Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor, martial artist and television personality. A 4th-degree black belt in Wun Hop Kuen Do, he is known for his roles in

action films The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as ...

, including as Louis Stevens in ''Only the Strong'' (1993), the title role in ''

Crying Freeman is a Japanese manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami. ''Crying Freeman'' follows a Japanese assassin hypnotized and trained by the Chinese mafia (called the "108 Dragons") to serve as its agent and covered ...

'' (1995), Mani in ''

Brotherhood of the Wolf ''Brotherhood of the Wolf'' () is a 2001 French period action horror film directed by Christophe Gans, co-written by Gans and Stéphane Cabel, and starring Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Émilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel. ...

'' (2001), for which he was nominated for the

Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor The following is a list of Saturn Award winners and nominees for Best Supporting Actor (in a film). Burgess Meredith, Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are the only actors that have won the award twice, while only Javier Bardem, Heath Ledger, and ...

, the antagonist Ling in ''

Cradle 2 the Grave ''Cradle 2 the Grave'' is a 2003 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak. It stars Jet Li and DMX. The film follows the story of Tony Fait (DMX), a skilled jewel thief who finds himself entangled in a dangerous situation when a hei ...

'' (2003), Sharish in ''

Nomad Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

'' (2005), and as the assassin Zero in '' John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum'' (2019). On television, Dacascos is known for his portrayal of Wo Fat on '' Hawaii Five-0'' (2010–2020), and for serving as "The Chairman" of

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

's ''

Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, wh ...

'' series since January 2005, a role he reprised in 2022 on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's '' Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend''. Dacascos' other roles include

Kung Lao Kung Lao (Chinese: 空佬) is a character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. He debuted in ''Mortal Kombat II'' (1993) as a Shaolin Kung Fu, Shaolin monk and close friend of series protagonis ...

in the web series '' Mortal Kombat: Legacy'', Eric Draven on '' The Crow: Stairway to Heaven'' and Eubulon on '' Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight''. He also competed in the ninth season of ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

''. In 2023, he was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame.

Early life

Dacascos was born and raised on February 26, 1964, in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. His father, Al Dacascos, was born in Hawaii to Filipino parents; he is a martial arts instructor and the founder of Wun Hop Kuen Do. He was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame in 1999. His mother, Moriko McVey-Murray, is of Irish and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

ancestry. In the

History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...

presentation ''Samurai'', Dacascos revealed that many members of his mother's family were killed in the

bombing of Hiroshima On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, during World War II. The aerial bombings killed between 150,000 and 246,000 people, most of whom were civili ...

. His stepmother is award-winning martial artist Malia Bernal. He attended

Los Angeles Valley College Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC, Valley College, or Valley) is a public community college in Los Angeles, California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, ...

, where he was on the

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

team. He also attended

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. He is proficient in his father's style of martial arts, Wun Hop Kuen Do, and holds a 4th degree black belt. He has also extensively studied

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art and game that includes elements of dance, acrobatics, capoeira music, music, and spirituality. It likely originated from enslaved Mbundu people, of the Kingdom of Ndongo, in present-day Angola. The ...

with

Amen Santo Joselito "Amen" Santo (1965) is a mestre of the Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira. He has acted in roles practicing his art in two Hollywood movies, '' Only the Strong'' and '' Kickboxer 4'', and created much of the former's fight choreograph ...

, and

Wushu Wushu may refer to: Martial arts * Chinese martial arts, the various martial arts of China * Wushu (sport) Wushu () (), or kung fu, is a competitive Chinese martial art. It integrates concepts and forms from various traditional and modern ...

. Growing up, Dacascos was inspired by

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

and

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

. During his upbringing he lived a time in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, where he learned to speak

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Career

Dacascos became an actor after being discovered walking down the street in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

by Chris Lee (assistant director) and Rexall Chinn (hairstylist), who at the time were working for director

Wayne Wang Wayne Wang (; born January 12, 1949) is a Hong Kong-American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of Asian-American cinema, he was one of the first Chinese-American filmmakers to gain a major foothold in Hollyw ...

. He was cast in '' Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart'', and though his scenes were cut from the final film, he went on to establish a film and television career primarily playing martial artists. He was originally set to play as the Red Ranger, Victor Lee, in '' Bio-Man'', an adaptation of ''Choudenshi Bioman'' produced by

Haim Saban Haim Saban (; ; born October 15, 1944) is an Israeli and American media proprietor, investor, musical composer and producer of records, film, and television. A businessman with interests in financial services, entertainment, and media, and an ...

. The show was not picked up at the time, but the concept evolved into ''

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ''Mighty Power Rangers'' (''MMPR'') is an American superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, and became a 1990s popular culture, ...

''. His breakout role was in the 1993 film '' Only the Strong'', in which he played Louis, a

master who takes a high school's struggling students and turns their lives around by teaching them the Brazilian martial art based on the ritual combat technique of

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

. In the following year, Dacascos co-starred with ''

Party of Five ''Party of Five'' is an American teen and family drama television series created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000, with a total of six seasons consisting of 142 epis ...

''s

Scott Wolf Scott Richard Wolf (born June 4, 1968) is an American actor. In television, he is known for his roles as Bailey Salinger in ''Party of Five'' (1994–2000), as Jeremy Kates in '' The Nine'' (2006–2007), as Donnie Ryan in ''Perception'' (2013– ...

as Jimmy and Billy Lee, respectively, in the film ''

Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game series originally developed and published by Technōs Japan. It began with the release of the arcade game '' Double Dragon'' in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight again ...

'', based on the video game with the same name. He plays the role of the Chairman on ''

'', ''

Iron Chef Australia ''Iron Chef Australia'' is an Australian cooking show based on the Japanese show ''Iron Chef'', as well as its American adaptation ''Iron Chef America''. The program is a sort of culinary game show, with each episode seeing a challenger chef comp ...

'' and '' Iron Chef Mexico''. In the series' backstory, Dacascos's character is the nephew of the original ''

Iron Chef is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle buil ...

'' Chairman,

Takeshi Kaga , real name , is a well-known stage and movie actor in Japan who is best known internationally for his portrayal of Chairman Kaga in the Japanese television show ''Iron Chef'' produced by Fuji TV. Biography Kaga was born on October 12, 1950, ...

. He has been featured in many action films such as ''

Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" * ...

'', ''

'' and ''

'', in which he squared off against

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...

. He also performed in three video games: voice acting in ''

Stranglehold A chokehold, choke, stranglehold or, in Judo, shime-waza () is a general term for a grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air (choking)''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1999). Oxford University press. . or blood (str ...

'', live acting in '' Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom'' and digitally recreating The Chairman in the '' Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine'' video game for

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

. Dacascos was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2002 for his role in ''

''. He also appeared in the television series '' The Crow: Stairway to Heaven'', which was a follow-up to the 1994 film ''

The Crow ''The Crow'' is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fianc� ...

''. He also appears in the children's television show '' Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight'', where he portrays Eubulon, also known as the Advent Master, mentor of the Kamen Riders and creator of the Advent Decks. Dacascos played the recurring role of Wo Fat on the CBS series '' Hawaii Five-0''. He portrayed

in the second season of the

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

series '' Mortal Kombat: Legacy''. He had a recurring role in the third season of ''

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, ...

'' as Mr. Giyera, an

Inhuman Inhuman may refer to: Comics *Inhumans, a fictional race in Marvel Comics ** ''Inhuman'' (comics), a comic book series focusing on Inhumans ** ''Inhumans'' (TV series), a television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Music *InHuman ...

servant of Hydra who can manipulate inanimate objects. In May 2019, Dacascos played Zero, a lead antagonist in the action thriller film '' John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum''. He starred in a recurring role on the

series ''

Wu Assassins ''Wu Assassins'' is an American supernatural action television series, created by John Wirth and Tony Krantz that premiered on Netflix on August 8, 2019. The series stars Iko Uwais, Byron Mann, Lewis Tan, Lawrence Kao, Celia Au, Li Jun Li, To ...

''. He has reprised his role as The Chairman of the ''Iron Chef'' series in '' Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend'', which was released on Netflix in June 2022.

Personal life

Dacascos is married to actress Julie Condra, who starred with him in the 1995 action film ''

'', and also the 2020 film ''One Night in Bangkok''. They have three children: two sons Makoa and Kapona, and a daughter Noelani.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Awards

References

External links

* *
''HILuxury'' article on Mark Dacascos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dacascos, Mark 1964 births Living people American people of Irish descent American male actors of Japanese descent American male actors of Chinese descent American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American capoeira practitioners American male Muay Thai practitioners American wushu practitioners American people of Spanish descent American male actors of Filipino descent Participants in American reality television series Portland State University alumni 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors