Makoto Iwamatsu (岩松 信, Iwamatsu Makoto) (December 10, 1933 – July 21, 2006, died 72 years old), professionally known as Mako Iwamatsu or just Mako, was a Japanese-American actor and voice talent, nominated for the Oscar and Tony awards. He is best known for his roles in Jackie Chan film The Big Brawl, the Arnold Schwarzenegger's Conan movies, Highlander: The Final Dimension, as well as the voice of main villain Aku in the cartoon Samurai Jack and also for playing Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Director Kevin Munroe announced on July 20, 2006 that Mako was voicing Splinter in the then-upcoming 2007 film, TMNT. Sadly, the very next day, Mako passed away at the age of 72. All of Mako's lines for the film had been finished, and any automated dialogue replacement cleanup was finished by Greg Baldwin, who has also since replaced Mako in several of his voice acting roles.
Trivia[]
- Coincidentally, Mako participated in the film The Big Brawl alongside Jackie Chan, actor who years later would end up voicing Splinter in the Mutant Mayhem film in 2023.