Randall Duk Kim

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Randall Duk Kim
Born (1943-09-24) September 24, 1943 (age 80)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. [1]
Other namesRandy Kim
Alma mater University of Hawaii
Occupation(s)Actor, artistic director
Years active1968–present
Known forCo-founding American Players Theatre
Playing the Keymaker in The Matrix
Voicing Master Oogway in Kung Fu Panda
SpouseAnne Occhiogrosso
Korean name
Hangul
김덕문
Hanja
金德文
Revised Romanization Gim Deokmun
McCune–Reischauer Kim Tŏk-mun

Randall Duk Kim (born September 24, 1943) is an American actor. On stage, he is known both for his extensive classical repertoire and as an interpreter of the works of playwright Frank Chin. He is the co-founder of the American Players Theatre. [2] [3] To film audiences, he is best known for his portrayal of the Keymaker in The Matrix franchise, and as the voice of Master Oogway in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. He is an Obie Award winner and an Outer Critics Circle Award nominee. [4]

Contents

Early life

Kim was born to a fundamentalist Baptist family of Chinese and Korean descent in Hawaii. [5] He grew up on a farm near the Koko Head Crater. He developed an interest in acting as a child after seeing the musical Oklahoma! at the Honolulu Community Theatre. In high school, he often watched plays at the University of Hawaii. After graduating high school, while visiting family in San Diego, he visited the Old Globe Theatre where he saw The Merchant of Venice , Twelfth Night , and Richard III . He credited Morris Carnovsky for inspiring him to become an actor.

In 1964, Kim and his friend Charles Bright moved to New York City to pursue acting careers. Bright became an apprentice with the Association of Producing on the Phoenix at 74th Street. Kim and Bright befriended the house manager and the house manager gave Kim unsold seats at shows. Kim spent time in London between 1966 and 1967 where he acquired a part time job and watched shows from the Royal Shakespeare Company. [6] [7] [8] [9]

Career

Theater

Kim began doing theater when he was 18 years old. [10] He has portrayed a wide variety of roles on the stage, focusing upon Western classical works, including Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen and Molière. He has spent most of his career in theater.

Kim starred in the first play written by an Asian American to be produced professionally in New York, The Chickencoop Chinaman by Frank Chin, which was mounted by The American Place Theatre in 1972.

Kim co-founded the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin with Anne Occhiogrosso and Charles Bright in 1977. [11] He was the theater's artistic director. [12]

In 1974, Kim starred in Chin's second play, The Year of the Dragon. Also that year, he became one of the first Asian-American actors to play a leading role in an American production of a Shakespeare play when he played the title role in The New York Public Theater's 1974 production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre . [13] Kim played the title role in Hamlet at the Guthrie Theatre in 1978–79. [14]

He played Kralahome in the 1996 revival of The King and I on Broadway, later succeeding to the leading role. Other Broadway credits include Golden Child and the revised version of Flower Drum Song , both written by David Henry Hwang.

Film and television

Kim portrayed the Keymaker in the film The Matrix Reloaded (2003). [15] He was originally asked by casting director Mali Finn for the role. [10] In 2008, he played mathematician Dashiell Kim in the episode "The Equation" of the television series Fringe. He played Grandpa Gohan in the live action Dragonball Evolution (2009). [16] Kim voiced Po's and Shifu’s teacher, Grand Master Oogway, in Kung Fu Panda (2008) and Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016). [17]

Personal life

He is married to actress and fellow American Players Theatre co-founder, Anne Occhiogrosso. [18]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1970 The Hawaiians Asia at 19Uncredited
1970 Tora! Tora! Tora! Tadao - Japanese Messenger BoyUnconfirmed; uncredited
1974Nourish the BeastActorCredited as Randy Kim; television film
1995Prisoners in Time Nagase Takashi Television film
1998 The Replacement Killers Alan Chan
1998 The Thin Red Line Nisei InterpreterUncredited
1999 Anna and the King General Alak
2001 The Lost Empire Shu
2003MTV Movie Awards Reloaded Keymaker Short television film
2003 The Matrix Reloaded Keymaker
2005 Memoirs of a Geisha Dr. Crab
2006 Falling for Grace Mr. Hung
2007Tailor MadeWongShort film
2007 Year of the Fish Auntie Yaga/Old Man/Foreman
2008 Kung Fu Panda Master Oogway Voice
2008 Secrets of the Furious Five Master Oogway Voice
2009 Dragonball Evolution Grandpa Gohan
2009 Ninja Assassin Tattoo Master
2010 The Last Airbender Old Man in Temple
2011 Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters Master Oogway Voice
2014 John Wick Continental Doctor
2016 Kung Fu Panda 3 Master Oogway Voice
2019 John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum Continental Doctor

TV series

YearTitleRoleNotes
1968–1969 Hawaii Five-O Eddie/John Lo/Oscar3 episodes
2001 100 Centre Street Pham Van TrongEpisode: "Hostage"
2006 Thief Uncle Lau3 episodes
2008 Cashmere Mafia John MasonEpisode: "The Deciders"
New Amsterdam Donald ChenEpisode: "Legacy"
Fringe Dashiell KimEpisode: "The Equation"
2011 Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness Master Oogway

Voice, 2 episodes

2012 Person of Interest Mr. HanEpisode: "Many Happy Returns"
Elementary Old ManEpisode: "You Do It Yourself"
2022 The Boys Presents: Diabolical JohnVoice, episode: "John and Sun-Hee"
2024 Avatar: The Last Airbender Wan Shi TongVoice, episode: “Spirited Away”

Video games

List of voice performances in video games
YearTitleRole
2003 Enter the Matrix Keymaker
2005 Red Ninja: End of Honor Shingen
2007 Stranglehold James Wong
2015 Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends Master Oogway

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References

  1. ↑ "Keymaker role enthralls 'Matrix' actor | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper". the.honoluluadvertiser.com.
  2. ↑ "Artist Biographies". Division of the Arts. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  3. ↑ "Randall Duk Kim – A Performing Arts Legacy Project site". performingartslegacy.org. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  4. ↑ "Randall Duk Kim theatre profile". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  5. ↑ A sojourn in the embodiment of words jadtjournal.org May 23, 2022 [ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Randall Duk Kim – A Performing Arts Legacy Project site".
  7. ↑ "Home". randalldukkim.com.
  8. ↑ "Randall Duk Kim - Filmbug". www.filmbug.com.
  9. ↑ Theatre, American Players. "History". American Players Theatre.
  10. 1 2 Epstein, Daniel Robert. "Randall Duk Kim". Underground Online. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  11. ↑ Christians, Lindsay (May 24, 2017). "Players' Progress: American Players Theatre celebrates big changes in Spring Green". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  12. ↑ Shipp, E. R. (1986-09-16). "WISCONSIN SAVES A RURAL THEATER". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  13. ↑ ​Pericles, Prince of Tyre​ at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
  14. ↑ George, David (Spring 1979), "Shakespeare in Minneapolis", Shakespeare Quarterly , 30 (2), Folger Shakespeare Library: 219–221, doi:10.2307/2869313, JSTOR   2869313
  15. ↑ Hiatt, Brian (May 22, 2003). "The Matrix's Keymaker speaks out". EW.com. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  16. ↑ Marshall, Rick. "Three Exclusive 'Dragonball Evolution' Clips -- See 'Em Here First!". MTV News. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  17. ↑ "'Kung Fu Panda 3' continues the franchise's awesomeness". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  18. ↑ Nutt, Bill (April 10, 2015). "'Then Came Each Actor' comes to Centenary Stage". Daily Record. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
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