Mako

Born in Kobe in 1933, Makoto Iwamatsu followed his dissident parents to the United States after the war, served in Korea, and trained at Pasadena Playhouse before co-founding East West Players. His second film role - Po-Han in The Sand Pebbles in 1966 - earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He cycled through character parts for three decades: Kichijiro in Silence, Oomiak in The Island at the Top of the World, Akiro the Wizard across both Conan films, Kungo Tsarong in Seven Years in Tibet, and a Tony-nominated turn in Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures on Broadway in 1976. Late career, he turned to voice work - Mr. Yamaguchi in Rugrats in Paris, Aku in the first four seasons of Samurai Jack, Uncle Iroh in the first two seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender. He died of esophageal cancer in 2006 at 72, leaving two animated roles that became canonical.