Rodney Kageyama

Rodney Masao Kageyama (November 1, 1941 – December 9, 2018) was an American stage, film and TV actor. He was a Nisei Japanese American (second-generation) and besides acting in Asian American theater groups, he was also a director and designer. With his roles in the “Gung Ho” film and television series and the “Karate Kid” franchise, he was a trailblazer for Asian Americans in Hollywood. Career Theatre Born in nearby San Mateo, Kageyama began his career in San Francisco in 1965 as one of the original members of the Asian American Theater Company. While in San Francisco he attended the American Conservatory Theater. In 1979, Kageyama moved to Los Angeles where he joined the Asian American theatre group, East West Players (EWP), working as an actor, director, and designer. In 1985 he received a Drama-Logue Award for Costume Design for EWP's Rashomon. In 1993, Kageyama directed The Grapevine, written by Grateful Crane Ensemble founder Soji Kashiwagi, produced at the Los Angeles Theatre Center.