Rodney Masao Kageyama (November 1, 1941 – December 9, 2018) was an American stage, film and TV actor. He was a

Nisei Japanese American During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the West Coast because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage. As the war progressed, many of the ...

(second-generation) and besides acting in Asian American theater groups, he was also a director and designer. With his roles in the “Gung Ho” film and television series and the “Karate Kid” franchise, he was a trailblazer for Asian Americans in Hollywood.

Career

Theatre

Born in nearby San Mateo, Kageyama began his career in San Francisco in 1965 as one of the original members of the

Asian American Theater Company The Asian American Theater Company (AATC) is a non-profit theatre performance company based in San Francisco. Its stated mission is "To connect people to Asian American culture through theatre". Background The Asian American Theater Company was es ...

. While in San Francisco he attended the American Conservatory Theater. In 1979, Kageyama moved to Los Angeles where he joined the

Asian American theatre Asian American theatre is theatre written, directed or acted by Asian Americans. From initial efforts by four theatre companies in the 1960s, Asian-American theatre has grown to around forty groups today. Early productions often had Asian themes ...

group,

East West Players East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give v ...

(EWP), working as an actor, director, and designer. In 1985 he received a Drama-Logue Award for Costume Design for EWP's ''

Rashomon is a 1950 Jidaigeki psychological thriller/crime film directed and written by Akira Kurosawa, working in close collaboration with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyō, Masayuki Mori, and Takashi Shimura ...

''. In 1993, Kageyama directed ''The Grapevine'', written by Grateful Crane Ensemble founder

Soji Kashiwagi Soji Kashiwagi (born 1962 in Oakland, California) is a ''Sansei'' (third-generation Japanese American) journalist, playwright and producer. He is the Executive Producer for the Grateful Crane Ensemble theatre company in Los Angeles. He has co ...

, produced at the

Los Angeles Theatre Center The Los Angeles Theatre Center is an institution in Los Angeles, which is operated by the Latino Theater Company. In January 2006, the Latino Theater Company won a lease to operate The Los Angeles Theatre Center for 20 years and got a $4 millio ...

. In spring 2001, Kageyama played Erronius in an all Asian American production of the musical, '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' at EWP in Los Angeles.

Film and television

He acted on many films, notably ''

The Karate Kid Part II ''The Karate Kid Part II'' is a 1986 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the second installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise and the sequel to the 1984 film '' The Karate Kid'' ...

'', ''

The Next Karate Kid ''The Next Karate Kid'' is a 1994 American martial arts drama film, and the fourth installment in ''The Karate Kid'' franchise, following ''The Karate Kid Part III'' (1989). It stars Hilary Swank as Julie Pierce (in her first theatrical appeara ...

'', ''

Gung Ho ''Gung ho'' () is an English term, with the current meaning of "overly enthusiastic or energetic". It originated during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) from a Chinese term, ( zh, hp=gōnghé, l=to work together), short for Chinese ...

'' (and its subsequent television spin-off), and ''

Showdown in Little Tokyo ''Showdown in Little Tokyo'' is a 1991 American buddy cop action film directed by Mark L. Lester, who also produced with Martin E. Caan. The film stars Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee; it was the latter's first American film role. The film was r ...

''. He was also featured in the ''

Golden Dreams ''Golden Dreams'' is a film about the history of California. It was a featured attraction at Disney California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, opening with the park on February 8, 2001. It starred Whoopi Goldbe ...

'' film exhibit which opened the

Disney California Adventure Park Disney California Adventure Park, commonly referred to as California Adventure or by its acronym DCA, is a theme park located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Park ...

theme park. He appeared in many television shows including ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a phys ...

'' and ''

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

''. Kageyama befriended

Chris Tashima Christopher Inadomi Tashima (born March 24, 1960) is a Japanese American actor and director. He is co-founder of the entertainment company Cedar Grove Productions and Artistic Director of its Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. T ...

, founder of Cedar Grove OnStage, on the set of a

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

commercial shoot in 1984. Kageyama has subsequently costume designed and served as a crew member on different short films directed by Tashima, including the Academy Award-winning '' Visas and Virtue'' (1997).

Personal life

Kageyama was heavily involved in community activity, often volunteering for various organizations. He served as an emcee and directed shows for many charitable events.History on Cherry Blossom Festival website
He was a

docent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de con ...

at the

Japanese American National Museum The is located in Los Angeles, California, and dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Japanese Americans. Founded in 1992, it is located in the Little Tokyo area near downtown. The museum is an affiliate within the Smithsonian Affil ...

, where he did story telling for visiting children. He was also an animal advocate and helped place dogs in homes. In 2007, Kageyama was diagnosed with

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tirednes ...

. He underwent

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...

and as of spring 2008 was declared cancer-free. He had numerous other health issues including dealing with complications from

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

for decades before his death. He had both hips replaced and walked with a cane. In his last years, he was on dialysis due to a kidney illness. He married his long time partner, Ken White, in 2013 when California legalized same-sex unions. They remained together until his death.

Honors and awards

* 2006 "Community Treasures" Award, Cherry Blossom Festival of Southern California * 2005 "Rae Creevey" Award (for volunteer service),

39th Anniversary AwardsEWP 39th Awards
on AA Theatre Revue

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kageyama, Rodney 1941 births 2018 deaths American gay actors American male film actors American male television actors American film actors of Asian descent American theatre directors of Japanese descent People from San Mateo, California Male actors from San Francisco Male actors from Los Angeles American male actors of Japanese descent 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors