Yuji Okumoto
Yuji Don Okumoto (雄二・ドン・奥本, Yūji Don Okumoto, born April 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Chozen Toguchi in The Karate Kid franchise. He has also appeared in such films as Better Off Dead, Real Genius (both 1985), True Believer (1989), American Yakuza (1993), Contact (1997), The Truman Show (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), Only the Brave (2006), Inception (2010) and Driven (2018).
Yuji Okumoto | |
|---|---|
2010 press photo | |
| Born | Yuji Don Okumoto April 20, 1959 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | California State University, Fullerton |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse |
Angela Okumoto (m. 2001) |
| Children | 3 |
Early life
Okumoto, a third generation Japanese American (Sansei), was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.[1] He began karate at age 13, studying under various sensei. By the time of The Karate Kid Part II, the 27-year-old Okumoto held a brown belt in Karate, and had learned basic skills in other martial arts, including Kung Fu and Judo. His Judo Instructor was Hayward Nishioka, his Chitō-ryū Karate Sensei was Yukinori Kugimiya, his Kajukenbo Instructor was Sensei Ron Takaragawa, and his Yau Kung Moon Sifu was Kevin Quock.[2][3]
He graduated from Hollywood High School and Cal State Fullerton, where he studied acting.[1]
Career
Acting
His performance in the play Indians led to being signed by an agent, and eventually a role on The Young and the Restless. His first roles were in The Check is in the Mail, Real Genius, and Better Off Dead.[4] Perhaps his most well-known role is as Daniel's rival, Chozen Toguchi in the 1986 film, The Karate Kid Part II.[4] Other credits include his role as Shu Kai Kim, a character based on Chol Soo Lee, in the 1989 film True Believer, Pete Kapahala in the 1999 Disney Channel original movie Johnny Tsunami, Japanese navy lieutenant (海軍大尉, Kaigun-Daii) Zenji Abe in Pearl Harbor, and Bruce Takedo in the television series, Bones.[4]
In 2005, he was Yukio Nakajo in Lane Nishikawa's film Only the Brave about the Japanese American segregated fighting unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team of World War II. This film also included two other Karate Kid stars, Tamlyn Tomita and Pat Morita.[4] He is a producer for the 2020 independent film The Paper Tigers, in which he has a small role as well.[5]
In 2021, Okumoto reprised his Karate Kid II role as Chozen Toguchi, who, beginning with Season 3 of Cobra Kai, is now a friend and ally of Daniel.[6][7][8][9]
Kona Kitchen
In 2002, Okumoto, together with his wife and mother-in-law, opened a Hawaiian restaurant called Kona Kitchen in Maple Leaf, Seattle.[10] A second location opened in Lynnwood, Washington in 2019.[11]
Personal life
Okumoto lives in Seattle, Washington, with his wife Angela and their three daughters.[12]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Crime Killer | Vietnam Soldier | |
| Real Genius | Fenton | ||
| Better Off Dead | Yee Sook Ree | ||
| 1986 | The Check Is in the Mail... | Bellboy | |
| The Karate Kid Part II | Chozen Toguchi | ||
| 1988 | Aloha Summer | Kenzo Konishi | |
| 1989 | True Believer | Shu Kai Kim | |
| 1991 | 3x3 Eyes | Chou / Transvestite #2 | Video (voice: English version) |
| 1992 | Nemesis | Yoshiro Han | |
| 1993 | Silent Cries | Mickey | Uncredited |
| Robot Wars | Chou-Sing | ||
| Brainsmasher... A Love Story | Wu | Video | |
| American Yakuza | Kazuo | ||
| 1994 | Bloodfist V: Human Target | Tommy | |
| Blue Tiger | Lieutenant Sakagami | ||
| Red Sun Rising | Yuji | ||
| 1995 | Hard Justice | Jimmy Wong | Video |
| 1995 | 3x3 Eyes: Legend of the Divine Demon | Naparva | Video (voice: English version) |
| 1997 | Blast | FBI Agent | |
| Mean Guns | Hoss | ||
| Contact | Electrical | ||
| The Game | Nikko Hotel Manager | ||
| 1998 | The Truman Show | Japanese Family Man | |
| Sorcerers | Secretary | ||
| 2000 | Fortress 2: Re-Entry | Sato | |
| I'll Remember April | Matsuo Yomma | ||
| 2001 | Pearl Harbor | Zenji Abe | |
| Ticker | Embassy Consul | ||
| 2005 | The Crow: Wicked Prayer | 'Pestilence' | |
| 2006 | Big Momma's House 2 | Parsons | |
| Only the Brave | Sergeant Yukio 'Yuk' Nakajo | ||
| End Game | Dr. Lee | ||
| 2007 | Cookies for Sale | Grumpy Man | Short |
| 2008 | Touch | Ken | Short |
| 2009 | Black Coffee | David | Short |
| Anatomy of a Fly | Politician | Short | |
| 2010 | Inception | Saito's Attendant | |
| 2014 | Awesome Asian Bad Guys | Yuji | |
| 2015 | Beta Test | The Surgeon | |
| 2017 | Unspoken: Diary of an Assassin | Unknown | |
| 2018 | Driven | Judge Takasugi | |
| Ultra Low | Yuji | ||
| 2020 | The Paper Tigers | Wing | Also producer |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | T. J. Hooker | Howie Kalanuma | Episode: "Blood Sport" |
| 1987 | Simon & Simon | Masaki | Episode: "Desperately Seeking Dacody" |
| 1988 | Hunter | Jimmy | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Murder in Paradise | Unknown | Television film |
| Only One Survived | Peter Fujko | Television film | |
| Midnight Caller | Lee Minh | Episode: "Home to Roost" | |
| 1991 | American Playhouse | Teruo Kuroda | Episode: "Hot Summer Winds" |
| 1991–1995 | 3×3 Eyes | Naparva, Chou, Yakumo's Coworker | English dub[13] |
| 1991–1993 | Knots Landing | Art Nam | 6 episodes |
| 1994 | Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills | Lester Kuriyama | Television film |
| 1995 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Chen Chow | Episode: "Chi of Steel" |
| Vanishing Son | Nguyen | Episode: "Holy Ghosts" | |
| Murder, She Wrote | Kim Huan | Episode: "Murder a la Mode" | |
| 1996 | Kindred: The Embraced | Lieutenant Kwan | 2 episodes |
| Superman: The Animated Series | Security Guard | Voice, episode: "A Little Piece of Home"[13] | |
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Chang | Episode: "Higher Power" | |
| 1997 | Players | Mr. Hayashi | Episode: "Rashocon" |
| 1998 | The Sentinel | Lo | Episode: "Love Kills" |
| JAG | Jiro Kitamura | Episode: "Innocence" | |
| 1999 | Just Shoot Me! | Kevin Tanaka | Uncredited, episode: "Miss Pretty" |
| Johnny Tsunami | Pete | Television film | |
| 2000 | Martial Law | Mr. Strinc | Episode: "Scorpio Rising" |
| Max Steel | Unknown | Voice, episode: "Seraphim" | |
| Guilty as Charged | Davis | Television film | |
| 2001 | The District | Officer | Episode: "A Southern Town" |
| A Kitty Bobo Show | Graffiti | Voice, pilot | |
| V.I.P. | Morton Zhou | Episode: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Val" | |
| 2003 | Partners | One Eye | Television film |
| 2007 | The Unit | Mr. Michael | Episode: "The Broom Cupboard" |
| Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board | Pete | Television film | |
| 2008 | Heroes and Villains | Naomasa Ii | Documentary, episode: "Shogun" |
| Mask of the Ninja | Nakano | Television film | |
| 2009 | Katana | Kenji | Episode: "Pilot" (also producer and writer) |
| Bones | Bruce Takedo | Episode: "The Girl in the Mask" | |
| 2011–13 | Young Justice | Tseng Dangun, Singh Manh Li, Xaiping | Voice, 3 episodes[13] |
| 2012 | The Mentalist | Mr. Liu | Episode: "Red is the New Black" |
| 2013 | Grimm | Sheriff Gaffen | Episode: "One Night Stand" |
| 2018 | New Girl | Mr. Yukimura | Episode: "Godparents" |
| 2021–present | Cobra Kai | Chozen Toguchi | Guest: Season 3 and Season 4; recurring: Season 5[14] |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Johnny Mnemonic: The Interactive Action Movie | Shinji |
| 2001 | Throne of Darkness | Swordsman |
| 2003 | True Crime: Streets of LA | Additional Voices |
References
- "Meet Yuji Okumoto". konakitchen.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
- Karate Film Actor lashes at Black-Belt Pretenders Chicago Tribune, June 20, 1986
- Matthew (2009-02-06). "Interview: Yuji Okumoto, Actor/Director/Martial Artist". Ikigai Way. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
- "Meet Yuji Okumoto". konakitchen.com. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
- Belle, Rachel (2021-05-04). "'Seattle filmmaker says Hollywood wouldn't make his film unless he replaced his POC cast with white actors". MyNorthwest. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
- Langmann, Brady (2021-12-31). "Cobra Kai's Season 4 Finale Had Nearly Too Many Twists to Keep Up With". Esquire. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
- Show, Gee (2021-01-19). "'Cobra Kai' actor, co-owner of Seattle restaurant on how show became Netflix hit". MyNorthwest. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
- Riddle, Eric (2021-01-28). "Seattle actor reprises his most famous role for Netflix hit series 'Cobra Kai'". KING-TV. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
- Karlinski, Marla (2021-02-04). "Local actor Yuji Okumoto kicks butt in 'Cobra Kai'". Seattle Refined. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
- Clement, Bethany Jean (2020-03-27). "Beloved Seattle restaurant owner Elizabeth Mar of Kona Kitchen and husband Robert Mar die of novel coronavirus". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
- Putvin, Luke (2019-06-25). "Actor and restauranteur Yuji Okumoto brings Kona Kitchen to Lynnwood". Lynnwood Times. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
- "Yuji Okumoto's Kona Kitchen Is a Family Affair Actor-Restaurateur Keeps a Lot on His Plate". Japanese American Citizens League. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- "Yuji Okumoto (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved May 7, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
- "Chozen Toguchi Has Finally Warmed Up". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
External links
- Yuji Okumoto on X
- Yuji Okumoto at IMDb