Years active 1957–1998 Children Greg Shikata | Role Actor Name Dale Ishimoto | |
 | ||
TV shows Rambo: The Force of Freedom Movies Beverly Hills Ninja, Beach Red, Ninja III: The Domination, Midway, King Rat Similar People Miiko Taka, Cornel Wilde, Jack Smight, Dennis Dugan, Bryan Forbes | ||
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.
Contents
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. After two years, he was awarded a Purple Heart 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 Korean doctor in MASH (1970), a karate instructor in Superchick (1973), and as Vice Admiral Boshiro Hosogaya in Midway (1976).
He became famous in the late 1990s for his appearances in television commercials for Nissan in which he portrayed Yutaka Katayama, the company's former president.
Personal life
Ishimoto married Miiko Taka in Baltimore in 1944, and they had one son and one daughter. They divorced in 1958.
Filmography
Actor
1998
Inconceivable as
Mr. Akiyama
1997
Nissan: Pigeons (Video short) as
Mr. K
1997
Beverly Hills Ninja as
Old Japanese Man
1996
Dark Skies (TV Series) as
Tingit Chief
- Ancient Future (1996) - Tingit Chief
1996
Nissan: Toys (Video short) as
Mr. K
1996
Nissan: Dream Garage (Video short) as
Mr. K.
1994
In the Line of Duty: The Price of Vengeance (TV Movie) as
Mr. Ing
1991
Morton & Hayes (TV Series) as
Native Chief
- Oafs Overboard (1991) - Native Chief
1990
Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (TV Movie) as
Fisherman
1990
Come See the Paradise as
Mr. Ogata
1988
Mr. Belvedere (TV Series) as
Male Tourist
- The Trip: Part 2 (1988) - Male Tourist
1986
The A-Team (TV Series) as
Stockwell's contact
- Point of No Return (1986) - Stockwell's contact
1986
Rambo (TV Series) as
Additional Voices (voice)
1985
Three's a Crowd (TV Series) as
Diner
- A Case of Sour Grapes (1985) - Diner
1984
Ninja III: The Domination as
Okuda
1984
Cannonball Run II as
Japanese Businessman
1983
Mister T (TV Series)(voice)
1983
Cracking Up as
Japanese Mechanic
1982
Quincy M.E. (TV Series) as
Pool Hall Owner / Mr. Asato
- Sword of Honor, Blade of Death (1982) - Pool Hall Owner
- Bitter Pill (1982) - Mr. Asato
1982
Dangerous Company (TV Movie) as
Mr. Hikaru
1981
Enter the Ninja as
Komori
1977
Mad Bull (TV Movie) as
Smitty
1976
Black Sheep Squadron (TV Series) as
Japanese Officer / Japanese Mechanic
- Anyone for Suicide? (1976) - Japanese Officer
- Small War (1976) - Japanese Mechanic
1976
Midway as
Vice Admiral Moshiro Hosogaya
1976
McNaughton's Daughter (TV Mini Series)
- McNaughton's Daughter (1976)
1975
Sharks' Treasure as
Ishi
1973
Kung Fu (TV Series) as
Palace Guard / Weapon Maker / Chinese Sergeant
- The Thief of Chendo (1975) - Palace Guard
- The Devil's Champion (1974) - Weapon Maker
- Alethea (1973) - Chinese Sergeant
1974
When the North Wind Blows as
Yermak
1974
Mannix (TV Series) as
Workman
- Enter Tami Okada (1974) - Workman
1971
Ironside (TV Series) as
Dr. Yamato / Supervisor
- Raise the Devil: Part 2 (1974) - Dr. Yamato
- No Motive for Murder (1971) - Supervisor (as Ishimoto)
1973
The Streets of San Francisco (TV Series) as
Gold Vence
- The Twenty-Four Karat Plague (1973) - Gold Vence
1973
Love, American Style (TV Series) as
Wu (segment "Love and the Fortunate Cookie")
- Love and the Fortunate Cookie/Love and the Lady Prisoner/Love and the Opera Singer/Love and the Weighty Problem (1973) - Wu (segment "Love and the Fortunate Cookie")
1973
Superchick as
Karate Instructor
1972
The Odd Couple (TV Series) as
Man #1
- Partner's Investment (1972) - Man #1
1971
Sarge (TV Series) as
Mr. Kazahaya
- Quicksilver (1971) - Mr. Kazahaya (as Ishimoto)
1970
The Bill Cosby Show (TV Series) as
Mr. Shimura
- Teacher of the Year (1970) - Mr. Shimura
1970
Mission: Impossible (TV Series) as
Saburi
- Butterfly (1970) - Saburi
1970
The Games as
Japanese Doctor
1970
Marcus Welby, M.D. (TV Series) as
Eddie
- Sea of Security (1970) - Eddie (as Ishimoto)
1970
M*A*S*H as
Korean Doctor (uncredited)
1968
Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) as
Arcturus construction guard
- Cocoon (1968) - Arcturus construction guard
1965
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV Series) as
Mr. Yu / Dr. Matsu / Manager
- The Deep Six Affair (1967) - Mr. Yu
- The Her Master's Voice Affair (1966) - Dr. Matsu
- The Cherry Blossom Affair (1965) - Manager
1967
Beach Red as
Captain Tanaka
1967
Savage Justice as
Dick Kazanami
1967
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (TV Series) as
Pearl King
- The Phi Beta Killer Affair (1967) - Pearl King
1967
Family Affair (TV Series) as
Misawa
- Hard Hat Jody (1967) - Misawa
1966
Walk Don't Run as
Plainclothesman (uncredited)
1966
The F.B.I. (TV Series) as
George Yamada
- The Hiding Place (1966) - George Yamada
1965
I Spy (TV Series) as
Captain Shimatsu / Oshima
- Court of the Lion (1966) - Captain Shimatsu
- The Time of the Knife (1965) - Oshima
1965
The Touching and the Not Touching
1965
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV Series) as
Premier
- The Peacemaker (1965) - Premier
1965
King Rat as
Yoshima
1964
Moro Witch Doctor as
Manuel Romblon
1964
McHale's Navy as
Japanese Captain
1962
McHale's Navy (TV Series) as
The Japanese Officer / The Japanese Lieutenant / The Japanese Commander
- French Leave for McHale (1963) - The Japanese Officer (as Ishimoto)
- The Confidence Game (1963) - The Japanese Lieutenant (as Ishimoto)
- A Purple Heart for Gruber (1962) - The Japanese Commander
1963
Perry Mason (TV Series) as
Lao
- The Case of the Floating Stones (1963) - Lao
1963
PT 109 as
Commander (uncredited)
1963
Going My Way (TV Series) as
Father Yamamoto
- The Shoemaker's Child (1963) - Father Yamamoto
1962
The Beachcomber (TV Series) as
Nakamira
- Honor Bound (1962) - Nakamira
1960
Hawaiian Eye (TV Series) as
Akamura / Sgt. Leo Ayoki
- The Last Samurai (1962) - Akamura
- Kim Quixote (1960) - Sgt. Leo Ayoki
1962
The Nun and the Sergeant as
Pak
1962
Have Gun - Will Travel (TV Series) as
Temuchin - Paladin's Fencing Instructor
- The Mark of Cain (1962) - Temuchin - Paladin's Fencing Instructor
1961
The Twilight Zone (TV Series) as
Sgt. Yamazaki
- A Quality of Mercy (1961) - Sgt. Yamazaki
1961
A Majority of One as
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
1961
Follow the Sun (TV Series) as
The Butler
- A Rage for Justice (1961) - The Butler
1961
Battle at Bloody Beach as
Blanco
1959
Sea Hunt (TV Series) as
Niko Sugimoto / Police Officer
- Niko (1961) - Niko Sugimoto
- Proof of Guilt (1959) - Police Officer
1961
Operation Bottleneck as
Matsu (as Dale Ishomoto)
1961
Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV Series) as
Taro Yamamoto
- The Long Search (1961) - Taro Yamamoto
1961
Checkmate (TV Series) as
General Wu
- Terror from the East (1961) - General Wu
1960
The Wackiest Ship in the Army as
Japanese Pilot (uncredited)
1960
The Great Impostor as
Korean Soldier (uncredited)
1960
Philip Marlowe (TV Series) as
Sammy
- Murder Is a Grave Affair (1960) - Sammy
1959
Pony Express (TV Series) as
Toshio
- Princess of Crazy Creek (1959) - Toshio
1959
Never So Few as
Scout (uncredited)
1959
Battle of the Coral Sea as
Japanese Guard (uncredited)
1959
Tokyo After Dark as
Reporter (uncredited)
1958
Run Silent Run Deep as
Japanese sailor (uncredited)
1957
Navy Log (TV Series) as
Korean
- The Commander and the Kid (1957) - Korean
1957
Panic! (TV Series) as
Tokyo
- Mayday (1957) - Tokyo
1957
Godzilla as
Add in on island dance scene
1956
The King and I as
Crewman (uncredited)
1956
Godzilla: King of the Monsters! as
Dale Ishimoto (uncredited)
References
Dale Ishimoto Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA