Yuji Don Okumoto(雄二・ドン・奥本,Yūji Don Okumoto, born April 20, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker best known for his intimidating movie roles, primarily as a villain, such as Chozen Toguchi in The Karate Kid Part II. His other films include Aloha Summer, Nemesis, Pearl Harbor, and The Truman Show, as well as guest roles on television series such as T.J. Hooker, Knots Landing, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Bones.
Yuji Okumoto, a third-generation Japanese American (sansei), was born in Los Angeles, California. He attended Hollywood High School, where he played both baseball and basketball, and Cal State Fullerton, where he eventually took up acting. Okumoto has also been involved with several theater companies, including the celebrated East West Players, where he appeared in the play, Webster Street Blues.
Career
Okumoto's first feature film role was in the 1985 comedy film Real Genius as Fenton. Later in 1985, he appeared in Better Off Dead as Yee Sook Ree, a Korean immigrant who along with his non-English speaking brother Chen (Brian Imada) frequently challenges Lane Myer (John Cusack) to drag races whenever they are together at a set of traffic lights. Yee Sook Ree learned his English from watching Wide World of Sports and spoke like Howard Cosell.
He is also well known for his convincing portrayal of the venomous, ever-smiling Chozen Toguchi in The Karate Kid Part II. He played a Korean character, Shu Kai Kim, in the 1989 film True Believer alongside James Woods and Robert Downey, Jr. Okumoto then played the role of Pete Kapahala in the 1999 Disney Channel original movie Johnny Tsunami and its 2007 sequel Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board. In 2005, he played a role in Lane Nishikawa's film Only the Brave about the Japanese American segregated fighting unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team of World War II. He also played alongside Ken Watanabe in Christopher Nolan's 2010 thriller Inception. Okumoto was announced to have joined Nicholas Gyeney's Seattle-based drama, Ultra Low, in February 2017. The film is scheduled to begin production the following March.
Personal life
Okumoto lives in Seattle, Washington, where he and his family own a Hawaiian-themed restaurant, Kona Kitchen/Yuji Lounge.
Filmography
Actor
-
Blood Streams (post-production) as
Uncle Jake
2021
Cobra Kai (TV Series) as
Chozen Toguchi / Chozen
- Molé (2022) - Chozen Toguchi
- Head of the Snake (2022) - Chozen Toguchi
- Survivors (2022) - Chozen Toguchi
- Taikai (2022) - Chozen Toguchi
- Bad Eggs (2022) - Chozen Toguchi
- Ouroboros (2022) - Chozen Toguchi
- Extreme Measures (2022) - Chozen Toguchi
- Downward Spiral (2022) - Chozen Toguchi
- Playing with Fire (2022) - Chozen Toguchi
- Long, Long Way from Home (2022) - Chozen Toguchi
- The Rise (2021) - Chozen
- Miyagi-Do (2021) - Chozen
- The Right Path (2021) - Chozen
2022
Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising (Video Game) as
Chozen Toguchi (voice)
2021
Archer (TV Series)
- Dingo, Baby, et Cetera (2021) - (voice)
2020
Hard Out (Short) as
Bar Patron (uncredited)
2020
The Paper Tigers as
Wing
2018
Ultra Low as
Yuji
2018
Driven as
Judge Takasugi
2018
New Girl (TV Series) as
Mr. Yukimura
- Godparents (2018) - Mr. Yukimura
2017
Unspoken: Diary of an Assassin
2016
Seppuku (Short) as
Thomas
2016
Beta Test as
The Surgeon
2015
Black Thread (Short) as
Sin Morita
2014
Z Nation (TV Series) as
Bernt
- Philly Feast (2014) - Bernt
2014
Awesome Asian Bad Guys as
Yuji (2013)
2013
Grimm (TV Series) as
Sheriff Gaffen
- One Night Stand (2013) - Sheriff Gaffen
2013
The Hypoglycemic Lactose Intolerant Homeless Guy (Video short) as