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Mako

Date of birth: 1933-12-10

Place of birth: Kobe, Japan

Known for: Acting

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.

Movie Credits

Seven Years in Tibet
3.6

Seven Years in Tibet

1997-09-12

Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer journeys to the Himalayas without his family to head an expedit

TMNT
3

TMNT

2007-03-23

After the defeat of their old arch nemesis, The Shredder, the Turtles have grown apart as a family.

Pearl Harbor
3.5

Pearl Harbor

2001-05-21

The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the

Rise: Blood Hunter
2.7

Rise: Blood Hunter

2007-04-28

A reporter on the trail of a sinister cult wakes up in a morgue to find herself a member of the unde

Hito Hata: Raise the Banner
0

Hito Hata: Raise the Banner

1980-12-06

The film looks back at the life of a man named Oda and other Japanese Americans through the decades

Pacific Heights
3.1

Pacific Heights

1990-09-28

A couple works hard to renovate their dream house and become landlords to pay for it. Unfortunately

RoboCop 3
2.4

RoboCop 3

1993-01-21

The mega corporation Omni Consumer Products is still bent on creating their pet project, Delta City,

The Sand Pebbles
3.6

The Sand Pebbles

1966-12-20

Engineer Jake Holman arrives aboard the gunboat USS San Pablo, assigned to patrol a tributary of the

Sidekicks
2.6

Sidekicks

1992-12-17

Asthmatic teenager Barry Gabrewski is a daydreamer. Troubled by bullying, he escapes into a fantasy

Bulletproof Monk
2.8

Bulletproof Monk

2003-03-28

A mysterious and immortal Tibetan kung fu master, who has spent the last 60 years traveling around t

Highlander III: The Sorcerer
2.4

Highlander III: The Sorcerer

1994-11-29

Starts off in the 15th century, with Connor McLeod training with another immortal swordsman, the Jap

The Killer Elite
2.9

The Killer Elite

1975-12-19

Mike Locken is one of the principal members of a group of freelance spies. A significant portion of

Rising Sun
3.1

Rising Sun

1993-07-30

When a prostitute is found dead in a Los Angeles skyscraper occupied by a large Japanese corporation

Conan the Destroyer
3.1

Conan the Destroyer

1984-06-29

Conan is commissioned by the evil queen Taramis to safely escort a teen princess and her powerful bo

Conan the Barbarian
3.4

Conan the Barbarian

1982-03-16

A horde of rampaging warriors massacre the parents of young Conan and enslave the young child for ye

Tucker: The Man and His Dream
3.4

Tucker: The Man and His Dream

1988-08-12

Ypsilanti, Michigan, 1945. Engineer Preston Tucker dreams of designing the car of future, but his in

Silent Assassins
2.5

Silent Assassins

1988-05-18

The evil criminal leader Kendrick has kidnapped an elderly biochemist who holds the secret to creati

The Bird People in China
3.6

The Bird People in China

1998-06-10

Wada, a salary man, is enlisted to venture off to China to investigate a potential Jade mine. After

Cages
2

Cages

2005-10-07

An estranged family goes through the painful process of healing their wounds in this drama set in mo

The Island at the Top of the World
3.2

The Island at the Top of the World

1974-12-16

A Victorian gentleman hopes to find his long-lost son, who vanished while searching for a mysterious

An Eye for an Eye
2.6

An Eye for an Eye

1981-08-14

Sean Kane is forced to resign from the San Francisco Police Department's Narcotics Division when he

The Last Ninja
1.6

The Last Ninja

1983-07-07

A successful art dealer is sought out by law enforcement after terrorists take some scientists hosta

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
3.3

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

2000-11-17

A group of rambunctious toddlers travel a trip to Paris. As they journey from the Eiffel Tower to No

The Challenge
3

The Challenge

1970-02-10

All-out war between the United States and an Asian country is averted when the two sides agree to se

Under the Rainbow
2.6

Under the Rainbow

1981-07-31

In World War II era Los Angeles, the manager of the Culver Hotel leaves his nephew in charge for a w

Kung Fu: The Movie
2.6

Kung Fu: The Movie

1986-02-01

In his travels, Caine meets up with an old man who has several surprises for him. The first being th

Armed Response
2.4

Armed Response

1986-10-03

One of Tanaka's underlings has stolen a rare statuette that he had planned to use as a peace offerin

The Big Brawl
2.9

The Big Brawl

1980-08-18

A young Asian American martial artist is forced to participate in a brutal formal street-fight compe

Silence
3.6

Silence

1971-11-13

Two Jesuit priests encounter persecution when they travel to Japan in the 17th century to spread Chr

Sworn to Justice
2.7

Sworn to Justice

1996-10-01

After masked attackers kill her sister and young nephew, a female psychologist takes the law into he

The Hawaiians
2.8

The Hawaiians

1970-06-17

A wanderer returns home only to find political turmoil, disease and romantic difficulties.

Cruel Game
1.3

Cruel Game

2002-11-27

The con is on when a gorgeous LA playboy tries to juggle four beautiful women and gets more than he

P.O.W. The Escape
2.3

P.O.W. The Escape

1986-04-01

Col. Cooper leads a group of American P.O.W.s, battling their way to freedom as Saigon falls to the

Girls of the White Orchid
2.6

Girls of the White Orchid

1983-11-28

In Los Angeles, naive and lonely waitress and aspirant singer Carol finds an advertisement for a job

The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell
3

The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell

1968-05-08

Sgt. O'Farrell an Army soldier on an island in the South Pacific during World War II is trying to br

Red Sun Rising
2.3

Red Sun Rising

1994-09-01

Thomas Hoshino is a tough Japanese detective, who lost his partner by a deadly Yakuza killer Jaho. H

The Wash
0

The Wash

1988-08-17

Mako is a neglectful husband. Not the most loving man. His wife gradually encounters a widower who i

The Great Bank Robbery
3.1

The Great Bank Robbery

1969-06-24

A motley group of phony church leaders attempts to rob a bank controlled by brothers in 1880's Texas

Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'
3.4

Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan'

2000-05-30

Nearly all the cast and crew are on hand to give stories and memories about the making of the film.

The Bushido Blade
2.7

The Bushido Blade

1981-06-19

A steel samurai blade that was to be given to the American ambassador by the Emperor of Japan is sto

The Sea Wolf
2

The Sea Wolf

1997-01-01

Thrown overboard while conducting an environmental investigation, Humphrey Van Weyden is as good as

Fatal Mission
4.5

Fatal Mission

1990-07-25

A CIA Agent must rely on reluctant help from a female spy in the North Vietnam jungle in order to pa

Midnight Man
2.5

Midnight Man

1995-05-09

When the police start a crackdown on Yakuza activities, a killer starts killing the cops forcing a m

Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders
0

Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders

1974-12-29

China, 7th century. On their way to a provincial center Judge Dee and his three wives spend the nigh

An Unremarkable Life
0

An Unremarkable Life

1989-10-12

The close bond between two elderly sisters is threatened when one of them begins to have romantic fe

The Green Hornet
3.4

The Green Hornet

1974-03-21

After the superstardom and early death of Bruce Lee, 20th Century Fox decided to cobble together a c

Nightingale
0

Nightingale

1992-10-04

Captivated by its sweet song, an emperor takes a nightingale into his palace as his companion. But w

The Slanted Screen
5

The Slanted Screen

2006-01-03

From silent film star Sessue Hayakawa to Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle, the Slanted Screen exam

A Dangerous Place
3

A Dangerous Place

1994-11-14

When Ethan's older brother Greg is found dead, the police rule the case a suicide, but Ethan suspect

Hawaiian Heat
1.5

Hawaiian Heat

1984-09-14

Two Chicago cops quit their jobs in the Windy City to become detectives in Hawaii. TV movie that ser

Prisoners
0

Prisoners

1975-07-01

Melodrama set in South Vietnam in the 1960s. Krueger (Bramhall), a former infantry lieutenant, is im

Never So Few
2.7

Never So Few

1959-12-07

A U.S. military troop takes command of a band of Burmese guerillas during World War II.

McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force
2.6

McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force

1965-07-09

The crew of PT-73 are in trouble again when Ensign Parker is mistaken for a pilot and gets shanghied

Balance of Power
3

Balance of Power

1996-06-25

A martial arts expert who runs a dojo for under-privileged kids from a dilapidated warehouse is shak

Testament
3.1

Testament

1983-11-04

It is just another day in the small town of Hamlin until something disastrous happens. Suddenly, new

When Hell Was in Session
3.5

When Hell Was in Session

1979-10-08

This film describes Navy Commander Jeremiah Denton's 7-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war. Held i

Farewell to Manzanar
3

Farewell to Manzanar

1976-03-11

Fact based drama about one of the internment camps used by the American military during World War II

Wataridori: Birds of Passage
0

Wataridori: Birds of Passage

1976-01-01

This important tribute to the issei (first generation Japanese Americans) integrates the stories of

Yokahama Mama
2.5

Yokahama Mama

1972-12-24

Blue Racer finds out that the Japanese chicken in the local farm has laid an egg. Blue Racer wastes

The Perfect Weapon
3.1

The Perfect Weapon

1991-03-15

Jeff, a young delinquent, is enrolled by his father in a kenpo school, in the hopes of teaching the

Taking Care of Business
3.1

Taking Care of Business

1990-08-16

An uptight advertising exec has his entire life in a filofax organizer which mistakenly ends up in t

Crying Freeman
3.1

Crying Freeman

1995-04-23

A lethal assassin for a secret Chinese organisation, who sheds tears of regret each time he kills, i

My Samurai
2

My Samurai

1992-01-01

A boy, Peter McCrea, witnesses a gangland murder. He turns to his martial arts teacher, Young Park,

The Ugly Dachshund
3.3

The Ugly Dachshund

1966-02-16

The Garrisons are the "proud parents" of three adorable dachshund pups - and one overgrown Great Dan

Pacific Overtures
4.5

Pacific Overtures

1976-09-06

In 1853 Japan, the story follows the Westernization of Japan, mainly through the story of Kayama, a

The Nightingale
1.9

The Nightingale

1983-05-10

A kitchen maid and a nightingale help save an emperor with the power of song and friendship.

Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie
4.1

Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie

2017-10-16

A small boy is sent away from his village. He is to be trained as a samurai warrior and return to fi

Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes
2.9

Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes

1990-08-06

The movie follows the perspective of several characters (such as Japanese victims, soldiers, America

Murder in Paradise
2.4

Murder in Paradise

1990-01-19

A stressed-out, big-city cop seeks refuge in Hawaii, only to become embroiled in a serial murder cas

Strawberry Road
5

Strawberry Road

1991-04-27

Hisa Ishii and his brother Akira emigrate from Japan to the United States. They settle in rural Cali

The Accomplice
2.8

The Accomplice

1999-04-10

This hard-boiled action starring Naoto Takenaka is directed by popular manga artist Kazuhiro Kiuchi.

Alegría: An Enchanting Fable
3.3

Alegría: An Enchanting Fable

1999-01-10

Frac, a mime who is suffering from a severe bout of depression, happens to meet a troupe of circus e

Memoirs of a Geisha
3.8

Memoirs of a Geisha

2005-12-06

In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a ma

Fools
0.5

Fools

1970-12-23

A horror actor falls in love with the unhappily married young wife of an attorney.

If Tomorrow Comes
4

If Tomorrow Comes

1971-12-07

In California, a young Caucasian girl and a Japanese-American boy defy local prejudices and secretly

Riot
2.8

Riot

1997-04-27

In April 1992, following the notorious Rodney King verdict, the streets of Los Angeles became a batt