Dale_Ishimoto

Dale Ishimoto

Dale Ishimoto

American actor (1923–2004)


Dale Ishimoto (April 3, 1923 – March 4, 2004) was an American actor of Japanese descent. He was born in Delta, Colorado in 1923 and was raised in Guadalupe, California.[1]

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Military service

After being sent to the Gila River internment camp in Arizona,[2] Ishimoto volunteered to fight in World War II, joining the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. After two years, he was awarded a Purple Heart and given a medical discharge.[3]

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".[3]

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 Korean 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, the company's former president.[4] He also appeared in one episode of Wanted: Dead or Alive.[citation needed]

Personal life

Ishimoto married Miiko Taka in Baltimore in 1944,[5] and they had two children: a son and a daughter. They divorced in 1958.[6]

Filmography

Selected television

More information Year, Title ...

References

  1. Shearer, John (1997-07-20). "Question?". Chattanooga Free Press. p. A2.
  2. Scott, John L. (October 3, 1967). "Japanese Actor No Longer Villain". Los Angeles Times. p. C1.
  3. "Actress Miiko Taka of Movies Wins Divorce". Los Angeles Times. November 18, 1958. p. B1.
  4. "Miiko Taka Gets Divorce". The New York Times. November 17, 1958.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Dale_Ishimoto, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.