
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.
Series | Maid in Akihabara | Unknown | 2022 |
Movie | TMNT | Splinter (voice) | 2007-03-23 |
Movie | Rise: Blood Hunter | Poe | 2007-04-28 |
Movie | The Slanted Screen | Himself | 2006-01-03 |
Series | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Uncle Iroh (voice) | 2005-02-21 |
Movie | Memoirs of a Geisha | Sakamoto | 2005-12-06 |
Series | Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! | Unknown | 2004-09-18 |
Movie | Bulletproof Monk | Mr. Kojima | 2003-03-28 |
Series | Black Sash | Unknown | 2003-03-30 |
Series | Duck Dodgers | Unknown | 2003-08-23 |
Series | Lost at Home | Unknown | 2003-04-01 |
Series | Monk | Unknown | 2002-07-12 |
Series | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | (voice) | 2002-09-14 |
Movie | Cruel Game | Straw Hat | 2002-11-27 |
Movie | Pearl Harbor | Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto | 2001-05-21 |
Movie | Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie | Aku | 2001-08-10 |
Series | Samurai Jack | Hermit (voice) | 2001-08-10 |
Series | The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne | Unknown | 2000-06-18 |
Movie | Conan Unchained: The Making of 'Conan' | The Wizard (archive footage) | 2000-01-01 |
Movie | Rugrats in Paris: The Movie | Mr. Yamaguchi (voice) | 2000-09-14 |
Movie | Alegría, the film | Old Momo | 1999-01-10 |
Movie | The Accomplice | Unknown | 1999-04-10 |
Series | The West Wing | Unknown | 1999-09-22 |
Movie | The Bird People in China | Shen | 1998-06-10 |
Series | Martial Law | Unknown | 1998-09-26 |
Movie | Seven Years in Tibet | Kungo Tsarong | 1997-09-12 |
Series | Dexter's Laboratory | Unknown | 1996-04-28 |
Movie | Balance of Power | Todo Matsumoto | 1996-06-25 |
Series | 7th Heaven | Henry Muranaka | 1996-08-26 |
Movie | Sworn to Justice | Mr. Young | 1996-10-01 |
Movie | Crying Freeman | Shido Shimazaki | 1995-04-23 |
Series | Platypus Man | Unknown | 1995-01-23 |
Movie | A Dangerous Place | Sensei | 1995-04-25 |
Series | JAG | Ichiro Higashimori | 1995-09-23 |
Movie | Midnight Man | Buun Som | 1995-05-09 |
Movie | Red Sun Rising | Buntoro Iga | 1994-09-01 |
Movie | Highlander III: The Sorcerer | Nakano | 1994-11-29 |
Movie | Kyrie Eleison | Unknown | 1993-03-05 |
Series | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Unknown | 1993-01-27 |
Series | Walker, Texas Ranger | Unknown | 1993-04-21 |
Movie | RoboCop 3 | Kanemitsu | 1993-04-17 |
Series | Frasier | Sam Tanaka | 1993-09-16 |
Movie | Rising Sun | Yoshida-san | 1993-07-30 |
Series | Diagnosis: Murder | Unknown | 1993-10-29 |
Movie | My Samurai | Unknown | 1992-01-01 |
Movie | Sidekicks | Mr. Lee | 1992-12-17 |
Movie | The Perfect Weapon | Kim | 1991-03-15 |
Movie | Strawberry Road | Frank Machida | 1991-04-27 |
Movie | Murder in Paradise | Capt. Kilalo | 1990-01-19 |
Movie | Fatal Mission | Trang | 1990-07-25 |
Movie | Taking Care of Business | Mr. Sakamoto | 1990-08-16 |
Movie | Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes | Sgt. Moritaki | 1990-08-06 |
Movie | Pacific Heights | Toshio Watanabe | 1990-09-28 |
Series | The Paradise Club | Mr. Yamamoto | 1989-09-19 |
Movie | An Unremarkable Life | Max Chin | 1989-10-12 |
Series | The Simpsons | Unknown | 1989-12-16 |
Series | Supercarrier | Unknown | 1988-03-06 |
Movie | Silent Assassins | Oyama | 1988-01-01 |
Movie | Tucker: The Man and His Dream | Jimmy | 1988-08-12 |
Series | Paradise | Unknown | 1988-10-27 |
Movie | The Wash | Nobu Matsumoto | 1988-08-17 |
Series | Tour of Duty | Tran | 1987-09-24 |
Series | Lovejoy | Unknown | 1986-01-10 |
Movie | Kung Fu: The Movie | The Manchu | 1986-02-01 |
Movie | Armed Response | Akira Tanaka | 1986-10-01 |
Movie | P.O.W. The Escape | Capt. Vinh | 1986-04-01 |
Series | The Equalizer | Jimmy Thanarat | 1985-09-18 |
Series | Spenser: For Hire | Unknown | 1985-09-20 |
Movie | Conan the Destroyer | Akiro 'The Wizard' | 1984-06-29 |
Series | Hawaiian Heat | Unknown | 1984-09-14 |
Series | The A-Team | Pastry Chef | 1983-01-23 |
Movie | The Nightingale | Gardener / Minister | 1983-05-10 |
Movie | Testament | Mike | 1983-11-04 |
Movie | Girls of the White Orchid | Mori | 1983-11-28 |
Movie | The Last Ninja | Aitaro Sakura | 1983-07-07 |
Movie | Conan the Barbarian | The Wizard / Narrator | 1982-04-02 |
Series | Faerie Tale Theatre | Gardener / Minister | 1982-09-11 |
Series | Voyagers | Unknown | 1982-10-03 |
Series | Bring 'Em Back Alive | Unknown | 1982-09-24 |
Series | The Greatest American Hero | Unknown | 1981-03-18 |
Movie | The Bushido Blade | Enjiro | 1981-06-19 |
Movie | Under the Rainbow | Nakomuri | 1981-07-31 |
Movie | An Eye for an Eye | James Chan | 1981-08-14 |
Series | Flamingo Road | Unknown | 1980-05-12 |
Series | Magnum, P.I. | Unknown | 1980-12-11 |
Movie | The Big Brawl | Herbert | 1980-09-10 |
Series | Supertrain | Unknown | 1979-02-07 |
Series | The Facts of Life | Unknown | 1979-08-24 |
Series | A Man Called Sloane | Tanaka | 1979-09-22 |
Movie | When Hell Was in Session | Maj. Bai | 1979-10-08 |
Series | The Incredible Hulk | Unknown | 1977-11-04 |
Movie | Pacific Overtures | Reciter / Shogun / Jonathan Goble | 1976-09-06 |
Movie | Farewell to Manzanar | Fukimoto | 1976-03-11 |
Series | Quincy, M.E. | Unknown | 1976-10-03 |
Series | Mr. T and Tina | Unknown | 1976-09-25 |
Series | Visions | Unknown | 1976-10-21 |
Movie | Prisoners | Sgt. Nguyen | 1975-07-01 |
Series | Khan! | Unknown | 1975-02-07 |
Series | Wonder Woman | Unknown | 1975-11-07 |
Movie | The Killer Elite | Yuen Chung | 1975-12-19 |
Movie | The Island at the Top of the World | Oomiak | 1974-01-01 |
Movie | Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders | Tao Gan | 1974-12-29 |
Movie | The Green Hornet | Low Sing | 1974-03-21 |
Series | Anna and the King | Unknown | 1972-09-17 |
Series | M*A*S*H | Unknown | 1972-09-17 |
Movie | Yokahama Mama | Rooster (voice) | 1972-12-24 |
Series | Kung Fu | Unknown | 1972-10-14 |
Series | Columbo | Kanji Ousu | 1971-09-15 |
Movie | Silence | Kichijiro (as Mako Iwamatsu) | 1971-11-13 |
Movie | The Challenge | Yuro | 1970-02-10 |
Movie | Fools | Psychiatrist | 1970-12-23 |
Movie | The Hawaiians | Mun Ki | 1970-06-17 |
Movie | The Great Bank Robbery | Secret Agent Fong | 1969-09-10 |
Series | Room 222 | Unknown | 1969-09-11 |
Series | Love, American Style | Unknown | 1969-09-29 |
Movie | The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell | Calvin Coolidge Ishimura | 1968-05-08 |
Series | Hawaii Five-O | Unknown | 1968-09-20 |
Series | Ironside | Unknown | 1967-03-28 |
Series | Mannix | Unknown | 1967-09-16 |
Movie | The Ugly Dachshund | Kenji | 1966-02-16 |
Series | The Green Hornet | Unknown | 1966-09-09 |
Series | The Time Tunnel | Lt. Nakamura | 1966-09-09 |
Movie | The Sand Pebbles | Po-han | 1966-12-20 |
Series | Gidget | Unknown | 1965-09-01 |
Movie | McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force | Japanese Submarine Captain (uncredited) | 1965-07-09 |
Series | F Troop | Unknown | 1965-09-14 |
Series | The Big Valley | Unknown | 1965-09-15 |
Series | The F.B.I. | Unknown | 1965-09-19 |
Series | I Dream of Jeannie | Kato | 1965-09-18 |
Series | Burke's Law | Unknown | 1963-09-20 |
Series | The Lloyd Bridges Show | Unknown | 1962-09-11 |
Series | McHale's Navy | Unknown | 1962-10-11 |
Series | The Gallant Men | Unknown | 1962-10-05 |
Movie | Never So Few | Soldier in Hospital (uncredited) | 1959-12-07 |
Series | 77 Sunset Strip | Unknown | 1958-10-10 |