JackBurley Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Character actor Mako passed away Friday of esophageal cancer in his home in Somis (Ventura County). He was 72. Mako was nominated for an Oscar for the 1966 film The Sand Pebbles. In 1965 he co-founded the East/West Players, the nation's first Asian American theatre company. In a 1986 Los Angeles Times interview Mako said, "We've been fighting against stereotypes from Day 1 at East/West. 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." He appeared in the original production of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures and was nominated for a Tony for his portrayals in this musical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb1 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Jack - what a bummer! I'm so sorry to hear about Mako - I feel like I've lost a friend. He was one of those character actors whose face is familiar, especially to TV viewers, since he did a great deal of TV work, but you never quite caught his name. I thought he was absolutely the tops in the film "The Hawaiians," which is an unfairly overlooked movie saga. It was much better than the first installment, "Hawaii." May he RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vallo13 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I was listening to the radio about a Book called "who is that guy? sorry no author about character actors and Mayo is one of those greats that you always see but never know his name . I used to see him in all kinds of parts ,from "the heavy"to the comedy relief. Great Actor ,he will be missed. vallo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyDan Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 One of my earliest memories of being at the movies was seeing "The Sand Pebbles" at the drive-in with my family. I was too young at age 4 or 5 to really follow the story, but I caught on to the friendship between Mako and McQueen and remember feeling sympathy for Mako and admiration for McQueen in standing up for his friend. I'm sorry to hear this news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheldon Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I saw Mako in the original production of Sondheim's " Pacific Overtures." He will be missed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 When I think of Mako I recall the film "An Unremarkable Life" (1989) with Patricia Neal and Shelley Winters. He played a mechanic who has a relationship with Miss Neal, and it was a nice change of pace role for him, which he played very well. My condolences to his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmlover Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I feel fortunate I got a chance to meet him at a film collectors convention several months ago where he signed an item or two for me. Other than Pacific Overtures, I remember him particularly for an episode of the Green Hornet where he had a kung-fu battle with Bruce Lee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metsfan Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Ah, what a shame. I remember seeing a few of his movies and I liked his attitude along with Pat Morita(R.I.P.). May his soul rest in peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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