RIP Mako

His real name was Makoto Iwamatsu, but I guess it was easier for Westerners to use the shortened one he was known by. Many Science Fiction and Fantasy fans will always remember him as the wizard Akiro and narrator of theConan movies. More recently he is known as the voice of Aku, the nemesis inSamurai Jack along with the closing credits to Dexter’s Laboratory. 
 
Much like Noriyuki “Pat” Morita (Mr. Miyagi), he was typecast into playing the “Asian” roles such as Chinese Kung Fu masters or Korean officers on M*A*S*H. Kind of a bummer that he didn’t have a role in Mulan since Disney was bragging on and on about all the Asian voice actors they cast. 
 
Anyway, Mako has a great legacy of roles since the early Sixties if you check out his bio. Despite the past trends and laziness of Hollywood, I think he will have a great spot in the annals of Science-Fiction/Fantasy movies with his memorable work.