Mark Dacascos

Last updated

Mark Dacascos
Mark Dacascos cropped.jpg
Dacascos in 2011
Born
Mark Alan Dacascos

(1964-02-26) February 26, 1964 (age 60)
Other names
  • Marc Dacascos
  • The Chairman
Alma mater Portland State University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • martial artist
  • television personality
Years active1985–present
Spouse
Julie Condra
(m. 1998)
Children3
Website dacascos.com

Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor, martial artist, and television personality. [1] A 4th-degree black belt in Wun Hop Kuen Do, he is known for his roles in action films, including as Louis Stevens in Only the Strong, the title role in Crying Freeman, Mani in Brotherhood of the Wolf, Ling in Cradle 2 the Grave, Sharish in Nomad , and as Zero in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

Contents

On television, Dacascos is known for his portrayal of Wo Fat on Hawaii Five-0 (2010-20), and for serving as "The Chairman" of Food Network's Iron Chef America series since January 2005, a role he reprised in 2022 on Netflix's Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend .

Dacascos' other roles include Kung Lao in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy , Eric Draven on The Crow: Stairway to Heaven and Eubulon on Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight . He also competed in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars . [2] [3]

Early life

Dacascos was born February 26, 1964, in Oahu, Hawaii. His father, Al Dacascos, is from Hawaii and is a martial arts instructor whose parents originated from the Philippines and were of Chinese, Filipino and Spanish ancestry. His mother, Moriko McVey-Murray, is of Irish and Japanese ancestry. [4] In the History Channel presentation Samurai, Dacascos revealed that many members of his mother's family were killed in the bombing of Hiroshima. His stepmother is award-winning martial artist Malia Bernal. He attended Los Angeles Valley College, where he was on the gymnastics team. He also attended Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. He is proficient in his father's style of martial arts, Wun Hop Kuen Do, and holds a 4th degree black belt. He has also extensively studied Muay Thai, capoeira with Amen Santo, and Wushu. [1]

During his upbringing he lived a time in Hamburg, Germany, where he learned to speak German. [5]

Career

Dacascos in a production still taken during filming of a deleted scene in Wayne Wang's film Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart in 1983 Mark Dacascos closeup (DIMSUM).jpg
Dacascos in a production still taken during filming of a deleted scene in Wayne Wang's film Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart in 1983

Dacascos became an actor after being discovered walking down the street in San Francisco's Chinatown by Chris Lee (assistant director) and Rexall Chinn (hairstylist), who at the time were working for director Wayne Wang. He was cast in Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart , and though his scenes were cut from the final film, he went on to establish a film and television career primarily playing martial artists. He was originally set to play as the Red Ranger, Victor Lee, in Bio-Man , an adaptation of Choudenshi Bioman produced by Haim Saban. The show was not picked up at the time, but the concept evolved into Mighty Morphin Power Rangers . [6]

His breakout role was in the 1993 film Only the Strong , in which he played Louis, a capoeira master who takes a high school's struggling students and turns their lives around by teaching them the Brazilian martial art based on the ritual combat technique of Angola. In the following year, Dacascos co-starred with Party of Five 's Scott Wolf as Jimmy and Billy Lee, respectively, in the film Double Dragon , based on the video game with the same name.

He plays the role of the Chairman on Iron Chef America , Iron Chef Australia and Iron Chef Mexico . In the series' backstory, Dacascos's character is the nephew of the original Iron Chef Chairman, Takeshi Kaga.

He has been featured in many action films such as Drive , Brotherhood of the Wolf , Crying Freeman and Cradle 2 the Grave , in which he squared off against Jet Li. He also performed in three video games: voice acting in Stranglehold , live acting in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom and digitally recreating The Chairman in the Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine video game for Wii.

Dacascos was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2002 for his role in Brotherhood of the Wolf . [7] He also appeared in the television series The Crow: Stairway to Heaven , which was a follow-up to the 1994 film The Crow . He also appears in the children's television show Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight , where he portrays Eubulon, also known as the Advent Master, mentor of the Kamen Riders and creator of the Advent Decks.

Dacascos played the recurring role of Wo Fat on the CBS series Hawaii Five-0 . He portrayed Kung Lao in the second season of the YouTube series Mortal Kombat: Legacy . [8] He had a recurring role in the third season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Mr. Giyera, an Inhuman servant of Hydra who can manipulate inanimate objects.

In May 2019, Dacascos played Zero, a lead antagonist in the action thriller film John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum . [9] He starred in a recurring role on the Netflix series Wu Assassins . [10] He has reprised his role as The Chairman of the Iron Chef series in Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend , which was released on Netflix in June 2022. [11]

Personal life

Dacascos is married to actress Julie Condra, who starred with him in Crying Freeman as well as the 2020 film One Night in Bangkok. [12] They have three children: two sons and a daughter. [13]

Filmography

Dacascos (center) in a deleted scene from Dim Sum Mark Dacascos in a deleted scene of "Dim Sum- A Little Bit of Heart".jpg
Dacascos (center) in a deleted scene from Dim Sum

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985 Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart Fighter Deleted scene
1990 Angel Town Stoner's Driver
1992 American Samurai Kenjiro Sanga
1993 Only the Strong Louis Stevens
RoostersFilipino's SonCameo
1994 Double Dragon Jimmy Lee
1995Deadly PastLeo
Redemption: Kickboxer 5 Matt ReevesDirect-to-video
Crying Freeman Yo Hinomura / Crying Freeman
1996 The Island of Dr. Moreau Lo-Mai
SabotageMichael Bishop
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom Troy 'Catscratch' Carter Interactive film
1997 Drive Toby Wong Direct-to-video
SanctuaryLuke Kovak
DNA Dr. Ash Mattley
Deathline Merrick
1998 Boogie Boy Jesse Page
No Code of Conduct Paul DeLucca
1999The BaseMajor John Murphy / Corporal John Dalton
2000 China Strike Force Tony Lau
2001 Brotherhood of the Wolf Mani
Instinct To KillJ.T. Dillon
2002 Scorcher Colonel Ryan Beckett
2003 Cradle 2 the Grave Ling
2005Final ApproachKato
Nomad Sharish
2006 Only the Brave Steve "Zaki" Senzaki
The Hunt for Eagle One Lieutenant Matt DanielsDirect-to-video
The Hunt for Eagle One: Crash Point Direct-to-video
2007 Code Name: The Cleaner Eric Hauck
Alien Agent Rykker
I Am Omega Renchard
2008Gideon FallsSet
2009Serbian ScarsPeter Olsen Obilich
2010 Shadows in Paradise Lieutenant Max Forrester
Secret of the Sultan
2013 The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone "King Cobra"
2014 Roger Corman's Operation Rogue Captain Max RandallDirect-to-video
The Extendables [14] Mark
2016 Showdown in Manila Matthew WellsAlso director and producer
2017 Maximum Impact Tony Lin
2017Ultimate JusticeGus
2018 The Legend of Hallowaiian PonoVoice
2019 John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum "Zero"
The DriverThe Driver
Lucky Day Louis
2020One Night in BangkokKai Kahale
2021 Batman: Soul of the Dragon Richard Dragon Voice, Direct-to-video
2022 The Ray Brando
Blade of the 47 Ronin Lord Shinshiro
2023 Knights of the Zodiac Mylock

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1986 Bio-Man Victor Lee / Biorhythm RedPilot
1986–1997 General Hospital Police Cadet4 episodes
1990 Doogie Howser, MD JulianEpisode: "The Grass Ain't Always Greener"
The Flash OsakuEpisode: "Child's Play"
New Dragnet Kevin ChowEpisode: "Queen of Hearts"
1991Dead on the MoneyMartial Arts TeacherTelevision film
1994 Dragstrip Girl Johnny RamirezTelevision film
Tales from the Crypt Felix JohnsonEpisode: "The Pit"
1995 One West Waikiki MokuEpisode: "Rest in Peace"
1998–1999 The Crow: Stairway to Heaven Eric Draven / The Crow 22 episodes
1999 Martial Law Steven GarthEpisode: "Ninety Million Reasons to Die"
2002 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation AnandaEpisode: "Felonious Monk"
2004–2018 Iron Chef America The Chairman236 episodes
2006 Solar Attack Lucas FosterTelevision film
2007–2008 Stargate Atlantis Tyre2 episodes
2007–2012 The Next Iron Chef The Chairman16 episodes
2008 The Legend of Bruce Lee Thai Boxer King Charles [15] 3 episodes
The Middleman Sensei PingEpisode: "The Sino-Mexican Revelation"
2009 Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight Eubulon / Advent Master9 episodes
Dancing with the Stars Himself7 episodes
Wolvesbayne Von GriemTelevision film
2010–2020 Hawaii Five-0 Wo Fat17 episodes
2014 Chicago P.D. Jimmy ShiEpisode: "Different Mistakes"
2015–2016 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Giyera [16] 11 episodes
2016 Lucifer Kimo VanzandtEpisode: "Weaponizer"
2017The Perfect BrideDaniel CounterTelevision film
2019 Wu Assassins Monk/ Kun ZiRecurring role [10]
2022 Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend The Chairman
2023 Warrior Kong Pak [17] Main Role (Season 3)
2023 SpongeBob SquarePants Guru GreasetrapEpisode: "Spatula of the Heavens"

Web

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013 Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kung Lao 4 episodes
2023 Blue Eye Samurai Bloodsoaked Chiaki (voice)Recurring cast

Awards

YearWorkAwardResult
2002 Brotherhood of the Wolf Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil LaMarr</span> American actor (born 1967)

Phillip LaMarr is an American actor. He was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series Mad TV, where he stayed for five seasons. His voice acting roles in animated series include the title character of Samurai Jack, both John Stewart / Green Lantern and Virgil Hawkins / Static in the DC Animated Universe Hermes Conrad in Futurama, and Wilt in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. LaMarr has also provided voices for video game franchises including Metal Gear, Jak and Daxter, Darksiders, Final Fantasy, Infamous, Dead Island, Kingdom Hearts, and Mortal Kombat. He also voiced Browntooth the Goblin Rogue in the Critical Role episode "The Goblins".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeri Ryan</span> American actress

Jeri Lynn Ryan is an American actress best known for her role as the former Borg drone Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager (1997–2001), for which she was nominated four times for a Saturn Award and won in 2001. She reprised her role as Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023), for which she won another Saturn Award.

Kung Lao is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. He debuted in Mortal Kombat II (1993) as a Shaolin monk and close friend of series protagonist Liu Kang, and his trademark characteristic is his wide razor-brimmed hat that he uses as a weapon. Kung Lao is depicted as one of the series' primary heroes, including a main role in the action-adventure spin-off Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiroyuki Sanada</span> Japanese actor, producer, singer and martial artist (born 1960)

Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor, singer and martial artist. He began his career in the mid-1960s at the age of six, and gained prominence for his roles in Japanese and Hong Kong action films, later establishing himself as a dramatic actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linden Ashby</span> American actor

Clarence Linden Garnett Ashby III is an American actor. On television, he portrayed Brett Cooper on the final two seasons of the Fox soap opera Melrose Place (1997–1999) and Sheriff Noah Stilinski on all six seasons of the MTV supernatural drama Teen Wolf (2011–2017). He is also known for portraying Johnny Cage in the 1995 film Mortal Kombat, an adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Mann</span> Hong Kong-American actor (active 1992– )

Byron Mann is a Hong Kong-American actor of film and television. His best-known roles include Ryu in Street Fighter, Silver Lion in The Man with the Iron Fists, Wing Chau in The Big Short, Admiral Augusto Nguyen on The Expanse, Chang on Hell on Wheels, Yao Fei on Arrow, and Uncle Six in the Netflix series Wu Assassins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel McHale</span> American actor, comedian (born 1971)

Joel Edward McHale is an American actor, comedian, and television presenter. He is best known for hosting The Soup (2004–2015) and his role as Jeffrey "Jeff" Winger on the NBC sitcom Community (2009–2015). He has performed in the films Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011), Ted (2012), and The Happytime Murders (2018).

Masaru Edward Fulenwider-Musashi, better known by the stage name Mark Musashi, is a Wushu martial artist and a stuntman/actor or Gaijin tarento.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tzi Ma</span> Hong Kong-American actor

Tzi Ma is a Hong Kong-American actor. He has appeared in television shows including The Man in the High Castle and 24, and films including Dante's Peak, Rush Hour, Rush Hour 3, Arrival, The Farewell, Tigertail, and Mulan. From 2021 to 2023, he starred in the American martial arts television series Kung Fu on The CW.

Ian Anthony Dale is an American actor. His notable roles include Adam Noshimuri on Hawaii Five-0, Harris Edwards on Salvation, Simon Lee on The Event, Davis Lee on Surface, Avatar Gamma on Charmed and Kazuya Mishima in Tekken. He has also appeared on shows such as Las Vegas, JAG, Day Break, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Minds, 24 and The Walking Dead.

Matt Mullins is an American actor and martial artist. At the age of 16, in 2000, he won his first World Kickboxing Association title in Dublin, Ireland. This would be his first of five championships in the next three years.

<i>Mortal Kombat: Legacy</i> Web series directed by Kevin Tancharoen

Mortal Kombat: Legacy is an American web series adapted from the Mortal Kombat video game franchise. It debuted on Machinima.com's YouTube channel on April 11, 2011. The second season was released in its entirety on September 26, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Tan</span> British actor and martial artist

Lewis Singwah Tan is a British actor, martial artist and model. He is known for his roles as Cole Young in Mortal Kombat (2021), Shatterstar in Deadpool 2 (2018) and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Tolya in Shadow and Bone (2023), and Lu Xin Lee in Wu Assassins (2019).

<i>John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum</i> 2019 American film directed by Chad Stahelski

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is a 2019 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski from a screenplay by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams, based on a story by Kolstad. The film is the sequel to John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) and the third installment in the John Wick franchise. It stars Keanu Reeves as the title character, alongside an ensemble supporting cast including Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Anjelica Huston, and Ian McShane. The film centers on John Wick going on the run from a legion of hitmen after a bounty is placed for his murder.

Mortal Kombat is an American series of martial arts action films based on the fighting video game series of the same name by Midway Games. The first film was produced by Lawrence Kasanoff’s Threshold Entertainment.

<i>Wu Assassins</i> American web television series

Wu Assassins is an American supernatural action television series, created by John Wirth and Tony Krantz that premiered on Netflix on August 8, 2019. The series stars Iko Uwais, Byron Mann, Lewis Tan, Lawrence Kao, Celia Au, Li Jun Li, Tommy Flanagan, and Katheryn Winnick. The first season received positive reviews, with critics praising the fight choreography, although there was criticism of the plot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tati Gabrielle</span> American actress (b. 1996)

Tatiana Gabrielle Hobson is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Gaia on The CW science fiction television series The 100, Prudence on the Netflix original series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Marienne Bellamy on the Netflix series You. She also provided the voice of Willow Park on the Disney Channel animated series The Owl House, and played Jo Braddock in the 2022 movie Uncharted and Hannah Kim on the Netflix series Kaleidoscope.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (2021 film) American film by Simon McQuoid

Mortal Kombat is a 2021 American martial arts fantasy film co-produced and directed by Simon McQuoid from a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham, based on the video game series of the same name created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The film serves as a reboot and as the third installment of the Mortal Kombat film series. It stars Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Max Huang, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada. The film follows Cole Young, a washed-up mixed martial arts fighter who is unaware of his hidden lineage or why the assassin Sub-Zero is hunting him down. Concerned for the safety of his family, he seeks out a clique of fighters that were chosen to defend Earthrealm against Outworld.

Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend is an American cooking show reboot of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America. Alton Brown returns to co-host the show with Kristen Kish, and Mark Dacascos again serves as The Chairman. Contestants challenge the Iron Chefs in a cookoff with a secret ingredient, and in this series, the highest scoring challenger battles with all five Iron Chefs one more time in hopes of becoming an Iron Legend. The series debuted on Netflix on June 15, 2022, for its first season of eight episodes.

Adeline Rudolph is a Hong Kong-born actress. She began her career in modeling before making her debut in the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018–2020). She has since appeared in the CW series Riverdale (2021) and the Netflix adaptation of Resident Evil (2022). She is set to portray Kitana in the Mortal Kombat sequel.

References

  1. 1 2 "Discovering the Samurai Within". Inside Kung Fu. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  2. "Dancing With The Stars Season 9 Cast". Archived from the original on August 19, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  3. Eng, Joyce (August 17, 2009). "Dancing with the Stars 2009 Season 9 Cast Revealed!". TV Guide . Archived from the original on August 18, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  4. Kim, Serena (May 7, 2019). "Meet Actor Mark Dacascos—The Martial Artist Behind Zero in 'John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum'". CharacterMedia. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  5. Mark Dacascos full Interview GCC 2019 Dortmund - speaks german / spricht deutsch - John Wick 3 movie
  6. Dacascos, Mark (March 2001). "IMPACT 90 Mark Dacascos: Kung Fou Style (fou for crazy)" (Interview). Interviewed by Damien Granger. Translated by The Wolfsisters. www.markdacascos.de. Archived from the original on May 24, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2018.{{cite interview}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. Munoz, Lorenza (January 3, 2003). "Little pictures have a big year". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  8. "Web Series 'Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2′ Hitting February 17th". Latino Review. Archived from the original on December 6, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  9. Busch, Anita (May 21, 2018). "Halle Berry, Anjelica Huston Join Returning Cast For 'John Wick". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Petski, Denise (August 15, 2018). "'Wu Assassins': JuJu Chan & Mark Dacascos To Recur In Netflix Martial Arts Drama". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  11. Rice, Lynette (May 2, 2022). "All New 'Iron Chef' Coming To Netflix In June; Alton Brown Returns As Host With Kristen Kish". Deadline. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  12. Palan, Michael (June 4, 2021). "What Happened To The Original Cast Of The Wonder Years?". Looper.
  13. Mossman, Bill (September 16, 2020). "The Chairman Never Rests". Midweek.
  14. Thompson, Brian (October 22, 2013). "THE EXTENDABLES Trailer". Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2018 via YouTube.
  15. "Mark Dacascos Interview". Martial Arts Unlimited. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  16. Petski, Denise (November 6, 2015). "Marvel's 'Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Casts Mark Dacascos In Recurring Role". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  17. Petski, Denise (July 27, 2022). "'Warrior': Mark Dacascos & Chelsea Muirhead Joins Season 3 Cast Of HBO Max Series". deadline.com. Deadline. Retrieved July 27, 2022.