is an Japanese-American actor best known for his intimidating movie roles, such as Chozen in The Karate Kid, Part II

The Karate Kid, Part II

The Karate Kid, Part II is a 1986 American martial arts film and is a sequel to 1984's The Karate Kid. Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita reprise their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi, respectively. The original music score was composed by Bill Conti...

.

Early life

Yuji Okumoto was born in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 to Japanese-American parents. He attended Hollywood High School

Hollywood High School

Hollywood High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.-History:...

 (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

East West Players

East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American...

, where he appeared in the play, Webster Street Blues.

Career

Yuji's first feature film role was in the 1985 comedy film Real Genius

Real Genius

Real Genius is a 1985 satirical comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. The film's screenplay was written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft and Peter Torokvei. It stars Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret....

 as Fenton. He is also well known for his convincing portrayal of the venomous, ever-smiling Chozen Toguchi in The Karate Kid, Part II

The Karate Kid, Part II

The Karate Kid, Part II is a 1986 American martial arts film and is a sequel to 1984's The Karate Kid. Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita reprise their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi, respectively. The original music score was composed by Bill Conti...

. He played a Korean character, Shu Kai Kim, in the 1989 film, True Believer

True Believer (1989 film)

True Believer is a 1989 courtroom drama directed by Joseph Ruben and released by Columbia Pictures.-Synopsis:The film stars James Woods as burnt-out attorney Eddie Dodd, who has left behind civil rights work to defend drug dealers. Robert Downey Jr...

, alongside James Woods

James Woods

James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...

 and Robert Downey, Jr. Yuji then played the role of Pete Kapahala in the 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie Johnny Tsunami

Johnny Tsunami

Johnny Tsunami is a 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie. It was nominated in 2000 for the Humanitas Prize as Children's Live-Action Category. Johnny Tsunami is the predecessor to Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board, released in June 2007.-Plot summary:...

 and its 2007 sequel Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board

Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board

Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board is the 70th Disney Channel Original Movie and is the sequel to the 1999 film Johnny Tsunami. The movie premiered on Disney Channel on June 8, 2007. 1.3 million viewers watched this movie in the U.L placing 3rd in its timeslot...

. In 2005, he played a role in Lane Nishikawa

Lane Nishikawa

Lane Nishikawa is an American actor, filmmaker, playwright and performance artist. He is Sansei ; and his work often deals with Asian American history and identity issues. He is widely known for a series of one-man shows, including Life in the Fast Lane, I'm on a Mission From Buddha, Mifune and...

's film about the Japanese American

Japanese American

are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...

 segregated fighting unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

442nd Regimental Combat Team

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team of the United States Army, was composed of Japanese-American enlisted men and mostly Caucasian officers. They fought primarily in Europe during World War II, beginning in 1944. The families of many of its soldiers were subject to internment...

 of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Only the Brave

Only the Brave

Only the Brave is a 2006 independent film about the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated World War II fighting unit completely made up of Japanese Americans, which for its size and length service became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history...

. He also played alongside Ken Watanabe

Ken Watanabe

is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. To English-speaking audiences he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in The Last Samurai, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best...

 in Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Jonathan James Nolan is a British-American film director, screenwriter and producer.He received serious notice after his second feature Memento , which he wrote and directed based on a story idea by his brother, Jonathan Nolan. Jonathan went to co-write later scripts with him,...

's 2010 thriller Inception

Inception

Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...

.

Personal life

Okumoto resides in Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

 where he is the proprietor of a Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

an-themed restaurant named Kona Kitchen/Yuji Lounge, along with his wife and family.

Film and Television Credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Inception Inception Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...	Saito's Attendant	Film
2009	Anatomy of a Fly	Politician	Film (short)
2009	Black Coffee Black Coffee Black coffee may refer to:* Coffee, served as a beverage without cream or milk-Music:* "Black Coffee" , written by Sonny Burke, the lyrics by Paul Francis Webster* Black Coffee , 1956...	David	Film (short)
2009	Bones Bones (TV series) Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...	Bruce Takedo	(2005 TV series) Episode: "The Girl in the Mask"
2009	Katana Katana A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...	Kenji	(2009 TV series) Episode: "Pilot" (also producer and writer)
2008	Mask of the Ninja	Nakano	TV movie
2008	Heroes and Villains Heroes and Villains "Heroes and Villains" is a song by the American rock band The Beach Boys, co-written by the group's leader Brian Wilson and lyricist Van Dyke Parks. Originally intended by Wilson to be the centerpiece of the ambitious but shelved album Smile, a re-recorded version of the song was released on Smiley...	Naomasa Ii	(2007 TV series documentary) Episode: "Shogun"
2008	Touch Touch (film) Touch is a 1997 film written and directed by Paul Schrader, based on a novel by Elmore Leonard.The film, which has elements of drama and black comedy, stars Christopher Walken, Richard Schiff, Bridget Fonda, Skeet Ulrich, Tom Arnold, Gina Gershon, Lolita Davidovich, Janeane Garofalo and Paul Mazursky...	Ken	Film (short)
2007	Cookies for Sale	Grumpy Man	Film (short)
2007	Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board is the 70th Disney Channel Original Movie and is the sequel to the 1999 film Johnny Tsunami. The movie premiered on Disney Channel on June 8, 2007. 1.3 million viewers watched this movie in the U.L placing 3rd in its timeslot...	Pete	TV movie
2007	The Unit The Unit The Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life U.S. Army special operations unit commonly known as Delta Force...	Mr. Michael	(2006 TV series) Episode: "The Broom Cupboard"
2006	End Game End Game (2006 film) End Game is a 2006 action/thriller film, written and directed by Andy Cheng. The film stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Secret Service agent Alex Thomas, who is shot in the hand, while unsuccessfully trying to protect the President from an assassin's bullet...	Doctor Lee	Film
2006	Only the Brave Only the Brave Only the Brave is a 2006 independent film about the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated World War II fighting unit completely made up of Japanese Americans, which for its size and length service became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history...	Sgt. Yukio 'Yuk' Nakajo	Film
2006	Big Momma's House 2 Big Momma's House 2 Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Don Rhymer. The film is a sequel to Big Momma's House and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The film was released theatrically on 27 January 2006, and was...	Parsons	Film
2005	The Crow: Wicked Prayer The Crow: Wicked Prayer The Crow: Wicked Prayer is a 2005 American film directed by Lance Mungia and inspired by Norman Partridge's novel of the same title. It is the fourth and final film based on The Crow comic book by James O'Barr. It had a one week theatrical premiere on June 3, 2005 at AMC Pacific Place Theatre in...	Pestilence	Film
2003	True Crime: Streets of LA True Crime: Streets of LA True Crime: Streets of LA is an action-adventure video game developed by Luxoflux and published by Activision for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube in November 2003 and the first game in the True Crime series...	Additional Voices	Video Game (voice)
2003	Partners	One Eye	TV movie
2001	V.I.P.	Morton Zhou	(1998 TV series) Episode: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Val"
2001	A Kitty Bobo Show	Graffiti	TV movie
2001	Ticker Ticker (2001 film) Ticker is a 2001 action film directed by Albert Pyun, starring Tom Sizemore, Dennis Hopper, Steven Seagal, Jaime Pressley, Nas and Ice-T.-Plot:...	Embassy Consul	Film
2001	Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor (film) Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American action drama war film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay...	Japanese Shy Bomber	Film
2001	The District The District The District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department .-Premise:...	Officer	(2000 TV series) Episode: "A Southern Town"
2001	Max Steel Max Steel Max Steel is a science fiction–action, CGI, animated series which originally aired from February 25, 2000 to January 15, 2002, based on the Mattel action-figure of the same name. Max Steel ran for three seasons, totaling thirty-five episodes with a predicted audience of young males from the ages of...	n/a	(2001 TV series) Episode: "Seraphim" (voice)
2001	Throne of Darkness Throne of Darkness Throne of Darkness is a Japanese-themed action-oriented computer role-playing game released in 2001 by Sierra Entertainment, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal. Players control up to four different samurai at a time...	Swordsman	Video Game (voice)
2000	I'll Remember April I'll Remember April (film) I'll Remember April is a 1999 film starring Pat Morita, Pam Dawber, Haley Joel Osment and Yuki Tokuhiro, directed by Bob Clark.- Plot :Four children capture a Japanese soldier who washes ashore during the Second World War....	Matsuo Yomma	Film
2000	Guilty as Charged	Davis	TV movie
2000	Fortress 2 Fortress 2 Fortress 2: Re-Entry is the sequel to the 1993 film Fortress. In the film, the principal actor Christopher Lambert reprises his role as John Henry Brennick, still on the run from the MenTel Corporation...	Sato	Film
2000	Martial Law Martial law Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...	Mr. Strinc	(1998 TV series) Episode: "Scorpio Rising"
1999	Johnny Tsunami Johnny Tsunami Johnny Tsunami is a 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie. It was nominated in 2000 for the Humanitas Prize as Children's Live-Action Category. Johnny Tsunami is the predecessor to Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board, released in June 2007.-Plot summary:...	Pete	TV movie
1999	Just Shoot Me! Just Shoot Me! Just Shoot Me! is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from March 4, 1997 to August 16, 2003, with 148 episodes produced. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive producer.-Description:...	Kevin Tanaka	(1997 TV series) Episode: "Miss Pretty" (uncredited)
1998	JAG JAG (TV series) JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...	Jiro Kitamura	(1995 TV series) Episode: "Innocence"
1998	The Truman Show The Truman Show The Truman Show is a 1998 American satirical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir and written by Andrew Niccol. The cast includes Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, as well as Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris and Natascha McElhone... "	Japanese Family	Film
1998	The Sentinel The Sentinel (TV series) The Sentinel is a Canadian-produced television series that aired on UPN in the United States from 1996 to 1999. It premiered on March 20, 1996, and ran for 65 episodes . The series later reaired on Syfy.-Plot and characters:...	Lo	(1996 TV series) Episode: "Love Kills"
1998	Sorcerers	Secretary	Film
1997	Players	Mr. Hayashi	(1997 TV series) Episode: "Rashocon"
1997	The Game The Game (film) The Game is a 1997 neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn, and produced by Polygram. It tells the story of an investment banker who is given a mysterious gift: participation in a game that integrates in strange ways with his life...	Nikko Hotel Manager	Film
1997	Contact Contact (film) Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact....	Electrical	Film
1997	Mean Guns Mean Guns Mean Guns is a 1997 action film starring Ice T, Christopher Lambert, Michael Halsey, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, and Hunter Doughty; directed by Albert Pyun.-Plot summary:...	Hoss	Film
1997	Blast	FBI Agent	Film
1996	Walker, Texas Ranger Walker, Texas Ranger Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...	Chang	(1993 TV series) Episode: "Higher Power"
1996	Superman Superman Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...	Security Guard	(1996 TV series) (voice) Episode: "A Little Piece of Home"
1996	Kindred: The Embraced Kindred: The Embraced Kindred: The Embraced is an American television series produced by John Leekley Productions and Spelling Television. Loosely based on the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, the series premiered on Fox on April 2, 1996, and ran for eight episodes before it was canceled on May 9, 1996. The...	Lieutenant Kwan	(1996 TV series) Episodes: "Bad Moon Rising", "Prince of the City"
1995	Hard Justice	Jimmy Wong	Video
1995	Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...	Kim Huan	(1984 TV series) Episode: "Murder a la Mode"
1995	Vanishing Son Vanishing Son Vanishing Son is a short-lived syndicated action television series that was part of Universal Television's Action Pack. Starting as a series of four made for television movies in 1994, the series debuted on January 16, 1995...	n/a	(1995 TV series) Episode: "Holy Ghosts"
1995	Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...	Chen Chow	(1993 TV series) Episode: "Chi of Steel"
1995	Johnny Mnemonic: The Interactive Action Movie	Shinji	Video Game (voice)
1995	3x3 Eyes: Legend of the Divine Demon	Naparva	Video (voice: English version) (as Yujii Okumoto)
1994	Red Sun Rising	Yuji	Film
1994	Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills	Lester Kuriyama	TV movie
1994	Blue Tiger Blue Tiger (film) -Plot:Gena is a sweet and dedicated mother to her little son. One day, while shopping with him for a Halloween mask, her son is accidentally shot through the chest by a Japanese Gunman, trying to kill an opposing gang of bus operators. Gena notices that the gunman has a picture of a blue tiger on...	Lieutenant Sakagami	Film
1994	Bloodfist V: Human Target Bloodfist V: Human Target Bloodfist V: Human Target is a 1994 action/adventure film starring Don Wilson, Denice Duff and Steve James. It was directed by Jeff Yonis and written by Rob Kerchner and Jeff Yonis....	Tommy	Film
1993	American Yakuza American Yakuza American Yakuza is a 1993 American action film written by Takashige Ichise with a screenplay by John Allen Nelson and Max Strom, and directed by Frank Cappello for First Look International. Starring Viggo Mortensen and Ryo Ishibashi, the film had its theatrical release in Japan in December 1993,...	Kazuo	Film
1993	Brain Smasher... A Love Story	Wu	Video
1993	Robot Wars Robot Wars (film) Robot Wars is a 1993 American science fiction film directed by Albert Band and written by Charles Band and Jackson Barr.It has been listed sometimes as a sequel to Robot Jox, but is not a real sequel, story-wise...	Chou-Sing	Film
1993	Silent Cries	Mickey	Film (uncredited)
1991-1993	Knots Landing Knots Landing Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...	Art Nam	(1979 TV series) 6 Episodes: "1001 Nights of Anne Matheson" (1991), "Lost at Sea" (1991), "Rescue Me" (1992), "Bye Bye Love" (1992), "The Getaway" (1993)
1992	Nemesis Nemesis (film) Nemesis is a 1992 science fiction film by director Albert Pyun, who also directed the film Cyborg, and stars Olivier Gruner. It is the first installment in the Nemesis film series.-Plot:...	Yoshiro Han	Film
1991	3x3 Eyes	Chou/Transvestite #2	Video (voice: English version) (as Yujii Okumoto)
1991	American Playhouse American Playhouse American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.It premiered on January 12, 1982 with The Shady Hill Kidnapping, written and narrated by John Cheever and directed by Paul Bogart...	Teruo Kuroda	(1982 TV series) Episode: "Hot Summer Winds"
1990	Midnight Caller Midnight Caller Midnight Caller is a dramatic NBC television series created by Richard DiLello, which ran from 1988 to 1991. It was one of the first television series to address the dramatic possibilities of the then-growing phenomenon of talk radio...	Lee Minh	(1988 TV series) Episode: "Home to Roost"
1990	Only One Survived	Peter Fujko	TV movie
1990	Murder in Paradise	n/a	TV movie
1989	True Believer True Believer (1989 film) True Believer is a 1989 courtroom drama directed by Joseph Ruben and released by Columbia Pictures.-Synopsis:The film stars James Woods as burnt-out attorney Eddie Dodd, who has left behind civil rights work to defend drug dealers. Robert Downey Jr...	Shu Kai Kim	Film
1988	Hunter	Jimmy	(1984 TV series) Episodes: "The Baby Game", "Heir of Neglect"
1988	Aloha Summer Aloha Summer Aloha Summer is a 1988 comedy-drama film about a group of teenagers and their experiences one summer in Hawaii. The film was directed by Tommy Lee Wallace and stars Chris Makepeace, Yuji Okumoto, Tia Carrere and Don Michael Paul.-Plot:...	Kenzo Konishi	Film
1987	Simon & Simon Simon & Simon Simon & Simon is an American detective television series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker.-History:The original 1978 pilot called Pirate's Key was set in Florida...	Masaki	(1981 TV series) Episode: "Desperately Seeking Dacody"
1986	The Karate Kid, Part II The Karate Kid, Part II The Karate Kid, Part II is a 1986 American martial arts film and is a sequel to 1984's The Karate Kid. Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita reprise their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi, respectively. The original music score was composed by Bill Conti...	Chozen	Film
1986	T. J. Hooker T. J. Hooker T.J. Hooker is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982 on ABC and ran on the network until May 4, 1985...	Howie Kalanuma	(1982 TV series) Episode "Blood Sport"
1986	The Check Is in the Mail...	Bellboy	Film
1985	Better Off Dead...	Yee Sook Ree	Film
1985	Real Genius Real Genius Real Genius is a 1985 satirical comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. The film's screenplay was written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft and Peter Torokvei. It stars Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret....	Fenton	Film
1985	Crime Killer	Vietnam Soldiers	Film

External links