Dale Ishimoto (April 3, 1923 – March 4, 2004) was an American actor of

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

descent. He was born in Delta, Colorado in 1923 and was raised in

Guadalupe, California Guadalupe is a small city located in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the U.S. Census of 2010, the city has a population of 7,080. Guadalupe is economically and socially tied to the city of Santa Maria, which is about 8 miles ...

Military service

After being sent to the Gila River internment camp in Arizona, Ishimoto volunteered to fight in World War II, joining the

442nd Regimental Combat Team The 442nd Infantry Regiment ( ja, 第442歩兵連隊) was an infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment is best known as the most decorated in U.S. military history and as a fighting unit composed almost entirely of second-gene ...

. After two years, he was awarded a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

and given a medical discharge.

Entertainment career

After starting a business in Chicago, he moved back to California, where he grew up, and started his acting career by acting at the Altadena Playhouse. He became a "familiar figure" for playing "villainous Japanese soldiers". Over the course of his career, he acted in a wide variety of movies, such as a Japanese army captain in '' Beach Red'' (1967), a

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n doctor in '' MASH'' (1970), a karate instructor in '' Superchick'' (1973), and as Vice Admiral Boshiro Hosogaya in '' Midway'' (1976). He became known in the late 1990s for his appearances in television commercials for Nissan in which he portrayed

Yutaka Katayama , also known as Mr. K, was a Japanese automotive executive who was employed by Nissan and served as the first president of Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A. Katayama expanded Nissan's focus from economy vehicles towards sportier vehicles, and is reg ...

, the company's former president. He also appeared in one episode of ''Wanted: Dead or Alive''.

Personal life

Ishimoto married Miiko Taka in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1944, and they had two children: a son and a daughter. They divorced in 1958.

Filmography

*''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the chil ...

'' (1956) - Crewman (uncredited) *''Tokyo After Dark'' (1959) - Reporter (uncredited) *'' Battle of the Coral Sea'' (1959) - Japanese Guard (uncredited) *'' Never So Few'' (1959) - Scout (uncredited) *'' The Wackiest Ship in the Army'' (1960) - Japanese Pilot (uncredited) *'' The Great Impostor'' (1961) - Korean Soldier (uncredited) *'' Operation Bottleneck'' (1961) - Matsu *'' Battle at Bloody Beach'' (1961) - Blanco *'' A Majority of One'' (1961) - Taxi Driver (uncredited) *''

Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges a ...

'' (1961) - Season 4, Episode 17 *''

The Nun and the Sergeant ''The Nun and the Sergeant'' is a 1962 Korean War drama film starring Anna Sten and Robert Webber in the title roles. It was produced by Sten's husband Eugene Frenke, who had produced the 1957 film '' Heaven Knows, Mr Allison'', also a pairing o ...

'' (1962) - Pak *'' PT 109'' (1963) - Commander (uncredited) *''

McHale's Navy ''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the ABC television network. The series was filmed in black and white and originate ...

'' (1964) - Japanese Captain *'' Moro Witch Doctor'' (1964) - Manuel Romblon *'' King Rat'' (1965) - Yoshima *''

Walk, Don't Run ''Walk, Don't Run'' is a 1966 American comedy film directed by Charles Walters and starring Cary Grant, Samantha Eggar, and Jim Hutton. The film, which was Grant's last film role, is set during the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It is a remake ...

'' (1966) - Plainclothesman (uncredited) *'' The Sweet and the Bitter'' (1967) - Dick Kazanami *'' Beach Red'' (1967) - Captain Tanaka *'' MASH'' (1970) - Korean Doctor (uncredited) *'' The Games'' (1970) - Japanese Doctor *'' Superchick'' (1973) - Karate Instructor *'' When the North Wind Blows'' (1974) - Yermak *''

Sharks' Treasure ''Sharks' Treasure'' is a 1975 American adventure film written, produced and directed by Cornel Wilde and starring Cornel Wilde and Yaphet Kotto. Plot Eccentric charter skipper Jim Carnahan (Cornel Wilde) and his team of hard-luck dreamers bat ...

'' (1975) - Ishi *'' Midway'' (1976) - Vice Admiral Boshiro Hosogaya *'' Enter the Ninja'' (1981) - Komori *'' Cracking Up'' (1983) - Japanese Mechanic *''

Cannonball Run II ''Cannonball Run II'' is a 1984 action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest. Like the original '' Cannonball Run'', it is set around an illegal cross-country race. This was the l ...

'' (1984) - Japanese Businessman (uncredited) *'' Ninja III: The Domination'' (1984) - Okuda *'' Come See the Paradise'' (1990) - Mr. Ogata *''

Beverly Hills Ninja ''Beverly Hills Ninja'' is a 1997 American martial arts comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Mark Feldberg and Mitch Klebanoff. The film stars Chris Farley, Nicollette Sheridan, Nathaniel Parker, with Chris Rock, and Robin Shou. The ...

'' (1997) - Old Japanese Man *''Inconceivable'' (1998) - Mr. Akiyama (final film role)

Selected Television

References

External links

* 1923 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male actors of Japanese descent American male television actors American male film actors American film actors of Asian descent American military personnel of Japanese descent Japanese-American internees Military personnel from Colorado People from Delta, Colorado United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers {{US-tv-actor-1920s-stub