Masi Oka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Masi Oka
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![]() Oka at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
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Born | |||||
Education | Brown University (BS) | ||||
Occupation |
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Years active | 1998–present | ||||
Japanese name | |||||
Kanji | 岡 政偉 | ||||
Kana | おか まさより | ||||
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Masayori "Masi" Oka (岡 政偉, Oka Masayori, December 27, 1974) is a Japanese-American actor, producer, and digital effects artist. He is well-known for his roles as Hiro Nakamura in the TV show Heroes and as Doctor Max Bergman in Hawaii Five-0. For his role in Heroes, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
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Early life
Masi Oka was born in Tokyo, Japan, on December 27, 1974. His parents divorced when he was very young, and he was raised by his mother. When he was six years old, he and his mother moved from Japan to Los Angeles, USA.
When he was eight, Masi appeared on a CBS-TV game show called Child's Play. Later, at age 12, he was featured on the cover of Time magazine. This was for an article about talented Asian-American children.
Masi was also very good at math. In 1988, he placed fourth in a big math competition in California. He was one of four students to represent California in the national MATHCOUNTS competition.
Education and first job
Masi Oka went to Brown University. He studied computer science and mathematics and also took theater arts classes. He graduated in 1997.
After college, Masi got his first job at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). This is a famous company that creates visual effects for movies. It was started by George Lucas, who created Star Wars. Masi hoped to win an Oscar one day for his technical work in films. He worked on the Star Wars prequel movies, helping to create their special effects.
Career
Starting acting (2000–2005)
Masi Oka started trying out for acting roles in 2000. He earned his Screen Actors Guild card, which allowed him to work in professional films. He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting more seriously.
During this time, Masi got several small roles in movies and TV shows. He appeared in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) and an episode of the sitcom Yes, Dear. He also had a recurring role as Franklyn on the NBC comedy Scrubs. He even appeared in a commercial for the PlayStation 2 video game Shinobi.
Becoming famous with Heroes (2006–2010)
In 2006, Masi Oka got a big role as Hiro Nakamura in the NBC TV series Heroes. His character, Hiro, could manipulate time and space. Masi even translated his own lines from English to Japanese for the show.
Heroes became a huge hit, and Masi's performance as Hiro made him very popular. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Primetime Emmy Award for his acting. He was also named the "Coolest Geek" at the Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards in 2007. He even presented an award with his Heroes co-star Hayden Panettiere at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.
Even while working on Heroes, Masi continued to work part-time at ILM. He helped create special effects by writing computer programs. He also appeared in the movie Get Smart as a character named Bruce.
Hawaii Five-0 and other projects (2010–present)
Masi Oka joined the cast of CBS's Hawaii Five-0 in 2010. This show was a remake of an older series. He played the character of Dr. Max Bergman, a coroner. He became a main cast member in the second season.
In 2015, Masi returned to his famous role as Hiro Nakamura in the miniseries Heroes Reborn.
Masi has also used his digital effects skills in the world of video games. He started a video game development studio called Mobius Digital. He was a producer for their critically acclaimed game Outer Wilds.
Personal life
Masi Oka is very good at languages. He can speak Japanese, English, and Spanish fluently. He even worked as a translator at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
When he was younger, Masi played chess. He also collects manga, which are Japanese comic books. He helped produce the 2017 American movie Death Note, which was based on a famous manga series.
Masi Oka has a black belt in kendō, which is a Japanese martial art similar to fencing.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2002 | Austin Powers in Goldmember | Japanese Pedestrian | |
2003 | Uh-Oh! | Asian Man | |
2003 | Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde | Congressional Intern | Uncredited |
2004 | Along Came Polly | Wonsuk | |
2005 | The Proud Family Movie | Japanese Kid/Announcer | Voice only |
2005 | Noroi: The Curse | Self | |
2005 | House of the Dead 2 | Stanley Tong | |
2006 | One Sung Hero | KJ | Short film |
2007 | Balls of Fury | Feng's men's room attendant | |
2008 | Get Smart | Bruce | |
2008 | Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control | Direct-to-video | |
2008 | The Promotion | Loan Officer | |
2009 | Fired Up | Eagle Mascot | |
2010 | Searching for Sonny | Sonny Bosco | |
2011 | Friends with Benefits | Darin Arturo Morena | |
2013 | Jobs | Ken Tanaka | |
2017 | Death Note | Detective Sasaki | Also producer |
2018 | The Meg | Toshi | |
2019 | Spies in Disguise | Katsu Kimura | Voice role |
2022 | Bullet Train | Conductor |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2001 | Dharma & Greg | Nien-Jin | Episode: "The End of the Innocence: Part 2" |
2001 | Citizen Baines | Staffer Dan | Episode: "The Whole Thump-Thump-Thump" |
2001 | Gilmore Girls | Philosophy Student | Episode: "The Road Trip to Harvard" |
2002 | Yes, Dear | Talking Rock | Episode: "Dances with Couch" |
2002 | Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Male Council Member | Episode: "The Whole Ball of Wax" |
2002 | She Spies | Guy | Episode: "Fondles" |
2002–2003 | The Jamie Kennedy Experiment | Various | 4 episodes |
2002–2004 | Scrubs | Franklyn | 5 episodes |
2003 | On the Spot | Japanese Tourist | Episode: "Little Brenda Dynamite" |
2003 | Luis | Deng Wu | 9 episodes |
2004 | Still Standing | Ronald | Episode: "Still Bill's Dad" |
2004 | All of Us | Edwin | Episode: "Home for Christmas?" |
2005 | Less Than Perfect | Hideki | Episode: "I Just Don't Like Here" |
2005 | Reno 911! | Translator | |
2005 | Joey | Arthur | |
2005 | God Wears My Underwear | Brother Eo | Voice only |
2005 | Punk'd | Translator | Season 5 |
2006 | Reba | IRS Agent Phung | Episode: "Don't Mess with Taxes" |
2006 | Without a Trace | Wei Fan | Episode: "Check Your Head" |
2006 | The Loop | Wang | Episode: "The Year of the Dog" |
2006 | The Sarah Silverman Program | Clerk | Episode: "Batteries" |
2006–2010 | Heroes | Hiro Nakamura | 66 episodes Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television (2006) Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2006) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2007) Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2007) Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television (2007) |
2007 | Jane Doe: Ties That Bind | Agent Osaka | Television film |
2007 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Himself | Episode: "The Harriet Dinner"; uncredited |
2007–2008 | Reno 911! | Foreign Tourist, Japanese Translator | 3 episodes |
2007 | Robot Chicken | Japanese Mr. Rogers / Chachi | Voice only |
2008 | Discovery Atlas | Narrator | Episode: "Japan Revealed" |
2010–2017; 2019 | Hawaii Five-0 | Doctor Max Bergman | Recurring (Season 1); Main (Seasons 2–7); 97 episodes; Guest (Season 10) |
2015 | Heroes Reborn | Hiro Nakamura | 3 episodes |
2018 | Mozart in the Jungle | Fukumoto | 4 episodes |
2021 | Star Wars: Visions | Ethan (voice) | Short film: "The Ninth Jedi": English language dub |
2023 | Blue Eye Samurai | Ringo /Muñones | Voice only |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2007 | Cars Mater-National Championship | Koji | Voice role |
2007 | Driver '76 | Jimmy Yip | Voice role |
2019 | Outer Wilds | Producer |
Audiobook
Year | Title | Role |
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2013 | World War Z | Kondo Tatsumi |
Digital effects artist
Year | Title | Notes |
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1998 | Mighty Joe Young | CG technical assistant: Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) |
1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Visual effects production and technical support: ILM |
2000 | Mission to Mars | Technical support: ILM |
The Perfect Storm | Digital artist: ILM | |
2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | Digital effects artist: ILM |
2003 | Hulk | Technical director: ILM |
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines | CG artist: ILM | |
2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Digital artist: ILM |
War of the Worlds | Digital artist: ILM | |
2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Digital artist: ILM |
See also
In Spanish: Masi Oka para niños