The Asian-American actor, who was Oscar nominated for his portrayal of submissive engineer Po-Han, in the 1966 film The Sand Pebbles .
Brought up in Japan by his grandparents while his parents were studying in New York, Mako joined his mother and father when they were granted US citizenship. He studied architecture before joining the US Army in the early 1950s and became passionate about acting while performing in military shows. He became a naturalized American in 1956.
After his Army service, he enrolled at the Pasadena Community Playhouse in California and studied to become a professional actor. His other movies include The Ugly Dachsund (1966), The Green Hornet (1974), An Eye For An Eye (1981), Seven Years In Tibet (1997), Bulletproof Monk (2003) and Pearl Harbor (2001). His impressive TV resume includes appearances in Wonder Woman, I Spy, Hawaii Five-O, Kung Fu, and The Streets Of San Francisco. I will also never forget his 2 episode stint on TV's "The Incredible Hulk" in 78/79, as Li Sung.
For more on Mako, read this obituary on the CNN International website
And in case you were wondering, yes Mako was a heavy, daily smoker for more than 50 years, and even when told that smoking would lead to his demise, continued to smoke...
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