Masi Oka

Masayori"Masi"Oka(岡 政偉,Oka Masayori, December 27, 1974)is a Japaneseactor, producer, and digital effects artist who became widely known for starring inNBC'sHeroesasHiro Nakamura, for which he was nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and in CBS'sHawaii Five-0as Doctor Max Bergman.
Oka was born inTokyo, Japan, to Setsuko Oka.His parents divorced when he was one month old; he was raised in a single parent family and has never met his father.He was six years old when he and his mother moved to Los Angeles from Japan.At age eight, he appeared on the CBS-TV game showChild's Play. In 1987, a 12-year-old Oka was featured as one of several children on the cover ofTimemagazine, for the article "Those Asian-American Whiz Kids."Though he was not featured in the article itself, he was acquainted with the photographer who conducted the shoot.In 1988, he placed fourth in the California stateMATHCOUNTScompetition and was one of the four students to represent the state of California in the national competition.
Oka attendedBrown University, where he was musical director ofThe Bear Necessitiesall-malea cappellagroup.He graduated in 1997 with aBSin computer science and mathematics and aminorin theater arts.
Oka landed his first job after graduation atIndustrial Light & Magic,George Lucas's motion picture visual special effects company, with the hope of one day earning anOscarfor technical work on a motion picture.He was also featured in theSan Francisco Chroniclewith ILM co-worker Anthony Shafer in a pre-dot-com article where he echoed his desire to meld acting and technology.He worked on theStar Warsprequel trilogy.
Oka first tried acting in 2000. He earned aScreen Actors Guildcard by appearing in industry films, then moved to Los Angeles.ILM stipulated in his contract that he could work at its Los Angeles branch but would have to return to theirMarin County, California, location if he did not get cast for a recurring role that season. Oka was cast in atelevision pilot, and although the show was not picked up, it satisfied the contract's requirements, and he was allowed to work in Los Angeles.
During this period, Oka landed several minor roles in film and television, such asAustin Powers in Goldmember(2002) and the "Dances with Couch" episode of the sitcomYes, Dear.He eventually landed a recurring role asFranklynon the NBC comedyScrubs.
He was featured in a North American commercial forSega's2002PlayStation 2video game,Shinobi, with the catchphrase 'Shinobi's back!' in front of Sega's1987Shinobiarcade cabinet.
In 2006, Oka was cast as the time-manipulatingHiro Nakamurain theNBCtelevision seriesHeroes. Oka translated his own dialogue for the show, from English to Japanese;English subtitles accompanied his Japanese dialogue on the show. Prior to this, he was expecting to forgo acting by the end of that year's pilot season in lieu of pursuing writing and producing.Heroeswas a breakout hit, and his portrayal of Nakamura earned him nominations for both aGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Filmand aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, the only actor on the show to be nominated on either award shows.He was named the Coolest Geek at theSpike TV Guys' Choice Awardson June 13, 2007.In 2007, he presented an award withHeroesco-starHayden Panettiereon the 20th annualNickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.
In addition to his work on the show, he continued to work at ILM up to three days a week as a research and development technical director, writing programs that create special effects.
He played the role of Bruce in the big screen version ofGet Smart. He played areal estate brokerwho is trying to sell toSeann William Scott's character in Steve Conrad'sThe Promotion.
Oka played the coronerDr. Max BergmaninCBS'Hawaii Five-0, a remake ofthe original serieswhich aired from 1968 to 1980.He joined the show's main cast in the second series. His character was written as an ethnic Japanese who was adopted at birth byJewishparents, hence his last name. Oka also made an appearance in the filmFriends with Benefits.
In 2015, Oka reprised his role asHiro Nakamurain NBC's miniseriesHeroes Reborn.
Oka has turned his digital effects skills to video game production, founding the video game development studio Mobius Digital, where he was a producer on the critically acclaimedOuter Wilds.
Oka is fluent inJapanese,EnglishandSpanish. He worked on the1992 Summer Olympicsas an English, Spanish, and Japanese translator.He played chess in his youth and had anElo ratingof 1800.
Similar to his character Hiro Nakamura, Oka also collectsmanga.He co-produced the2017 American adaptationof the manga seriesDeath Note. He also founded the video game studio Mobius Digital Games, mainly known for its gameOuter Wilds.
He has earned the rank ofblack beltinkendō(Japanese fencing).