Mark Dacascos
| Mark Dacascos | |
|---|---|
 Mark Dacascos in 2011 | |
| Born |
Mark Alan Dacascos February 26, 1964 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Other names |
Marc Dacascos The Chairman |
| Occupation | Actor, martial artist, television personality |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse(s) | Julie Condra (1998–present) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Al Dacascos, Moriko McVey-Murray |
| Website |
www |
Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor and martial artist.[1] He won numerous karate and various styles of kung fu championships between the ages of 7 and 18.[2] Dacascos is perhaps best known for his roles as Toby Wong in the 1997 film Drive, and Ling in the 2003 film Cradle 2 the Grave.
Beginning in January 2005, Dacascos has portrayed the Chairman on Food Network's television series Iron Chef America. This role was previously played by Takeshi Kaga in the original Japanese Iron Chef, and Dacascos' character is presented as Kaga's nephew, though the actors are not related. Some of his other roles include the recurring character of Wo Fat on the CBS series Hawaii Five-0; Kung Lao in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy; Eric Draven in The Crow: Stairway to Heaven; Eubulon, the Advent Master in Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight; the role of Mani in the French film Brotherhood of the Wolf, and the lead role of Crying Freeman in the film of the same name.
Dacascos competed in season 9 of Dancing with the Stars.[3][4]
Biography
Dacascos' father, Al Dacascos, is from Hawaii, and is a martial arts instructor of Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese ancestry. His mother, Moriko McVey-Murray, is of Irish and Japanese ancestry. She was a rock-star and performed in 46 states and Canada. Eighteen years in show-biz. In the History Channel presentation, "Samurai", he revealed that many of the Japanese side of his mother's family were killed in the bombing of Hiroshima. Mark's mother Moriko McVey-Murray was also a student of Sifu Al Dacascos in San Leandro, California. Dacascos attended Los Angeles Valley College and was on their 1983-1984 Gymnastics Team coached by Gary Honjio. He also attended Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. Dacascos is proficient in his father's style of martial arts, Wun Hop Kuen Do. He has studied Muay Thai with Kru Puk, Capoeira with Mestre Amen Santo, and Wushu with Coaches Eric and Debbie Chen, though he self-admittedly is still very much a beginner/intermediate student in those arts.[5]
Personal life
He is married to actress Julie Condra, who starred with him in Crying Freeman. They have three children: two sons and a daughter. Mark has five siblings: two brothers and three sisters.
Career
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Dacascos became an actor after being discovered walking down the street in San Francisco's Chinatown by Chris Lee (at that time, assistant director) and Rexall Chin (hairstylist) for director Wayne Wang. Though his first scenes ended up on the cutting room floor, 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 produced by Haim Saban which never got picked up but would later evolve 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 potential failures and turns their lives around by teaching them the Brazilian martial art based on the West African martial art brought by slaves. In the following year, Dacascos co-starred with Party of Five's Scott Wolf as Jimmy and Billy Lee, respectively, in the movie, based on the video game, Double Dragon.
He plays the role of the Chairman of Iron Chef America and Iron Chef Australia. In the series' backstory he is the nephew of the original Iron Chef Chairman, Takeshi Kaga; the actors hold no relation in real life.
He has been featured in many action films such as 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 plays 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]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart | n/a | Film (scenes deleted) |
| 1990 | Angel Town | Stoner Driver | Film |
| 1991 | Dead On The Money | Martial arts master | TV movie |
| 1992 | American Samurai | Kenjiro Sanga | Film |
| 1993 | Only The Strong | Louis Stevens | Film |
| 1993 | Roosters | Filipino's Son | Film (Cameo) |
| 1994 | Dragstrip Girl | Johnny Ramirez | TV movie |
| 1994 | Double Dragon | Jimmy Lee | Film |
| 1995 | Deadly Past | Leo | Film |
| 1995 | Kickboxer 5: The Redemption | Matt Reeves | Film |
| 1995 | Crying Freeman | Yo Hinomura/Freeman | Film |
| 1996 | The Island of Dr. Moreau | Lo-Mai | Film |
| 1996 | Sabotage | Michael Bishop | |
| 1997 | Drive | Toby Wong | Film |
| 1997 | Sanctuary | Luke Kovak | Film |
| 1997 | DNA | Dr. Ash Mattley | Film |
| 1997 | Deathline (a.k.a. Redline) | Merrick | Film |
| 1998 | Boogie Boy | Jesse Page | Film |
| 1998 | No Code of Conduct | Paul DeLucca | Film |
| 1999 | The Base | Maj. John Murphy/Cpl. John Dalton | Film |
| 2000 | China Strike Force (Lei ting zhan jing) | Tony Lau | Film |
| 2001 | Le Pacte des loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf) | Mani | Film |
| 2001 | Instinct To Kill (AKA The Perfect Husband) | J.T. Dillon | Film |
| 2002 | Scorcher | Ryan Beckett | Film |
| 2003 | Cradle 2 the Grave | Ling | Film |
| 2005 | Solar Strike (AKA Solar Attack) (USA) | Lucas Foster | TV movie |
| 2005 | Junior Pilot (aka Final Approach) | Kato | Film |
| 2006 | Only the Brave | Steve "Zaki" Senzaki | Film |
| 2006 | The Hunt for Eagle One | Lt. Matt Daniels | Video |
| 2006 | The Hunt for Eagle One: Crash Point | Lt. Matt Daniels | Video |
| 2006 | Nomad | Sharish | Film |
| 2007 | Code Name: The Cleaner | Eric Hauck | Film |
| 2007 | Alien Agent | Rykker | Film |
| 2007 | I Am Omega | Renchard | Film |
| 2008 | Gideon Falls | Set | Film |
| 2009 | Serbian Scars | Peter Olsen Obilich | Film |
| 2010 | Shadows in Paradise | Lt. Max Forrester | Film |
| 2010 | Secret of the Sultan | Film | |
| 2011 | The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone | Cobra | Film |
| 2013 | Mortal Kombat: Legacy | Kung Lao | Second series |
| 2014 | The Extendables[9] | *Cameo | Film |
| 2016 | Showdown in Manila | Matthew Wells | Film, director |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Episode/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | General Hospital | Police cadet | TV series |
| 1990 | New Dragnet | Kevin Chow | TV series |
| 1990 | Doogie Howser, MD | Julian | Episode: "The Grass Ain't Always Greener" |
| 1991 | The Flash | Osaku | Episode: "Child's Play" |
| 1992 | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | Victor Lee/Red Ranger | Galaxy Rangers Test Pilot[10] |
| 1994 | Tales from the Crypt | Felix Johnson | Episode: "The Pit" |
| 1995 | One West Waikiki | Moku | Episode: "Rest in Peace" |
| 1998–99 | The Crow: Stairway to Heaven | Eric Draven | TV series |
| 1999 | Martial Law | Steven Garth | Episode: "Ninety Million Reasons to Die" |
| 2002 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Ananda the Monk | Episode: "Felonious Monk" |
| 2005–present | Iron Chef America: The Series | The Chairman | TV series |
| 2007 | Stargate Atlantis | Tyre | Episode: "Reunion" |
| 2008 | The Legend of Bruce Lee | Muay Thai boxer King Charles[11] | TV series |
| 2008 | The Middleman | Sensei Ping | Episode: "The Sino-Mexican Revelation" |
| 2008 | Stargate Atlantis | Tyre | Episode: "Broken Ties" |
| 2009 | Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight | Eubulon | Episodes: 32–40 |
| 2009 | Dancing with the Stars | Himself/guest dancer | Episodes" 1-7 |
| 2009 | Wolvesbayne | Von Griem | TV movie |
| 2008–present | The Next Iron Chef | The Chairman | TV series |
| 2010 | Samurai | Himself | TV documentary |
| 2010–2014 | Hawaii Five-0 | Wo Fat | TV series |
| 2010 | Iron Chef Australia | The Chairman | TV series |
| 2012 | Iron Chef America Countdown | The Chairman | TV series |
| 2014 | Chicago PD (TV series) | Jimmy Shi | TV series |
| 2014 | Bagatami's Case | John Bagatami | Russian TV series |
| 2015 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Mr. Giyera | Recurring role; TV series |
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Nominated | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actor for: Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) |
References
- ↑ "Discovering the Samurai Within". Inside Kung Fu. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ↑ Biography for Mark Dacascos at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ "Dancing With The Stars Season 9 Cast".
- ↑ Joyce Eng (17 August 2009). "Dancing with the Stars 2009 Season 9 Cast Revealed!". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- ↑ "Discovering the Samurai Within". Inside Kung Fu. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
- ↑ http://www.markdacascos.de/interviews/impact90-engl.html
- ↑ "Little pictures have a big year", Los Angeles Times, 3 January 2003
- ↑ "Web Series ‘Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2′ Hitting February 17th". Latino Review. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
- ↑ THE EXTENDABLES Trailer
- ↑ http://henshinjustice.com/2012/08/25/introducing-galaxy-rangers-the-power-rangers-dvd-box-set-easter-egg
- ↑ "Mark Dacascos Interview". Martial Arts Unlimited. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
External links
- Mark Dacascos at the Internet Movie Database
- Official web site of Mark Dacascos
- HILuxury article on Mark Dacascos
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