Soon-Tek Oh
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Soon-Tek Oh 오순택 | |
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![]() Soon-Tek Oh as Sensei in Beverly Hills Ninja | |
Born | |
Died | April 4, 2018 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 85)
Other names | Soon-Taek Oh |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1967–2006 |
Soon-Tek Oh | |
Hangul | 오순택 |
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Revised Romanization | O Sun-Taek |
McCune–Reischauer | O Sun-T'aek |
Soon-Tek Oh (Korean: 오순택, O Sun-taek – also spelled as Soon-Taek Oh or Soon-Taik Oh or Soon-Teck Oh; June 29, 1932 – April 4, 2018[1]) was a Korean–American actor best known for the voice of Fa Zhou in Disney's Mulan and the direct-to-video sequel Mulan II and the sadistic Colonel Yin in Missing in Action 2: The Beginning. He has starred in many films, and also acted in television series, including Stargate SG-1, MacGyver, M*A*S*H, Charlie's Angels, Airwolf, Magnum, P.I., Hawaii Five-O, Kung-Fu, Zorro, Baa Baa Black Sheep and Touched by an Angel.
Early life[]
Oh was born on June 29, 1932 in Mokpo during the period when Korea was under Japanese rule. He attended high school at Gwangju, South Korea, and attended Yonsei University in Seoul.
After the end of Japanese rule in August 1945 and before the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, he and his family immigrated to the United States where he attended the University of Southern California. He later gained an MFA from UCLA.[2]
Acting career[]
On Broadway, he appeared in the original cast of the Stephen Sondheim musical Pacific Overtures.[3] He was an early member of East West Players, an Asian American theatre group founded in 1965.[citation needed]
In 1995 he founded the Korean American theatre group, Society of Heritage Performers, which later evolved into the present Lodestone Theatre Ensemble. From 2005, he had been a chair professor at Seoul Institute of the Arts.[citation needed]
Death[]
Oh died in Los Angeles on April 4, 2018 at age 85 after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease, according to actor Chil Kong.[4][5]
Partial filmography[]
Films[]
- Murderers' Row (1966) as Tempura – Japanese Secret Agent (uncredited)
- Yongary, Monster From The Deep (1967) as Chinese Agent (uncredited)
- Earth II (1971) as Chinese diplomat (uncredited)
- One More Train to Rob (1971) as Yung
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) as Lieutenant Hip (as Soon-Tiak Oh)
- Good Guys Wear Black (1978) as Major Mhin Van Thieu – The Black Tigers
- The Final Countdown (1980) as Simura
- The Letter (1982) as Ong
- Bialy smok (1985) as Tai Ching
- Missing in Action 2 (1985) as Colonel Yin
- Yuki Shimoda (1985) as himself (interviewed)
- Steele Justice (1987) as General Bon Soong Kwan
- Biały smok (1987) as Tai-Ching
- Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987) as Detective Phil Nozaki - Corrupt cop
- Soursweet (1989) as Red Cudgel
- Collision Course (1989) as Kitao
- A Home of Our Own (1993) as Mr. Munimura
- Red Sun Rising (1994) as Yamata
- S.F.W. (1994) as Milt Morris
- Street Corner Justice (1996) as Kwong Chuck Lee
- Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) as Sensei
- Yellow (1998) as Woon Lee
- Mulan (1998) as Fa Zhou (voice)
- The President's Man (2000) as General Vinh Tran
- Roads and Bridges (2001) as Father (voice)
- Forgotten Valor (2001) as Colonel
- True Blue (2001) as 'Tiger'
- The Visit (2002) as Sujong's Father
- SWAT (2002) as Sayonara
- Mulan II (2004) as Fa Zhou (voice)
- Last Mountain (2005) as Karus
- Gang-jeok (2006) as Jong-chae (final film role)
Television (partial list)[]
- The Invaders (1967) as Houseboy
- Hawaii Five-O (eight episodes; 1968/1979) as Robert Kwon / David Chung / Chaing / Tom Wong / Vic Tanaka / Lao / Lewis Shen / Wo Fat's Lab Technician
- Kung Fu (1974) as Chen Yi
- M*A*S*H (1975–1982; five episodes, as five different characters) as Joon – Sung / Ralph / Dr. Syn Paik / Korean Soldier / Mr. Kwang
- Logan's Run (1977) as Dexter Kim
- Baa Baa Black Sheep (1977) as Lieutenant Miragochi / Col. Tokura
- How the West Was Won (1979) as Kee
- Diff'rent Strokes (1980)
- Magnum, P.I. (1981/1983/1984/1986, four episodes, as four different characters) as North Vietnamese General Nguyen Hue / Sato / Dr. Bill Su & Dr. Ling
- East of Eden (1981) as Lee
- Quincy, M.E. (1982)
- Girls of the White Orchid (1983) as Hatanaka
- Marco Polo (1983) as Wang Zhu
- The Master (1984) as Lika
- Airwolf (three episodes, as three different characters; 1984/1985/1987) as Minh / Tommy Liu / Hiyashi
- T J Hooker
- Sky Commanders (1987) as Kodiak (voice)
- MacGyver (1988) as Raymond Ling
- Highlander: The Series (1992) as Kiem Sun
- The Legend of Prince Valiant (1993) as Sing Lu (voice)
- Babylon 5 (1994) as The Muta-Do
- Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1994-1995; three episodes) as Bon Bon Hai
- The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996) as General Yala (voice)
- Life with Louie (1997) as Buddhist Monk (voice)
- Stargate SG-1 (1997) as Moughal
- King of the Hill (2000) as Monk (voice)
Accolades[]
In 2008, Soon-Tek Oh was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the San Diego Asian Film Festival.[6]
References[]
- ^ "Soon-Tek Oh, 'Mulan' and 'Man With the Golden Gun' Actor, Dies at 85". The Hollywood Reporter. 2018.
- ^ "About Soon-Tek Oh". Abbey Entertainment Beverly Hills. Archived from the original on March 15, 2002. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
- ^ "R.I.P. Soon-Tek Oh, memorable character actor on M*A*S*H, Charlie's Angels, Hawaii Five-O". Me-TV Network. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ Sung, Ji-eun. "Pioneering actor Oh Soon-tek is dead at 85". Korea Joongang Daily. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- ^ Nyren, Erin (April 7, 2018). "Soon-Tek Oh, Voice of Mulan's Father and Asian-American Theater Pioneer, Dies at 85". Variety. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ "SDAFF Award Winners | Pacific Arts Movement". pacarts.org. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
External links[]
- Soon-Tek Oh at IMDb
- findagrave.com
- Soon-Tek Oh(Aveleyman)...(older version)
- 1932 births
- 2018 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- People with acquired American citizenship
- American dramatists and playwrights of Korean descent
- University of Southern California alumni
- South Korean emigrants to the United States
- UCLA Film School alumni
- People from South Jeolla Province
- People from Mokpo
- American male actors of Korean descent
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
- Disease-related deaths in California