Actor Mako Dies at the age of 72

Japanese-American actor Mako, who was Oscar-nominated for his supporting role in "The Sand Pebbles" and who co-founded the nation's first Asian-American theater company, died Friday of esophageal cancer at his home in Somis. He was 72.

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. But through the power of his acting, Mako transformed Po-han and compelled the audience to empathize and identify with the engine-room "coolie."

The portrayal earned Mako an Academy Award nomination, which he used to continue his push for more and better roles for Asian American actors co-founding the East West Players, the nation's first Asian American theater company in 1965.

In an acting career that spanned more than four decades, Mako was a familiar face in film and television. His TV roles included appearances on "McHale's Navy," "I Spy," "MASH," "Quincy," and "Walker, Texas Ranger." In films, he was a Japanese admiral in "Pearl Harbor" and a Singaporean in "Seven Years in Tibet." He was Akiro the wizard in "Conan the Barbarian" and "Conan the Destroyer" with now-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Mako used the prominence the Oscar nomination gave him to address the dearth of parts for Asian Americans in general. Unless a script specifically called for an Asian American, producers and casting directors rejected them for roles. "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."

For more info on Mako visit his IMDB page at imdb.com
and you can find more info on the East West players on the official site at eastwestplayers.org