Robert Ito

Robert Ito, born July 2, 1931, is a Canadian actor whose career has spanned stage, film, television, and voice acting. Before establishing himself as a screen presence, Ito trained and performed as a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, a foundation that brought him to Broadway, where he appeared in productions between 1958 and 1971. His Broadway credits include the musicals Flower Drum Song, in which he danced during its 1960–1961 run, and Candide.

Ito transitioned from dancing to acting in the mid-1960s, frequently taking on Asian roles across film and television. Among his early television work, he appeared three times in the 1970s series Kung Fu, each time as a distinct character: a Chinese rail worker in the two-hour pilot, a Chinese bandit named Captain Lee in the episode "The Way of Violence Has No Mind," and a ninja in "The Assassin." He also portrayed two separate Korean characters in different episodes of M*A*S*H, airing in 1972 and 1976. On the big screen, he played Minoru Genda, the officer who led the 1942 attack on Midway Island, in the 1976 film Midway.

The role that brought Ito the widest recognition was forensic lab technician Sam Fujiyama on the NBC series Quincy, M.E., a regular supporting part he held from 1976 to 1983. As of April 2025, he is the last surviving major cast member of that series. During the same decade, he portrayed Larry Mishima on the CBS primetime soap opera Falcon Crest. His additional film credits include The Terminal Man (1974), Rollerball (1975), Peeper (1976), Special Delivery (1976), the television film SST: Death Flight (1977), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), Pray for Death (1985), Aloha Summer (1988), and The Vineyard (1989). His performance in the 1994 television film Trial at Fortitude Bay earned him a Gemini Award nomination.

Ito also made appearances in the Star Trek franchise, guest-starring as TAC officer Lt. Chang in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Coming of Age" and as John Kim, the father of Harry Kim, in Star Trek: Voyager. Alongside his on-screen work, Ito built an extensive voice acting career, contributing to animated series and films including Avatar: The Last Airbender, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, Jackie Chan Adventures, Animaniacs, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Gargoyles, Darkwing Duck, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, The Wild Thornberrys, and numerous other productions.