Gerald Okamura

Last updated
Gerald Okamura
Born1940 (age 8384)
Occupation(s)Actor, martial artist, stuntman
Style San Soo
TrainerJimmy H. Woo
Rank5th degree black belt in San Soo
Website geraldokamura.com

Gerald Okamura (born 1940) is an American actor, martial artist, and stuntman. [1]

Contents

Early life

Okamura was born in Hilo, Hawaii in 1940. He began studying judo at the age of 13. He enlisted in the United States Army after graduating high school, where he was deployed to South Korea and was introduced to taekwondo. [2] After his discharge, he moved to Los Angeles, where he enrolled in Jimmy H. Woo's San Soo school, eventually earning a 5th-degree black belt. [2]

Okamura has also trained in kendo and aikido, and is a designer of various types of weaponry.

Career

Okamura began doing stunts in 1975, getting his first credited role in 1980. Since then he has appeared in 39 feature films, notably Big Trouble in Little China , Samurai Cop , Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance , Ninja Academy , 9½ Ninjas! , Ring of Fire , Blade , and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra . Other roles he's played are Kai-Ogi in Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers , a sensei in Power Rangers Wild Force , and Chao Chong in VR Troopers .

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976 Chesty Anderson, USN Karate Expert
1980 The Octagon Ninja Instructor
1981 Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen Club Shanghai Bouncer
1983 Angel of H.E.A.T. Hans Zeisel
1984Ninja BustersMaster
1985 My Science Project Vietnamese SoldierUncredited
1985Sword of HeavenThird Monk
1986 Big Trouble in Little China Wing Kong Hatchet Man
1989 Ninja Academy Chiba
1989Time Burst: the Final AllianceMaster
1990 Aftershock Fighter
19919 1/2 Ninjas!Master
1991 Showdown in Little Tokyo Hagata, the Torturer
1991 Samurai Cop Okamura
1991Capital PunishmentHenchman
1991The Master DemonThe Master Demon
1991Karate WarsNakaso
1992Deadly BetFighter
1992 Rapid Fire Tau's Gunman at LaundryUncredited
1992American StreetfighterOgawa
1992 Shadow of the Dragon Temple Priest
1993Ring of Fire II: Blood and SteelGarbage Gang
1993Shootfighter: Fight to the DeathShootfighting Ref
1993 Hot Shots! Part Deux Corrupt Kick Boxing Referee
1993Full ImpactJapanese fighter
1993FirepowerFighterUncredited
1993 Fit to Kill Commando
1994 The Shadow Tibetan Passenger
1994 The Dallas Connection Fu
1994Cage IIDr. Wo
1995 The Power Within Yung
1995 Mortal Kombat Outworld WarriorUncredited
1996For Life or DeathAncient priest
1996 Bloodsport III Judge
1996Day of the WarriorFu
1996Carnival of WolvesBodyguard #2
1997 Little Bigfoot Cook
1998 Blade VampireUncredited
1998 L.E.T.H.A.L. Ladies: Return to Savage Beach Fu
2002The Circuit 2: The Final PunchMing Li
2002RedemptionKwai Lo
2005 Confessions of an Action Star Asian Master
2005 Vampire Assassin Master Kao
2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Hard Master
2009HellbindersBuddhist Priest
2015 Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance Raizo

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979 A Man Called Sloane Henchman Guarding MariaEpisode: "Samurai"
1984 Matt Houston ThugEpisode: "Return to Nam: Part 1"
1985 Knight Rider Fuji HakitoEpisode: "Knight & Knerd"
1985J.O.E. and the ColonelTrainerTelevision film
1987 Falcon Crest Mr. ItoEpisode: "Lovers and Friends"
1996 VR Troopers Chao ChongEpisode: "Despera Strikes Back"
1996 Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers Kai-OgiEpisode: "Along Came a Spider"
2002 Power Rangers Wild Force SenseiEpisode: "A Father's Footsteps"
2012, 2013 Kickin' It Grandmaster Po2 episodes

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997 Blade Runner ZubenVoice
2004SWAT: Warhead OnePeter Chiang

Related Research Articles

<i>Ninjutsu</i> Martial arts discipline and tactics of the ninja

Ninjutsu (忍術), sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term ninpō (忍法), is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare, insurgency tactics and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. Ninjutsu was a separate discipline in some traditional Japanese schools, which integrated study of more conventional martial arts (taijutsu) along with shurikenjutsu, kenjutsu, sōjutsu, bōjutsu and others.

Masaaki Hatsumi, formerly Yoshiaki Hatsumi, is the founder of the Bujinkan Organization and is the former Togakure-ryū soke (grandmaster). He no longer teaches, but currently resides in Noda, Chiba, Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonny Chiba</span> Japanese actor and martial artist (1939–2021)

Shinichi Chiba, known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later to an international audience.

<i>Power Rangers Ninja Storm</i> Television series

Power Rangers Ninja Storm is a television series and the eleventh season of the Power Rangers franchise, based on the 26th Super Sentai series Ninpu Sentai Hurricaneger. The season marked a series of firsts in the franchise, being that it was the first to be filmed in New Zealand, the first to not be produced by MMPR Productions, and the first to air on ABC Kids in its entirety, debuting on February 15, 2003. It was the last season to have theme music done by Jeremy Sweet, who had been working on most of the show's themes since Power Rangers Zeo.

<i>Ninja Academy</i> 1988 film by Nico Mastorakis

Ninja Academy is a 1989 Nico Mastorakis' comedy film starring Will Egan, Gerald Okamura, Kelly Randall, Michael David, Robert Factor, and Jeff Robinson. It is a low-budget B-movie similar to the Police Academy series of movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shin Koyamada</span> Japanese actor, producer (b. 1982)

Shin Koyamada is a Japanese actor, producer, philanthropist, and martial artist. He is best known to the international audience for his co-starring roles in The Last Samurai (2003) as Nobutada and the Disney's Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2006) as Shen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Novak</span> American actor (born 1942)

Mel Novak is an American actor who is best known for villainous roles in Black Belt Jones, Game of Death, and An Eye for an Eye. He is also known for doing all of his own stunts and fighting scenes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Dudikoff</span> American actor

Michael Joseph Stephen Dudikoff Jr. is an American actor. Born in New York City, his family later moved to Los Angeles. Dudikoff did different jobs to pay for his education, during this time he became a model. This led him to do acting auditions. He played supporting roles in films and television shows, until he got his break as the lead in the martial arts action film American Ninja (1985).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Cardenas</span> American martial artist (born 1974)

Stephen Antonio Cardenas is an American martial artist and actor. He is best known for playing the character Rocky DeSantos, the second Red Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and eventually the Blue Zeo Ranger in Power Rangers Zeo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tensai Okamura</span> Japanese anime director

Tensai Okamura, born Yutaka Okamura on December 13, 1961, in Fukushima Prefecture, is a Japanese anime director and animator. Okamura grew up in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. He is a graduate of Waseda University's department of science and engineering. In 1991, he changed his first name to Tensai.

<i>Five Elements Ninjas</i> 1982 Hong Kong film

Five Elements Ninjas is a 1982 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh. The film is about a Chinese martial arts school that finds itself outclassed by their rivals, so they hire an elite ninja from Japan to destroy the school. The lone survivor of the massacre learns the secrets of ninjutsu and seeks revenge against the ninja. Although only starring one member of the famed Venom Mob in Lo Mang, the film very much is in the spirit of director Cheh's later Venom Mob films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Florentine</span> Israeli film director

Isaac Florentine is an Israeli film director. He is best known for his martial arts and action genre films, namely Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006), Undisputed III: Redemption (2010), Ninja (2009), Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013) and Close Range (2015) and for launching the career of British actor Scott Adkins. Florentine completed his degree in Film & Television from Tel Aviv University.

Tadashi Yamashita is a Japanese American martial artist and actor.

<i>Ninja Assassin</i> 2009 martial arts film directed by James McTeigue

Ninja Assassin is a 2009 martial arts film directed by James McTeigue from a story and script by Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski. The film stars Rain as a disillusioned assassin looking for retribution against his former mentor, played by Sho Kosugi. Ninja Assassin explores political corruption, child endangerment and the impact of violence. The film was produced by The Wachowskis, Joel Silver and Grant Hill under Legendary Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment and Silver Pictures. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Modern schools of ninjutsu are schools which offer instruction in martial arts. To a larger or smaller degree, the curriculum is derived from the practice of ninjutsu, the arts of the Shinobi; covert agents of feudal Japan.

Togakure-ryū (戸隠流) is a historical tradition of ninjutsu known as the "School of the Hidden Door", allegedly founded during the Oho period (1161–1162) by Daisuke Nishina (仁科大助), who learned his original fighting techniques from a Chinese monk named Kain Dōshi. However, the history and early lineage of Togakure-ryū may be impossible to verify due to the antiquity of the time period and its claimed historicity has been disputed by Watatani Kiyoshi, writer for the Bugei Ryūha Daijiten. After Togakure, the title of Sōke was recorded by Toda Shinryuken Masamitsu to have been passed down through other practitioners that kept the style secret from the outside world.

<i>Samurai Cop</i> 1991 film by Amir Shervan

Samurai Cop is a 1991 American direct-to-video action film written, coproduced and directed by Amir Shervan and starring Robert Z'Dar, Matt Hannon and Mark Frazer. It has attained a cult following.

<i>Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance</i> 2015 American action film

Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance is a 2015 American comedy action film directed and co-written by Gregory Hatanaka, a sequel to the 1991 cult film Samurai Cop. The film stars Mathew Karedas, Mark Frazer, and Gerald Okamura reprising their original roles, with Bai Ling, Kayden Kross, Tommy Wiseau, Laurene Landon, Mel Novak, Lexi Belle, Joe Estevez, and Mindy Robinson, Cranston Komuro, Joselito Rescober, and Melissa Moore also appearing.

The Last Reunion is a 1982 action drama film directed by Jay Wertz. It stars Leo Fong, Cameron Mitchell, Hal Bokar, Philip Baker Hall, Stack Pierce and Vic Silayan. The film is also known as Revenge of the Bushido Blade. It was written and produced at a time when there was a succession of popular Hollywood action films incorporating martial arts-themed plots and storylines.

References

  1. Entertainment, Martial Arts (2015-02-24). "Gerald Okamura". Martial Arts & Action Entertainment. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  2. 1 2 "Interview with Gerald Okamura - The Wing Kong Exchange". 2018-04-02. Retrieved 2024-05-21.