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Mako Iwamatsu (岩松 マコ, Iwamatsu Mako), born Makoto Iwamatsu (岩松 信, Iwamatsu Makoto) (December 10, 1933 – July 21, 2006), was an Oscar- and Tony-nominated Japanese-born American actor. Many of his acting roles credited him simply as Mako, omitting his surname. Mako is known for his acting roles as Akiro in Conan the Barbarian and his voice roles including Aku from Samurai Jack, and Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender. 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... MORE

Mako Iwamatsu (岩松 マコ, Iwamatsu Mako), born Makoto Iwamatsu (岩松 信, Iwamatsu Makoto) (December 10, 1933 – July 21, 2006), was an Oscar- and Tony-nominated Japanese-born American actor. Many of his acting roles credited him simply as Mako, omitting his surname. Mako is known for his acting roles as Akiro in Conan the Barbarian and his voice roles including Aku from Samurai Jack, and Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender. 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's first cinema 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 company is one of the LESS