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.
Mako, who in 1965 co-founded East West Players, the nation's first Asian American theater company, died Friday of esophageal cancer at his home in the Ventura County town of Somis. He was 72.
"What many people say is, 'If it wasn't for Mako there wouldn't have been Asian American theater,' " said Tim Dang, current artistic director of East West Players, based in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles. "He is revered as sort of the godfather of Asian American theater."
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.
But Mako had a larger view of the possibilities for Asian American actors.
As artistic director of East West Players, Mako trained generations of actors and playwrights. He staged classics such as Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," Chekhov's "Three Sisters," and lesser-known contemporary works. He devoted the entire 1981 season to works pertaining to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The series coincided with the opening of a national discussion on internment reparations. It was a risky endeavor, but Mako said it was crucial.
"Mako, being one of the founders of East West Players 40 years ago, truly is the role model and the pioneer," said Tisa Chang, artistic producing director of the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in New York. "He nurtured so many playwrights."
Though his own career was marked by moments of success, it was also forged by struggle.
