Robert Ito (born July 2, 1931) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his television and film work, including the roles of Sam Fujiyama on the 1976–83 NBC series '' Quincy, M.E.'' and Larry Mishima on the 1980s CBS primetime soap opera ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Cha ...

'', and a variety of voice acting for animation. He was nominated for a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

for his performance in the 1994 film '' Trial at Fortitude Bay''.

Career

Ito was a dancer with the

National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca, the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

before coming to Broadway and dancing in such shows as "Flower Drum Song" (1960-1961). He turned to acting in the mid-1960s, often playing Asian characters. He appeared three times (as different characters) in the 1970s TV series ''

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

''; first as a Chinese rail worker in the two-hour pilot film, as a Chinese bandit named Captain Lee in the episode "The Way of Violence Has No Mind", and as a ninja in the episode "The Assassin". He likewise portrayed two different Korean characters in episodes of the TV series ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...

'', in 1972 and 1976. Ito acted in the

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

film '' Midway'' as

Minoru Genda General was an Imperial Japanese Navy flight officer, JASDF general and politician. He is best known for helping to plan the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war he became the third Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Early l ...

, the leader of the 1942 attack on

Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; ; ) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the United States and is an unorganized and unincorporated territory. The largest island is Sand Island, which has housi ...

. In 1976, he was cast as forensic lab technician Sam Fujiyama, a regular supporting role he played for seven years on '' Quincy, M.E.'' As of April 2025, Ito is the last surviving major cast member of the show. His other film credits include ''

The Terminal Man ''The Terminal Man'' is a novel by American writer Michael Crichton. It is his second novel under his own name and his twelfth overall, and is about the dangers of mind control. It was published in April 1972, and also serialized in ''Playboy' ...

'' (1974), '' Rollerball'' (1975), '' Peeper'' (1976), '' Special Delivery'' (1976), the made-for-television film '' SST: Death Flight'' (1977), ''

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'', often shortened to ''Buckaroo Banzai'', is a 1984 American Adventure film, adventure Science fiction comedy, science fiction comedy film produced and directed by W. D. Richter and w ...

'' (1984), '' Pray for Death'' (1985), '' Aloha Summer'' (1988) and '' The Vineyard'' (1989). Ito guest-starred on the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode "

Coming of Age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

" as TAC officer Lt. Chang and on '' Star Trek: Voyager'' as John Kim ( Harry Kim's father). Voice roles include such programs and films as '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''

Captain Planet and the Planeteers ''Captain Planet and the Planeteers'', commonly referred to as simply ''Captain Planet'', is an American animated environmentalist superhero television series created by Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner and developed by Pyle, Nicholas Boxer, Thom B ...

'', ''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American Animated series, animated Comedy television, comedy Musical film, musical television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation. It originally aired on Fox Broadcasting Company ...

'', '' Bonkers'', '' Batman: The Animated Series'', ''

Jackie Chan Adventures ''Jackie Chan Adventures'' is an animated television series developed by John Rogers, Duane Capizzi and Jeff Kline, and produced by Columbia TriStar Television (now Sony Pictures Television), Adelaide Productions, The JC Group and Blue Trai ...

'', ''

Fantastic Max ''Fantastic Max'' is an animated cartoon series, originally aired on the BBC from 1988 to 1990 and created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Kalisto Ltd., Booker PLC and Tanaka Promotion Co. in association with S4C. It centers on a boy named Maxwel ...

'', '' Superman: The Animated Series'', '' SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron'', '' My Little Pony and Friends'', ''

Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? ''Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?'' is an American live action/animated television series based on the series of computer games. The show was produced by DIC Productions L.P. and originally aired from February 5, 1994 to January 2, 1999, o ...

'', ''

Biker Mice from Mars ''Biker Mice from Mars'' is an American animated series created by Rick Ungar. The series premiered in syndication the week of September 19, 1993. It consists of three seasons of 65 episodes, with the final episode airing in syndication the we ...

'', ''

Quack Pack ''Quack Pack'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, featuring Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The show debuted on September 3, 1996, as a part of the " Disney Afternoon" programmin ...

'', ''

Capitol Critters ''Capitol Critters'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Steven Bochco Productions and Hanna-Barbera in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The show is about the lives of mice, rats, and roaches who reside in the basem ...

'', '' ProStars'', ''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

'', ''

Darkwing Duck ''Darkwing Duck'' is an American animated superhero comedy television series produced by Disney Television Animation (formerly Walt Disney Television Animation) that first ran from 1991 to 1992 on both the syndicated programming block '' The Dis ...

'', '' Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers'', ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

'', ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen. It is the first film in ''The Karate Kid'' franchise. The film stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, an ...

'', ''

A Pup Named Scooby-Doo ''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated mystery comedy series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It is the eighth incarnation of the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise and depicts younger versions of the title character and his companions as ...

'', '' Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures'', '' Rambo and the Forces of Freedom'', ''

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan ''The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''The Amazing Chan Clan'') is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, animated by Eric Porter Studios in Australia and broadcast on CBS from ...

'', ''

Savage Dragon The Savage Dragon is the name of two superheroes created by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics and taking place in the Image Universe. The comic initially follows the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon. The character ...

'', ''

TaleSpin ''TaleSpin'' is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It first aired in 1990 as a preview-run on The Disney Channel before beginning its main run in syndication later that year as part of the pro ...

'', '' Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos'', ''

The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries ''The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation which aired from September 9, 1995 to February 5, 2000 on Kids' WB. The final episode, containing the segments "The Ta ...

'', ''

All Grown Up! ''All Grown Up!'' is an American animated television series developed by Kate Boutilier, Eryk Casemiro, and Monica Piper for Nickelodeon. Produced by Klasky Csupo and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, it serves as a sequel to '' Rugrats'', and ex ...

'', '' The Mummy: The Animated Series'', '' Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo'', '' The New Woody Woodpecker Show'', ''

The Wild Thornberrys ''The Wild Thornberrys'' is an American animated series, animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, and Stephen Sustarsic for Nickelodeon. The series portrays the zany hijinks of a family o ...

'', '' Jonny Quest vs. The Cyber Insects'', and '' Gargoyles''.

Filmography

Film

* 1966: '' Women of the Prehistoric Planet'' – Tang * 1966: '' Dimension 5'' – Sato * 1969: '' Some Kind of a Nut'' – George Toyota * 1973: ''

The Naked Ape ''The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal'' is a 1967 book by English Zoology, zoologist and ethology, ethologist Desmond Morris that looks at humans as a species and compares them to other animals. ''The Human Zoo (book), The Hum ...

'' – Samurai Warrior * 1974: ''

'' – Anesthetist * 1975: '' Rollerball'' – Houston Strategy Couch * 1976: '' Peeper'' – Butler * 1976: '' Midway'' –

* 1976: '' Special Delivery'' – Mr. Chu * 1984: '' Buckaroo Banzai'' – Tohichi Hikita * 1985: '' Pray for Death'' – Koga * 1987: ''

P.I. Private Investigations ''P.I. Private Investigations'' (also known as ''Private Investigations'') is a 1987 Crime film, crime-thriller film directed by Nigel Dick and starring Clayton Rohner, Ray Sharkey and Paul Le Mat. Premise A young architect finds himself being ...

'' – Kim * 1988: '' Aloha Summer'' – Ted Tanaka * 1989: '' The Vineyard'' – Auctioneer * 1990: '' Crazy People'' – Yamashita's Aide * 1995: ''The War Between Us'' – Mr. Kawashima * 1996: ''

Hollow Point A hollow-point bullet is a type of expanding bullet which expands on impact with a soft target, transferring more or all of the projectile's energy into the target over a shorter distance. Hollow-point bullets are used for controlled pene ...

'' – Shin Chan * 1999: '' Lima: Breaking the Silence'' – President Fujimoro * 1999: '' The Omega Code'' – Shimoro Lin Che

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ito, Robert 1931 births Living people 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States Canadian male actors of Japanese descent Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Japanese-Canadian internees Male actors from Vancouver