Mako

was a Japanese-American actor, credited mononymously in almost all of his acting roles as simply Mako. His role as Po-Han (his second credited role on film) in The Sand Pebbles (1966) saw him nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Other various roles included Oomiak "The Fearless One" in The Island at the Top of the World (1974), Akiro the Wizard in Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Conan the Destroyer (1984), and Kungo Tsarong in Seven Years in Tibet (1997). He was part of the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's 1976 Broadway musical Pacific Overtures, which earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He was also one of the founding members of East West Players. Later in his career, he became well known for his voice acting roles, including Aku in the first four seasons of Samurai Jack (2001–2004), and Iroh in the first two seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2006). He died on July 21, 2006, at the age of 72 from esophageal cancer. Early life Mako was born Makoto Iwamatsu in Kobe, Japan, the son of children's authors and illustrators Tomoe Sasako and Atsushi Iwamatsu. In 1939, his parents, who were political dissidents, moved to the United States, leaving Mako in the care of his grandmother. Because his parents lived on the East Coast, they were not interned during the Second World War; instead they opted to work for the U.S. Office of War Information and were later granted residency. His parents were able to arrange for him to join them in 1949, after which he studied architecture. Mako later enlisted in the United States Army in November 1953 and served until October 1955. He was in Korea and Japan with the Special Services division performing in plays for his fellow soldiers. He then became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1956. It was during his military service that Mako discovered his theatrical talent; he then trained at the Pasadena Community Playhouse.