Robert Ito
Robert Ito (born July 2, 1931) is a Canadian film and television actor and voice-over artist of Japanese descent[1] who is perhaps best known to television viewers for his roles as Sam Fujiyama on the NBC-TV series Quincy, M.E.[1] and Lawrence 'Larry' Mishima on the CBS-TV night time soap opera series Falcon Crest. He was nominated for a Gemini Award for his performance in Trial at Fortitude Bay.
Robert Ito | |
|---|---|
 Ito with Jack Klugman in Quincy, M. E., 1977 | |
| Born | July 2, 1931 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Actor, voice artist |
| Years active | 1965-present |
Career
Ito was a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada[1] before turning to acting in the mid-1960s. With a long list of performing credits to his name, he is probably best known for his seven-year role on Quincy, M.E. as forensic lab technician Sam Fujiyama. He also appeared three times (as different characters) in the 1970s TV series Kung Fu; first as a Chinese rail worker in the two-hour movie that launched the series, then twice in regular hour-long episodes, once as a Chinese bandit named Captain Lee in the episode "The Way of Violence Has No Mind" and another time as a Japanese Ninja in the episode entitled "The Assassin". He likewise portrayed two different Korean characters in separate episodes of M*A*S*H in 1972 and 1976.
Ito acted in the 1976 World War II film, Midway, as Minoru Genda, the leader of the attack on Midway Island in June 1942. His other film credits include The Terminal Man (1974), Rollerball (1975), Peeper (1976), Special Delivery (1976), Black Sunday (1977), SST: Death Flight (1977), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), Pray for Death (1985), Aloha Summer (1988) and The Vineyard (1989). Ito guest-starred on the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Coming of Age" as TAC officer Lt. Chang and on Star Trek: Voyager as John Kim (Harry Kim's father). Ito starred in The X-Files episodes "Nisei" and "731". In 1999, he appeared in the episode "Hungry Man" on the sitcom The King of Queens.
Animated cartoon voice work
Ito has voiced characters in many cartoon shows and films, including Avatar: The Last Airbender, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Animaniacs, Bonkers, Batman: The Animated Series, Jackie Chan Adventures, Fantastic Max, Superman: The Animated Series, SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, My Little Pony and Friends, Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, Biker Mice from Mars, Quack Pack, Capitol Critters, ProStars, Justice League, Darkwing Duck, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, Iron Man, The Karate Kid, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures, Rambo and the Forces of Freedom, Savage Dragon, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, TaleSpin, Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos, The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, All Grown Up!, The Mummy: The Animated Series, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, The Woody Woodpecker Show (the 1999 version), The Wild Thornberrys, Jonny Quest vs. The Cyber Insects and Gargoyles.
Selected filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Rambo: The Force of Freedom | Black Dragon / White Dragon (voice) | 27 Episodes |
| 1988 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Lt. Chang | Episode: "Coming of Age" |
| 1990 | TaleSpin | Wan-Lo (voice) | Episode: "Last Horizons" |
| 1992-1993 | Batman: The Animated Series | The Ninja / Kyodai Ken | 2 Episodes |
| 1993 | Animaniacs | Mr. Kato | Episode: "Taming of the Screwy" |
| 1994 | Gargoyles | Dr. Sato (voice) | Episode: "Deadly Force" |
| 1995-1996 | Iron Man | Mandarin (voice) | 12 Episodes |
| 1995 | Jonny Quest vs. The Cyber Insects | 427 (voice) | Television film |
| 1995 | The X-Files | Dr. Shiro Zama | Episodes "Nisei" and "731" |
| 1996 | Quack Pack | Dr. William Wu (voice) | Episode: "Feats of Clay" |
| 1996 | The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | President Horkarno, Pradad, Controller (voice) | Episodes: "Assault on Questworld" and "Nemesis" |
| 1997 | Superman: The Animated Series | Awards Presenter, Dr. Teng (voice) | 2 Episodes |
| 2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Asian Black Bear (voice) | Episode: "The Anniversary" |
| 2001 | Star Trek: Voyager | John Kim | Episode: "Author, Author" |
| 2001 | The Mummy: The Animated Series | Lin Chou | Episode: "The Boy Who Would Be King" |
| 2003 | Justice League | Mr. Hama, Shopper (voice) | Episode: "Comfort and Joy" |
| 2006 | Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo | Mayor, Bookseller (voice) | Television film |
| 2007 | All Grown Up! | Hiro Watanabe | Episode: "Trading Places" |
| 2008 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Sun Warrior Chief (voice) | Episode: "The Firebending Masters" |
| 2010 | Mater's Tall Tales | Ito San (voice) | Episode: "Tokyo Mater" |
- Get Smart (1965) (as Number 3 in The Amazing Harry Hoo – uncredited)
- Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966) as Tang
- Dimension 5 (1966) as Sato
- It Takes a Thief (1968 American T.V. series, season 1, episode 9) as Chief Aide
- Some Kind of a Nut (1969) as George Toyota
- Kung Fu (1972) Movie Pilot as Fong
- Kung Fu (1973) season 2, episode 17, "The Assassin" as Blacksmith/Ninja
- Soylent Green (1973) as Shoe Seller (uncredited)
- The Naked Ape (1973) as Samurai Warrior
- Kung Fu (1974) season 2, episode 30, as Captain Lee
- The Terminal Man (1974) as Anesthetist
- Airport 1975 (1974) as Passenger (uncredited)
- Rollerball (1975) as Strategy Coach for Houston Team
- Peeper (1976) as Butler
- Midway (1976) as Cmdr. Minoru Genda
- Special Delivery (1976) as Mr. Chu
- SST: Death Flight (1977) as Flight Engineer Roy Nakamura
- Black Sunday (1977) as Japanese Man (uncredited)
- Gray Lady Down (1978) as Seaman at base (uncredited)
- The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) as Professor Hikita
- Pray for Death (1985) as Koga
- P.I. Private Investigations (1987) as Kim
- Aloha Summer (1988) as Ted Tanaka
- The Vineyard (1989) as Auctioneer
- Crazy People (1990) as Yamashita's Aide
- The War Between Us (1995) as Mr. Kawashima
- Hollow Point (1996) as Shin Chan
- The Omega Code (1999) as Shimoro Lin Che
- Lima: Breaking the Silence (1999) as President Fujimoro
