California.





His widow Shizuko Hoshi is a dancer, choreographer and actress.



He was the East West Players' first artistic director in 1965. He also taught acting classes there to help pay the company's bills. The company's first home was a basement in a Silver Lake church secured by co-founder Beulah Quo . It later moved to a storefront on Santa Monica Blvd. Since 1998, it has been housed in the historic Union Center for the Arts and performs in a 240 seat theater.

Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) (Actors Branch).





Received a special tribute as part of the Annual Memorial tribute at The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007).

His father Atsushi Iwamatsu, who went by the pen name Taro Yashima, wrote the famous children's books "Crow Boy" and "Umbrella".





His final role was as the voice of Master Splinter in the animated movie TMNT (2007). The film is dedicated to his memory.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7095 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on January 2, 1994.





Older brother of Momo Yashima

Personal Quotes (6)



[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.".

Of course we've been fighting against stereotypes from Day One at East West. 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.



I was a very happy child, so to speak. But since we didn't have video games or television, and very little radio, in terms of a form of entertainment, I used to read a lot and I would draw a lot, and those two things used to occupy my time.



I had no idea how difficult Sondheim's music would be. All through the rehearsals, I kept flubbing. There were so many tempo changes. I could never get through the opening number without any mistakes. One day, I went up to Hal Prince and offered to leave the show. He laughed it off. He said, "Don't be silly. That's why we have tryouts.".



No matter what happens, we couldn't let people say Asian-American actors can't act.



I came to America to become an architect. And somewhere along the line while I was still in school, I was lured into theater, and that's how I became interested in theater. My first play was something called "A Banquet for the Moon". It was a weird play.

