Gedde Watanabe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gedde Watanabe
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Watanabe in 2014
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| Born |
Gary Watanabe
June 26, 1955 |
| Education | American Conservatory Theater |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1976–present |
Gary "Gedde" Watanabe (born June 26, 1955) is an American actor. He is famous for being the voice of Ling in the Disney animated movie Mulan (1998) and its sequel, Mulan II (2004).
Watanabe has also appeared in many popular movies and TV shows. He played Long Duk Dong in the movie Sixteen Candles (1984) and Takahara "Kaz" Kazihiro in Gung Ho (1986). From 1997 to 2003, he played Nurse Yosh Takata in the TV medical drama ER. He was also one of the first actors in the Stephen Sondheim musical Pacific Overtures.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gedde Watanabe was born and grew up in Ogden, Utah. His family is Japanese-American. His mother was a seamstress.
In high school, Watanabe loved to act and sing in school plays. After he graduated, he moved to San Francisco. There, he worked as a street musician while he practiced his acting.
Career
Watanabe's acting career began in 1976 on Broadway in the musical Pacific Overtures. His first movie role was in The Long Island Four in 1980.
Many of his early roles were characters with strong accents, even though Watanabe does not speak Japanese himself.
Famous Movie and TV Roles
One of Watanabe's most well-known roles was the foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong in the 1984 movie Sixteen Candles. He also starred in the movie Gung Ho (1986) and the TV show based on it.
In the 1989 comedy movie UHF, starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, Watanabe played Kuni. Kuni was a karate instructor who hosted a funny TV game show called Wheel of Fish. He later played this character again on The Weird Al Show.
From 1988 to 1991, Watanabe appeared on the children's show Sesame Street as a character named Hiroshi. He also had a regular role as Nurse Yosh Takata on the popular TV show ER for six years.
Voice Acting
Watanabe is a talented voice actor. He has provided voices for many animated shows, including The Simpsons.
His most famous voice role is Ling in the Disney movie Mulan. He returned to voice Ling in the sequel, Mulan II, and in the video game Kingdom Hearts II.
Selected Filmography
Watanabe has been in many movies and TV shows. Here are some of his most notable works.
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Sixteen Candles | Long Duk Dong | |
| 1985 | Volunteers | At Toon | |
| 1986 | Gung Ho | Oishi Kazihiro | |
| 1989 | UHF | Kuni | |
| 1990 | Gremlins 2: The New Batch | Mr. Katsuji | |
| 1995 | Boys on the Side | Steve | |
| 1996 | That Thing You Do! | Play-Tone Photographer | |
| 1997 | ... Call | Chan | Uncredited |
| 1998 | Mulan | Ling | Voice |
| 1999 | EDtv | Greg | |
| 2004 | Mulan II | Ling | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2008 | Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Hotel Manager | |
| 2009 | Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword | Kenji | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2012 | Parental Guidance | Mr. Cheng | |
| 2013 | 47 Ronin | Troupe Leader | |
| 2024 | Kung Fu Panda 4 | Badger Crime Boss | Voice |
| 2024 | Ultraman: Rising | Hayao Sato/Ultradad | Voice |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–1987 | Gung Ho | Kaz Kazuhiro | Main role |
| 1988–1992 | Sesame Street | Hiroshi | Recurring role |
| 1996 | Seinfeld | Mr. Oh | Episode: "The Checks" |
| 1997 | The Weird Al Show | Kuno | Episode: "Back to School" |
| 1997–1999 | The Simpsons | Various voices | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 1997–2003 | ER | Nurse Yosh Takata | Recurring role |
| 1998–1999 | Rugrats | Zack / Kangaroo | 2 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | Batman Beyond | Dr. Suzuki / Principal | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2002–2007 | Kim Possible | Professor Bob Chen | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2003 | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Vincent Wong | Voice, episode: "Lights! Camera! Mayhem!" |
| 2006 | Family Guy | Long Duk Dong | Voice, episode: "Mother Tucker" |
| 2021 | The ... of College Girls | Professor Harpin | Episode: "Parents Weekend" |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Disney's Animated Storybook: Mulan | Ling |
| 2005 | Kingdom Hearts II | Ling |
See also
In Spanish: Gedde Watanabe para niños
