Masi Oka
ALL ABOUT MASI OKA
Full Name: Masayori Oka
Date of Birth: 27 December 1974
Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan
Bio:
Smart, sweet and adorkable, Oka was bound for greatness from an early age. Of course, when he appeared on the cover of Time magazine as one of “Those Asian-American Whiz Kids” at age 12, a successful performing career probably didn’t seem like his destiny. Although he always harbored acting ambitions, he graduated from Brown University as a computer-science major and quickly found work as a special-effects wizard at George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic. While it must have been a thrill for the self-declared geek to work on the second Star Wars trilogy, Oka longed to be on camera. In the early ’00s, he began landing bit movie parts and sitcom guest spots, even a recurring role as a lab technician on Scrubs. But nothing prepared him for his breakthrough role as Hiro, a space-bending, time-traveling master on Heroes. While the sci-fi series was a veritable smash, Oka was the show’s breakout star, earning a Golden Globe nod for his work. Tapping into his real-life smarts (he reportedly has an IQ of 180) and initially speaking only in Japanese, Oka was convincing both as a nerdy office worker and as an English-speaking, sword-wielding warrior. And yet despite his overnight fame, Oka remained grounded off screen, continuing to drive a modest car (a 2000 Honda Accord) and consulting for ILM a few days a week.
Trivia:
Graduated in 1997 from Brown University with degrees in mathematics and computer science and a minor in theatre arts.
He has a 180-plus IQ.
Was featured on the cover of Time Magazine as a child.
Name is pronounced as “mah-see”.
When he was 12, he was on the cover of the August 31, 1987 issue of Time magazine titled “Those Asian-American Whiz Kids”.
In an interview with TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello, he said that as of November 2006, he still works one or two days a week as a CGI artist for George Lucas’s special effects company Industrial Light & Magic (at which Oka worked on the effects for such films as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), War of the Worlds (2005), the three most recent Star Wars movies, and The Perfect Storm (2000)). He also still drives his old car, a 2000 Honda Accord.
Speaks fluent Japanese.
One of his hobbies is Kendo (Japanese sword fighting).
At age six, he moved to Los Angeles, California, USA, where he still resides.
Graduated from Harvard-Westlake School (1992).
His character on “Heroes” (2006/II), Hiro, is Tyra Banks’s favorite character on her favorite show.
A die-hard New York Rangers fan. He is often seen at many home games cheering alongside with ‘Heroes’ co-star and friend Milo Ventimiglia.
Quotes:
You know, I’ve actually been very good about not going on the Internet, I only look at things that my publicist and my friends send me, although I did see this one thing that my publicist sent me, I went online and it said, “oh my god, Hiro Nakamura, I love him so much. I want to make him my pet. I want to lock him up, talk to him, kiss him, I want to make him literally my pet.” You know what, as long as they feed me, I’m all for it.
Hiro on Heroes:
Hiro Nakamura, on the television series Heroes, is played Masi Oka. Living in Tokyo as an office worker has certainly made Hiro a bit bored with his life, until he discovers that he has the amazing power to control and travel through time. He teleports himself to New York City, and with no proper grasp of the English Language, sets off on a quest to embrace his destiny as a “hero,” and gets his best friend, Ando Masahashi, to help him.
Filmography:
Masi Oka Filmography as an Actor:
2008 21
2006 Heroes [TV Series]
2004 Along Came Polly
Masi Oka Filmography as a Technical Director:
2003 The Hulk
Masi Oka Awards:
Golden Globe
2006 Best Supporting Actor (TV) Heroes [TV Series]
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