   (december 10, 1933 â july 21, 2006) was a japanese-born american actor and voice artist who has been nominated for numerous awards. many of his acting roles credited him simply as mako where he omits his surname. he is known for his acting role as po-han in the sand pebbles for which he was nominated for the academy award for best supporting actor, akiro the wizard in both conan the barbarian and conan the destroyer, nakano in highlander iii: the sorcerer and his voice roles as iroh from avatar: the last airbender, aku from samurai jack, and splinter from tmnt. he has a star on the hollywood walk of fame at 7095 hollywood blvd. ==early life== mako was born in kobe, japan, the son of noted children's book author and illustrator taro yashima. shortly before the outbreak of world war ii, his parents, who were political dissidents, moved to the united states, leaving mako in the care of his grandmother. after the war, his parents were able to arrange for him to join them, in 1949. he enlisted in the military in the 1950s and 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. ==career== ===film and theatre=== mako's first film role was in the 1959 film never so few. in 1965, frustrated by the limited roles available to himself and other asian american actors, mako and six others formed the east west players theatre company, first performing out of a church basement. the co
1933_births 2006_deaths American_dramatists_and_playwrights_of_Asian_descent American_male_film_actors American_male_television_actors American_male_voice_actors American_military_personnel_of_Japanese_descent American_people_of_Japanese_descent American_theatre_directors_of_Asian_descent Cancer_deaths_in_California Deaths_from_esophageal_cancer Japanese_emigrants_to_the_United_States Japanese_male_film_actors Japanese_male_stage_actors Japanese_male_voice_actors Male_actors_of_Japanese_descent People_from_Kobe United_States_Army_soldiers