Otto Yamaoka (April 25, 1904 – June 5, 1967) was an American actor and businessman who worked in Hollywood primarily during the 1930s. He was one of only a handful of Japanese-descended actors working in the industry at the time. His sister, Iris, was an actress.

Biography

Otto was born in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, to Ototaka Yamaoka and Jho Watanabe. The family moved to Los Angeles in the 1920s, and he and his sister Iris both developed an interest in acting; both primarily played smaller roles. His brother, George Yamaoka, became a prominent lawyer. Otto's career in Hollywood ended around 1940, and he then began working as an importer in the Los Angeles area. The Yamaoka family was sent to the Heart Mountain internment camp in

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

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 ...

.Ancestry.com. ''Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II''. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2005.

Partial filmography

* ''

The Ship from Shanghai ''The Ship from Shanghai'' is a 1930 Pre-Code American action film directed by Charles Brabin and written by John Howard Lawson. The film stars Conrad Nagel, Kay Johnson, Carmel Myers, Holmes Herbert and Zeffie Tilbury. The film was released on ...

'' (1930) - Shanghai Nightclub Patron (uncredited) * '' The Benson Murder Case'' (1930) - Sam (uncredited) * '' The Hot Heiress'' (1931) - Chinese Waiter (uncredited) * '' The Black Camel'' (1931) - Kashimo * '' The Hatchet Man'' (1932) - Chung Ho (uncredited) * ''

Westward Passage ''Westward Passage'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Robert Milton and starring Ann Harding, Laurence Olivier, ZaSu Pitts and Irving Pichel. The screenplay concerns a woman who falls in love and marries, but soon discovers ...

'' (1932) - Chong (uncredited) * ''

War Correspondent A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...

'' (1932) - Bandit (uncredited) * '' The Racing Strain'' (1932) - Togo * '' Midnight Mary'' (1933) - Chinese Proprietor (uncredited) * ''

Morning Glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

'' (1933) - Servant (uncredited) * ''

Before Midnight ''Before Midnight'' is a 2013 American romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. The sequel to ''Before Sunrise'' (1995) and ''Before Sunset'' (2004), it is the third insta ...

'' (1933) - Kono * '' The Sin of Nora Moran'' (1933) - Kito - John Grant's Houseboy (uncredited) * '' We're Rich Again'' (1934) - Fugi * '' Student Tour'' (1934) - Casino Patron (uncredited) * '' Limehouse Blues'' (1934) - Chinese Waiter on Boat (uncredited) * ''

Death Flies East ''Death Flies East'' is a 1935 American mystery film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Conrad Nagel, Florence Rice and Raymond Walburn. The action takes place on an airline flight with a murderer aboard. The film was an early example of the avia ...

'' (1935) - Japanese Chauffeur (uncredited) * '' The Wedding Night'' (1935) - Taka (uncredited) * '' The Affair of Susan'' (1935) - Spieler (uncredited) * '' Petticoat Fever'' (1936) - Kimo * ''

Rhythm on the Range ''Rhythm on the Range'' is a 1936 American Western musical film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Bing Crosby, Frances Farmer, and Bob Burns. Based on a story by Mervin J. Houser, the film is about a cowboy who meets a beautiful young wom ...

'' (1936) - Chinese Houseboy (uncredited) * ''

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

'' (1936) - Thomas (uncredited) * ''

Libeled Lady ''Libeled Lady'' is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Jack Conway and starring Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy, and Spencer Tracy. The screenplay was written by Maurine Dallas Watkins, Howard Emmett Rogers, and George Opp ...

'' (1936) - Ching * '' Easy to Take'' (1936) - Japanese Instructor (uncredited) * '' Night Waitress'' (1936) - Fong * '' Criminal Lawyer'' (1937) - Mitzu - Brandon's House Boy (uncredited) * '' Thin Ice'' (1937) - Japanese Reporter (uncredited) * '' Song of the City'' (1937) - Wilbur - Paul's Butler (uncredited) * ''

Stand-In A stand-in, sometimes a lighting double, for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and tele ...

'' (1937) - Quintain's Houseboy (uncredited) * '' Next Time I Marry'' (1938) - Joe - Nancy's Butler (uncredited) * '' Trouble in Sundown'' (1939) - Foo Yung * '' Two Girls on Broadway'' (1940) - Ito * '' The Letter'' (1940) - Bartender at Party (uncredited) (final film role)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamaoka, Otto American male film actors American male actors of Japanese descent Japanese-American internees 20th-century American businesspeople 1904 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American male actors