Lane Nakano (March 16, 1925 – April 28, 2005) was a former American combat soldier turned actor.

Early life

Nakano grew up in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Nakano had two brothers, Frank and Lyle and two sisters, May and Lucy. Nakano's family unofficially adopted legendary Marine Corps combat interpreter Guy Gabaldon at age 12. Gabaldon was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

for his heroic actions on Saipan and Tinian islands during World War II which included saving the lives of many Japanese civilians on the two islands.

World War II

During World War II, following the signing of

Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 was a President of the United States, United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. "This order authorized the fo ...

, Nakano and his family were

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

at the

Heart Mountain Relocation Center The Heart Mountain War Relocation Center, named after nearby Heart Mountain (Wyoming), Heart Mountain and located midway between the northwest Wyoming towns of Cody, Wyoming, Cody and Powell, Wyoming, Powell, was one of ten concentration camps ...

in Wyoming.

Career

Military

While Nakano was in the

, he volunteered for service in the U.S. Army. Nakano and his brother were assigned to the legendary and much decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Entertainment

Nakano's opportunity to work as an actor began when he was discovered after the war by Hollywood director and writer Robert Pirosh. Pirosh cast Nakano as second billing after American actor Van Johnson in the 1951 war film about the history of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II, ''Go for Broke''.Yenne, Bill. (2007). Nakano was known as a singer in Los Angeles' Japanese-American community.

Business

After he left acting, Nakano became vice president of the import-export firm Magna Industries, Inc., of Los Angeles. For years, he also was involved in businesses related to greenhouses and aluminum siding.

Personal life

Nakano married a woman named Fumi, and they had two sons, Dean Nakano and film director

Desmond Nakano Desmond Nakano (born 1953) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is Sansei, or third-generation Japanese American. He directed the feature films '' White Man's Burden'' (1995) and '' American Pastime'' (2007). His writing credits ...

. On April 28, 2005, Nakano died from

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

in a hospital in Sherman Oaks,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

at the age of 80.

Legacy

Nakano's son, Desmond, wrote and produced the 2007 film '' American Pastime'' using Lane's experiences in

internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

camp as one source of historical information and naming the two lead characters Lyle and Lane. While the lead character is Lyle, Lane, the older of the two brothers, comes back from the 442nd missing a leg, and becomes the focal character in the final scene.

Filmography

Film

* 1949 Tokyo Joe - Rickshaw driver. * 1951 ''Go for Broke'' - Sam. * 1951 I Was an American Spy - Advance guard. * 1951 Peking Express - driver of jeep. * 1951 No Questions Asked - Lon. * 1952 Japanese War Bride - Shiro Hasagawa. * 1952

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

- C17 pilot. * 1953 China Venture - Japanese sniper. * 1954 Hell and High Water - Japanese sailor. * 1954 Deep in My Heart- Japanese butler. * 1958 The Geisha Boy - Japanese gardener. * 1959 Don't Give Up the Ship - Japanese soldier. * 1965 Three Weeks of Love - Ken Okimura. * 1965 Sea of Souls - Ken Okimura.

Television series

* 1960

Hawaiian Eye ''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. Premise Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian ...

. Then There Were Three episode. Season 1 episode 17. Taki. * 1960 Route 66. Layout at Glen Canyon episode. Season 1, episode 9. Nikko.

References

Additional sources

External links

*
, 95379 Lane Nakano at TCM.com

Lane Nakano at AFI.com

Lane Nakano 1940 Census at ancestry.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakano, Lane United States Army personnel of World War II American military personnel of Japanese descent Japanese-American internees Male actors from Los Angeles 1925 births 2005 deaths American male actors of Japanese descent American male film actors Deaths from emphysema 20th-century American male actors