On the left is Japanese actor Mako Iwamatsu while on the right is Hong Kong born Director Wayne Wang.
Mako Iwamatsu was born on December 10, 1933 in Kobe, Japan. He died July 21, 2006 in Somis, California, USA of esophageal cancer. He was a Japanese-born American actor and voice artist 5′ 4″ in height. Mako Iwamatsu has been nominated for numerous awards. Many of his acting roles credited him simply as Mako where he omits his surname. He is best known for his roles as Po-Han in The Sand Pebbles (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), Akiro the Wizard in Conan the Barbarian, and for his voice roles as Aku from Samurai Jack and Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Mako Iwamatsu has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7095 Hollywood Blvd. Mako is known for his acting role as Akiro the Wizard in Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer. he was also the voice actor for the character in The Legend of Korra. Mako also used his voice roles as Aku in Samurai Jack. His additional voice roles include 119. “The Siege of the North, Part 1” and 120. “The Siege of the North, Part 2”. He had the leading role in Stephen Sondheim’s “Pacific Overtures” and he co-founded and served as artistic director for the highly-acclaimed East-West Players theatre company in Los Angeles. After Mako passed away at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife, Shizuko Hoshi, who co-starred in episodes of M*A*S*H (1972), as well, and his children and grand-children. One day before his death, Mako had been confirmed to star in the film TMNT as the voice of Splinter. Kevin Munroe, director of the film, confirmed that Mako had completed his recording. The finished film was dedicated to Mako. During the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode “The Tales of Ba Sing Se”, the segment titled “The Tale of Iroh” features a dedication to Mako, the voice actor for Iroh for seasons one and two. In the sequel series The Legend of Korra, a lead male character was named after him (voiced by David Faustino). He was also featured in the memoriam montage in the 79th Academy Awards.
Wayne Wang was born January 12, 1949 in Hong Kong, China. He is a Hong Kong-born American film director and producer. Wayne Wang born and raised in Hong Kong, and named after his father’s favorite movie star, John Wayne. When he was 17, his parents arranged for him to move to the United States. He studied film and television at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. Wayne Wang directed the films Chan Is Missing (1982), Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985), and Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989). He is best known for The Joy Luck Club (1993), Maid in Manhattan (2002), and the independent features Smoke (1995) and Anywhere but Here (1999). At the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival,Wayne Wang premiered two feature films, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers and The Princess of Nebraska, as well as appearing in the Arthur Dong documentary film Hollywood Chinese. He won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September 2007 for A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. Wayne Wang is married to a former Miss Hong Kong, Cora Miao, and lives in San Francisco and New York City. Wayne Wang also direct and produced the movie The Center of the World (2001).
Japanese voice actor Mako Iwamatsu and Hong Kong born Director Wayne Wang alike. They are Asian men in the Movie Industry that look alike.