
Mako
Actor · Died July 21, 2006, aged 72 · Kobe, Japan
Mako was born in Kobe, Japan, the son of noted children's book author and illustrator Taro Yashima. His parents moved to the United States when he was a small child. He joined them there after World War II, in 1949, joining the military in the 1950s. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1956. When Mako first joined his parents in the USA, he studied architecture. During his military service, he discovered his theatrical talent, and trained at the Pasadena Community Playhouse. Mako was married to actress Shizuko Hoshi with whom he had two daughters (both are actresses) and three grandchildren.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 10, 1933
- July 21, 2006 (aged 72)
- Kobe, Japan
- Actor
- 78 on MovieCove · 146 credits in all
What are Mako's films like?
Across their 45 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 8 · Earnest 33
A split, not a type: Light 18 · Serious 15 · Dark 10
Grounded 16 · Stylized 18 · Heightened 9
Gentle 4 · Charged 26 · Intense 13
Steady 17 · Shifting 23 · Whiplash 3
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 25 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 5
Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 26 · Relentless 4
Casual 26 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 21 · Affecting 18 · Heavy 4
Resolved 38 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
Usually the Mentor: 12 of 29 analyzed roles.
Show the 29 rolesHide the roles
- Allyas Calvin Coolidge Ishimura in The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (1968)
- Shadowas Yuro in The Challenge (1970)
- Allyas Mun Ki in The Hawaiians (1970)
- Tricksteras Oomiak in The Island at the Top of the World (1974)
- Allyas Tao Gan in Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders (1974)
- Shadowas Low Sing in The Green Hornet (1974)
- Tricksteras Yuen Chung in The Killer Elite (1975)
- Mentoras Reciter in Pacific Overtures (1976)
- Shadowas Maj. Bai in When Hell Was in Session (1979)
- Allyas Herbert in Battle Creek Brawl (1980)
- Mentoras The Wizard in Conan the Barbarian (1982)
- Mentoras Akiro in Conan the Destroyer (1984)
- Shadowas The Manchu in Kung Fu: The Movie (1986)
- Shadowas Capt. Vinh in P.O.W. the Escape (1986)
- Shadowas Akira Tanaka in Armed Response (1986)
- Mentoras Oyama in Silent Assassins (1988)
- Shadowas Sgt. Moritaki in Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990)
- Mentoras Kim in The Perfect Weapon (1991)
- Mentoras Mr. Lee in Sidekicks (1992)
- Mentoras Nakano in Highlander: The Final Dimension (1994)
- Mentoras Sensei in A Dangerous Place (1994)
- Mentoras Buntoro Iga in Red Sun Rising (1994)
- Shadowas Shudo Shimazaki in Crying Freeman (1995)
- Mentoras Mr. Young in Sworn to Justice (1996)
- Threshold guardianas Kungo Tsarong in Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
- Mentoras Old Momo in Alegría (1999)
- Shadowas Aku in Samurai Jack (2001)
- Shadowas Aku in Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie (2001)
- Mentoras Splinter in TMNT (2007)
Moods and endings
- Happy24
- Bittersweet17
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Mako's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 44 of their 78 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (22).
- Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) · actor · free
- I Dream of Jeannie (1965) · actor · free
- The A-Team (1983) · actor · free
- What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002) · actor · free
- The Greatest American Hero (1981) · actor · free
- Pacific Heights (1990) · actor · free
- The Incredible Hulk (1977) · actor · free
- Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990) · actor · free
- The Hawaiians (1970) · actor · free
- The Facts of Life (1979) · actor · free
- Gidget (1965) · actor · free
- The Killer Elite (1975) · actor · free
- +10 more
- Monk (2002) · actor · free
- Frasier (1993) · actor · free
- Voyagers! (1982) · actor · free
- I Dream of Jeannie (1965) · actor · free
- The Greatest American Hero (1981) · actor · free
- Pacific Heights (1990) · actor · free
- Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990) · actor · free
- The Facts of Life (1979) · actor · free
- Gidget (1965) · actor · free
- The Killer Elite (1975) · actor · free
- Battle Creek Brawl (1980) · actor · free
- A Dangerous Place (1994) · actor · free
- +8 more
- Frasier (1993) · actor · free
- Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) · actor · free
- Mannix (1967) · actor · free
- The Greatest American Hero (1981) · actor · free
- Pacific Heights (1990) · actor · free
- Diagnosis Murder (1993) · actor · free
- Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990) · actor · free
- JAG (1995) · actor · free
- The Killer Elite (1975) · actor · free
- Red Sun Rising (1994) · actor · free
- Bulletproof Monk (2003) · actor · free
- Rise: Blood Hunter (2007) · actor · free
- +4 more
- Monk (2002) · actor
- Mannix (1967) · actor
- The Greatest American Hero (1981) · actor
- Pacific Heights (1990) · actor
- Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990) · actor
- JAG (1995) · actor
- The Killer Elite (1975) · actor
- Battle Creek Brawl (1980) · actor
- Red Sun Rising (1994) · actor
- Sworn to Justice (1996) · actor
- Silent Assassins (1988) · actor · free
Subscription and free streaming for Mako's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
146 credits, 78 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Rise: Blood Hunter(2007)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
TMNT(2007)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Cages (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

Memoirs of a Geisha(2005)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all filmsMaid in Akihabara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows
Duck Dodgers(2003)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all showsLost at Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

Bulletproof Monk(2003)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Cruel Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

What's New, Scooby-Doo?(2002)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
Monk(2002)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Samurai Jack(2001)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Pearl Harbor(2001)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Rugrats in Paris(2000)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The West Wing(1999)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
The Accomplice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

Alegría(1999)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Martial Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

The Bird People in China (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

Seven Years in Tibet(1997)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Riot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

The Sea Wolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

Sworn to Justice(1996)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
7th Heaven(1996)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all shows
Balance of Power (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

JAG(1995)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Midnight Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

Crying Freeman(1995)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Platypus Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
A Dangerous Place(1994)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Red Sun Rising(1994)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Diagnosis Murder(1993)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows
Frasier(1993)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Rising Sun(1993)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Walker, Texas Ranger(1993)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows
RoboCop 3(1993)
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
Sidekicks(1992)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Nightingale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

My Samurai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

Strawberry Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

The Perfect Weapon(1991)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Pacific Heights(1990)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Taking Care of Business(1990)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Fatal Mission (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

Murder in Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

An Unremarkable Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

The Paradise Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

The Wash (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Silent Assassins(1988)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Supercarrier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

Tour of Duty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

Armed Response(1986)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
P.O.W. the Escape(1986)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Kung Fu: The Movie(1986)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Lovejoy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

Spenser: For Hire(1985)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
The Equalizer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

Hawaiian Heat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

Hawaiian Heat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

Conan the Destroyer(1984)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Testament(1983)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
The Last Ninja (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

The Nightingale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

The A-Team(1983)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
Voyagers!(1982)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
Bring 'Em Back Alive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

Faerie Tale Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

Conan the Barbarian(1982)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

An Eye for an Eye(1981)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Under the Rainbow(1981)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
The Bushido Blade(1981)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows
Flamingo Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

Magnum, P.I.(1980)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
Hito Hata: Raise the Banner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

Battle Creek Brawl(1980)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
When Hell Was in Session(1979)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
A Man Called Sloane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

The Facts of Life(1979)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows
Supertrain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

The Incredible Hulk(1977)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all showsVisions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

Quincy, M.E. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Mr. T and Tina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

Pacific Overtures(1976)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Anatomy of a Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

Farewell to Manzanar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

Wataridori: Birds of Passage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

The Killer Elite(1975)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Wonder Woman(1975)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows
Prisoners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

Karate Sensei (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

Khan! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
The Green Hornet(1974)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Yokahama Mama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

Kung Fu(1972)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
M*A*S*H(1972)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
The Streets of San Francisco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

Anna and the King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

If Tomorrow Comes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

Columbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

Fools (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

The Hawaiians(1970)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
The Challenge(1970)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Love, American Style (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

Room 222 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

The Great Bank Robbery(1969)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Hawaii Five-O(1968)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Mannix(1967)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows
Ironside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

The Sand Pebbles(1966)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Green Hornet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

The Time Tunnel(1966)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
The Ugly Dachshund(1966)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
The F.B.I. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

I Dream of Jeannie(1965)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
Gidget(1965)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows
The Big Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

F Troop(1965)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Burke's Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

Arrest and Trial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

McHale's Navy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

The Gallant Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

Ensign O'Toole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

The Lloyd Bridges Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

Never So Few(1959)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
77 Sunset Strip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

Black Sash (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 146 titles, 145 of them dated from 1958 to 2017; peak year 1991.
Film career
Peak 1991 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 7 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1959Screen debut· Never So Few
- 1997Career best· Seven Years in Tibet
- 2005Career best· Avatar: The Last Airbender
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Mako's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 49; across their 43 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up23
- 50th to 74th18
- 25th to 49th23
- Below 25th14
Shape of the crowd
35 of their 78 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved10
- Universally Panned1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser35
- Broadly Agreed7
- Mixed23
Reviewers score the acting 58/100 in their films, across 41 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 35. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Mako's work okay for kids?
Across up to 19 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Mako work with?
People who share at least 2 of Mako's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Soon-Tek Oh shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Genndy TartakovskyShared titles: Samurai Jack (2001), Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Genndy Tartakovsky

Writers
- James BrunerShared titles: Silent Assassins (1988), P.O.W. the Escape (1986), An Eye for an Eye (1981)See all 3 shared titles with James Bruner

- Paul RudishShared titles: Samurai Jack (2001), Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Rudish

- Neva FriedennShared titles: Sworn to Justice (1996), Red Sun Rising (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Neva Friedenn
- Paul MaslakShared titles: Sworn to Justice (1996), Red Sun Rising (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Maslak
Actors
- Soon-Tek OhShared titles: Red Sun Rising (1994), Girls of the White Orchid (1983), Pacific Overtures (1976), Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders (1974)See all 4 shared titles with Soon-Tek Oh

- Grey DeLisleShared titles: Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005), Samurai Jack (2001), Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie (2001)See all 3 shared titles with Grey DeLisle

- Sab ShimonoShared titles: Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie (2001), Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990), Pacific Overtures (1976)See all 3 shared titles with Sab Shimono

- James HongShared titles: The Perfect Weapon (1991), When Hell Was in Session (1979), Judge Dee and the Monastery Murders (1974)See all 3 shared titles with James Hong

Composers and editors
- Basil PoledourisShared titles: RoboCop 3 (1993), Conan the Destroyer (1984), Conan the Barbarian (1982)See all 3 shared titles with Basil Poledouris

- John WilliamsShared titles: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Seven Years in Tibet (1997)See all 2 shared titles with John Williams

- James L. VenableShared titles: Samurai Jack (2001), Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie (2001)See all 2 shared titles with James L. Venable

- Paul DouglasShared titles: Samurai Jack (2001), Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Douglas
Producers
- Brian A. MillerShared titles: Samurai Jack (2001), Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Brian A. Miller

- Diana RitcheyShared titles: Samurai Jack (2001), Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Diana Ritchey
- Dino De LaurentiisShared titles: Conan the Destroyer (1984), Conan the Barbarian (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Dino De Laurentiis

- Edward R. PressmanShared titles: Conan the Destroyer (1984), Conan the Barbarian (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Edward R. Pressman



