Dante Basco | |
---|---|
Born | Dante Roman Basco August 29, 1975 Pittsburg, California, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Actor, voice actor |
Years active | 1988–present |
Spouse | Alice Rehemutula (m. 2023) |
Relatives | Dion Basco (brother) Ella Jay Basco (niece) |
Dante Roman Basco (born August 29, 1975) [1] is an American film, television, and voice actor. He is known for his role as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg's Hook , and for voicing the titular protagonist of American Dragon: Jake Long and Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender .
His voice acting roles include Zuko's grandson General Iroh II in The Legend of Korra , Quoc Wong in The Proud Family , Jingmei in The Boondocks , Tuck in Generator Rex , Scorpion in Ultimate Spider-Man , and Jai Kell in Star Wars Rebels .
Basco was born in Pittsburg, California, and raised in Cerritos and Paramount, California to Filipino parents. [2] He has four siblings, including actor Dion Basco. [3] In the mid-1980s, he and his brothers formed a breakdancing crew and worked as street performers. [4] He attended Orange County High School of the Arts [5] in the Music and Theatre Conservatory and graduated in 1993.
He began his acting career with minor television roles. His breakthrough performance was when he appeared as the leader Rufio of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg's 1991 film Hook with Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman. [6]
In 2017, Basco produced a Kickstarter-funded short film, Bangarang, about the character Rufio. The film was directed by Jonah Feingold. [7]
Basco streams gameplay on Twitch. [8]
Basco released his memoir From Rufio to Zuko through the independent publisher Not a Cult. [8]
Avatar: Braving the Elements, an official Nickelodeon companion podcast to Avatar: The Last Airbender , premiered on June 22, 2021. Basco and Janet Varney (voice of Korra) host the podcast, which follows them as they rewatch the series, discuss each episode's key moments and behind-the scenes information, and feature special guests. [9]
Basco has done voice acting for many animated productions, including Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender , Jai Kell in Star Wars Rebels and Jake Long in American Dragon: Jake Long . He also voice acted Kwok Wong in The Proud Family , and Master Cheddar in S4 E22 of We Bear Bears titled Baby Orphan Ninja Bears. [10] He voiced Matt Martin/Kewl Breeze in the short-lived animated series Zevo-3 , and voiced General Iroh, Zuko's grandson, in The Legend of Korra. [11]
He contributed additional voices for Aion , Mortal Kombat X , and Saints Row . He also voiced Shingo in the Skate series and Seeing Farther in the Call of Juarez series. [11]
On April 19, 2023, Basco became engaged to Uyghur [12] [13] actress and television host Alice Rehemutula. [14] [15] They married in September 2023 in China. [16]
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(November 2022) |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | Cold Dog Soup | Chinese Boy | |
1991 | The Perfect Weapon | Jimmy Ho | |
1991 | Hook | Rufio | |
1995 | A Goofy Movie | Additional Voices | |
1995 | Fist of the North Star | Bat | Direct-to-video |
1997 | Fakin' da Funk | Julian Lee | |
1999 | But I'm a Cheerleader | Dolph | |
2000 | The Debut | Ben Mercado | |
2001 | Extreme Days | Corey Ng | |
2003 | Love Don't Cost a Thing | Spoken Word Artist | |
2003 | Biker Boyz | Philly | |
2006 | Take the Lead | Ramos | |
2008 | Nite Tales: The Movie | Gerard | |
2009 | Blood and Bone | Pinball | Direct-to-video |
2011 | Subject: I Love You | Nicky | |
2014 | JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time | Karate Kid | Voice, direct-to-video [17] |
2014 | Cesar Chavez | Filipino Striker | |
2014 | Bad Asses | Gangly Asian | |
2014 | Murder101 | D. Phillips | |
2016 | Jarhead 3: The Siege | Blake | |
2019 | The Creatress | Franklin | |
2021 | Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild | Aiden | Voice [18] [17] |
2026 | Aang: The Last Air Bender | Zuko | Voice [19] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | The Wonder Years | Eddie, Kid #3 | 2 episodes |
1988 | Santa Barbara | Amado | 4 episodes |
1989 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Luis | Episode: "15 and Getting Straight" |
1989 | Highway To Heaven | Champ Hopkins | Episode: "Choices" |
1989 | Booker | Ping Pong | Episode: "Razing Arrizola" |
1990 | The New Adam 12 | Manko | Episode: "Kid Kop" |
1990 | The Earth Day Special | Kid (uncredited) | |
1993 | Raven | Lucas | Episode: "The Journey" |
1993–94 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Sammy | 2 episodes |
1995 | 500 Nations | Additional Voices | 3 episodes |
1995 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Kevin | Episode: "Cold Feet, Hot Body" |
1995 | Alien Nation: Body and Soul | Trash #2 | Television film |
1996 | Nash Bridges | Jimmy Chang | Episode: "Home Invasion" |
1997 | Riot [20] | Jeff Lee | Television film Segment: "Gold Mountain" |
1996 | Touched by an Angel | Robbie Hawkins | Episode: "Random Acts" |
1998 | Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | Rudy Hernandez | Episode: "Bright Lights/Magic Mightyman/The Student/Scribbles/County Mystery" |
1998 | Moesha | Marco | 4 episodes |
1998 | Promised Land | Tito | Episode: "Out of Bounds" |
1999 | Viper | Rishi Lama | Episode: "Holy Terror" |
1999 | Undressed | Jake | 5 episodes |
2000 | The Steve Harvey Show | Lee | Episode: "Guess Who's Not Coming to Counseling" |
2001 | A Kitty Bobo Show | Kitty Bobo | Voice, pilot |
2001 | The Chronicle | Noodles | Episode: "Here There Be Dragons" |
2002 | Providence | Justin Kim | Episode: "All the King's Men" |
2002 | The Proud Family | Quoc Wong | Voice, 2 episodes |
2003 | Kim Possible | Fukushima | Voice, episode: "Exchange" |
2004 | Johnny Bravo | Filipino, Man #3 | Voice, episode: "Win an El Toro Guapo/Witch-ay Woman" [17] |
2004 | That's So Raven | Phil | 4 episodes |
2005–07 | American Dragon: Jake Long | Jake Long | Voice, main role |
2005 | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Voice, episode: "Morpholomew" | |
2005–08 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Prince Zuko | Voice, main role (50 episodes) [17] |
2006 | Entourage | Fukijama | Episode: "What About Bob?" |
2007 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Madrid | 2 episodes |
2009 | Community | Mike's Friend | Uncredited Episode: "Comparative Religion" |
2010 | The Boondocks | Jingmei | Voice, episode: "The Red Ball" |
2010 | Dark Blue | June Bug | Episode: "Jane Wayne" |
2010 | Zevo-3 | Matt Martin / Kewl Breeze | Voice, 6 episodes [17] |
2010 | Firebreather | Kenny Rogers | Voice, television film [17] |
2010 | CSI: Miami | Ruben Franco | Episode: "Happy Birthday" |
2010–12 | Generator Rex | Tuck | Voice, 3 episodes [17] |
2011 | Prime Suspect | Bounce | Episode: "Carnivorous Sheep" |
2012 | Hawaii Five-0 | Nicky Chang | Episode: "Pu'olo (The Package)" |
2012–14 | The Legend of Korra | General Iroh | Voice, 6 episodes [17] |
2013 | Ultimate Spider-Man | Scorpion | Voice, 2 episodes [17] |
2014 | Star Wars Rebels | Jai Kell | Voice, 4 episodes [17] |
2018 | A Million Little Things | Cory | 2 episodes |
2019 | We Bare Bears | Cheddar | Voice, episode: "Baby Orphan Ninja Bears" |
2019 | Drunk History | The Rabbit | Episode: "The Rabbit" |
2019–20 | Victor & Valentino | Javier | Voice, 2 episodes [17] |
2020 | Carmen Sandiego | Spinkick | Voice, 2 episodes |
2021 | Trese | Bagyon Kulimlim | Voice, 2 episodes [17] |
2021 | Robot Chicken | Squall Leonhart, Looky Loo, Zuko | Voice, 2 episodes |
2022 | Little Demon | Ignatius | Voice, 2 episodes |
2023 | Blindspotting | Himself | Season 2, Episode 4: “By Hook or by Crook” |
2023 | Almost Paradise | Jace Vargas | Season 2, Recurring Role |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014–19 | Nostalgia Critic | Himself | 6 episodes |
2016–Present | Camp Camp | Billy "Snake" Niksslip | Voice |
2020 | Let's Read Homestuck | Rufioh Nitram | Voice, episode: "Act 6 Intermission 3 - Part 7" |
2020 | Death Battle | Zuko | Voice, episode: "Zuko VS Shoto Todoroki (Avatar vs My Hero Academia)" [21] |
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2006 | Saints Row | Stilwater's Residents |
2006 | Call of Juarez | Sees Farther |
2006 | Scarface: The World Is Yours | Additional Voices |
2006 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Zuko [17] |
2007 | Skate | Shingo |
2007 | Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth | Zuko [17] |
2007 | Avatar: The Last Airbender – Into the Inferno | |
2008 | Aion | Additional Voices |
2009 | Terminator Salvation | Resistance Soldiers [17] |
2009 | Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood | Seeing Farther |
2009 | Skate 2 | Shingo |
2010 | Final Fantasy XIII | Cocoon Inhabitants [22] |
2010 | Skate 3 | Shingo |
2011 | Nicktoons MLB | Prince Zuko [17] |
2015 | Mortal Kombat X | Additional Voices [23] |
Basco's impact on Asian-American culture through his roles in Hollywood and involvement with the community has inspired many young Asian-American people. As one of the only Asian-American faces in Hollywood throughout the 90s, Basco quickly became a leading figure in the Asian-American movement. In one of his earliest films, Hook , Basco was able to show his talent as an actor and gained interest from people throughout Hollywood. This was the start of the Asian-American movement. [24] In 1998, Dante Basco along with Shihan Van Clief, Devin “Poetri” Smith, and Gimel Hooper created the Da Poetry Club. It is a place where people could come together and share their family history or origins through poetry. The club continues to run till this day. [25] However, in the early 2000s there was still little representation of mixed American or foreign people. [26] This is also true in one of Dante Basco’s most popular works, Avatar the Last Airbender . The setting of Avatar the Last Airbender is based on Asian culture as it contains many martial arts and spiritual beliefs commonly seen throughout Asia. While, Avatar the Last Airbender is critically acclaimed as one of the best animated shows of all time, many people have problems with the predominately white cast. For a show that was based so heavily on Asian culture, fans were disappointed to see the lack of representation in the cast. However, the exception was Dante Basco. The character Zuko in Avatar the Last Airbender was quickly beloved by all and the voice behind him gained interest as well. In a world where white people dominated the industry, Basco showed that there is talent outside of the mostly white scene of Hollywood. [4]
In 2021, Basco co-hosted a podcast with Janet Varney, the voice of Korra in The Legend of Korra, called Avatar: Braving the Elements. [9] This podcast was created in collaboration with Nickelodeon when Avatar the Last Airbender was released on Netflix. In this podcast, Basco and Varney would talk about the story of Avatar the Last Airbender and go into further detail about the plot, characters, and world building. They would bring on some of the other voice actors or production members and explore the creation process of Avatar the Last Airbender and join in the in depth discussion about the various aspects of the series. In an interview Basco and Varney did, Basco talked about how vital Asian culture is in the story of Avatar the Last Airbender. Basco goes on about the big problems that we have in a modern society and one of the most prevalent problems being racism which he also had seen throughout his time in Hollywood. [4] He explains that one of the biggest plot points in Avatar the Last Airbender is that the protagonist needs to bring balance into the world so that the four nations can live in harmony. His goal through that podcast is bring to light a lot of the racism seen in today's society. [9] Basco hopes that by comparing the two worlds of Avatar the Last Airbender and our world he could help others realize the terrible impacts of racism and show people how they can help combat this problem. Avatar: Braving the Elements recently had its third season air in January of 2024.
Avatar: The Last Airbender, also known as Avatar: The Legend of Aang in some regions, is an American animated fantasy action television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
PrinceZuko, also known as the Blue Spirit, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Created by Eric Coleman and designed by series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the character is voiced by Dante Basco in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Bruce Davison in The Legend of Korra, and portrayed by Dev Patel in M. Night Shyamalan's 2010 film The Last Airbender and Dallas Liu in the 2024 Netflix live-action remake series.
Katara is a fictional character in the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra. The character, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is voiced by Mae Whitman in the original series and Eva Marie Saint in the sequel series, The Legend of Korra. She is Chief Hakoda and Kya's daughter and Sokka's younger sister. In the 2010 live action film adaptation, she was played by Nicola Peltz, while in the live-action television series adaptation, she is portrayed by Kiawentiio.
General Iroh, credited as Uncle, is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the character was voiced by Mako in the first two seasons and, due to Mako's death, by Greg Baldwin in the third season and the sequel series The Legend of Korra.
Princess Azula is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist in Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and voiced by Grey DeLisle.
Avatar Aang, or simply Aang, is the titular protagonist of Nickelodeon's animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Aang was the last surviving Airbender, a monk of the Air Nomads' Southern Air Temple, and the youngest ever airbending master.
Janet Varney is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. She is known for voicing the character of Korra in the Nickelodeon animated television series The Legend of Korra, co-starring as Sheriff Evie Barret in the television series Stan Against Evil, and a recurring role as Becca Barbara in You're the Worst.
"City of Walls and Secrets" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the 34th episode overall. The show follows Aang, the last airbender and the “Avatar”, on his journey to bring balance to a war-torn world by mastering all four elements: air, water, earth, and fire. On his quest, he is joined by companions Katara, Sokka, and Toph Beifong, and hunted down by Fire Nation prince Zuko and princess Azula. The episode was written by Tim Hedrick and directed by Lauren MacMullan.
Book One: Water is the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. The first season aired on Nickelodeon from February 21 to December 2, 2005, and consisted of 20 episodes. The series stars Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Mako Iwamatsu, and Jason Isaacs as the main character voices.
Book Two: Earth is the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. The series starred Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Jessie Flower, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Mako Iwamatsu and Grey DeLisle as the main character voices.
Book Three: Fire is the third and final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The series stars Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Michaela Jill Murphy, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Greg Baldwin, Grey DeLisle, and Mark Hamill as the main character voices.
The Last Airbender is a 2010 American action adventure fantasy film written, co-produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It is based on Book One: Water, the first season of the 2005–08 animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The film stars Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi, and Cliff Curtis. The plot follows Aang, a young Avatar who must master all four elements of air, water, fire, and earth and restore balance to the world while stopping the Fire Nation from conquering the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom.
The Legend of Korra, also known as Avatar: The Legend of Korra, or more rarely simply as Korra, is an American animated fantasy action television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. A sequel to their previous series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired from 2005 to 2008, the series ran for 52 episodes ("chapters"), separated into four seasons ("books"), from April 14, 2012, to December 19, 2014. It has been continued as a comic book series.
Avatar Korra, commonly simply known as Korra, is the title lead character in Nickelodeon's animated television series The Legend of Korra, in which she is depicted as the current incarnation of Raava's Avatar—the spiritual embodiment of balance and change—responsible for maintaining peace and harmony in the world. She is the immediate reincarnation of Avatar Aang. The character was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and was voiced by Janet Varney, and by Cora Baker as a child.
Book Three: Change is the third season of the animated television series The Legend of Korra, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and consists of thirteen episodes ("chapters"), all animated by Studio Mir. The season began airing on Nickelodeon in the U.S. on June 27, 2014. After leaked episodes and following declining ratings, the series stopped airing on Nickelodeon after episode 8 on July 25, 2014. Episodes 9 to 13 of Book Three were subsequently made available on the Internet weekly through Nickelodeon's website and on digital download platforms.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American multimedia franchise consisting of three television series, a live-action film, comics, books, video games, home media, and soundtracks. The franchise began with the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The series is set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world in which some people can telekinetically manipulate one of the four classical elements: air, water, earth, or fire. Only the titular "Avatar" can bend all four elements and is responsible for maintaining balance in the world.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American adventure fantasy television series developed by Albert Kim for Netflix. It is a live-action adaptation of the animated television series of the same name created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelodeon. The series stars an ensemble cast including Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Ken Leung, and Daniel Dae Kim.
"Zuko Alone" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the 27th episode overall. Written by Elizabeth Welch and directed by Lauren MacMullan, it aired in the United States on Nickelodeon on May 12, 2006. The only episode in the series to not feature Zach Tyler Eisen as Aang, it follows Zuko as he comes across an Earth Kingdom village and meets a family whose eldest son is in the war. The episode also contains flashbacks to five years prior to the series’ start showing how Zuko's father, Ozai, became Firelord.
The Fabulous Filipino Brothers is a 2021 comedy-drama film directed by Dante Basco produced under Cignal Entertainment and TheMachine. The film features the story of four brothers coming from a Filipino American family based in Pittsburg, California.