, commonly known as Sab Shimono, is an American actor of Japanese descent. He began his career on stage on Broadway and in regional theaters, starring in musicals like Mame, Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen, and Pacific Overtures. He has appeared in dozens of films and television shows in character roles, including Midway, Gung Ho, Presumed Innocent, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, The Shadow, Jackie Chan Adventures, Samurai Jack, and Southland Tales.
Early life and education Saburo Shimono was born in 1937 in Sacramento, California, to restaurant owners Edith Mary (née Otani) and Masauchi Shimono.Sab Shimono Biography (1943-) at FilmReference.com
During World War II, following the signing of Executive Order 9066, Shimono and his family were interned at the Tule Lake War Relocation Center and the Granada War Relocation Center. Shimono later played a character who had a similar experience in a 2023 TV episode of Magnum P.I.
He attended Sacramento High School and graduated from University of California, Berkeley.
Career Shimono has appeared on Broadway and in regional theaters including San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. He was cast as Ito opposite Angela Lansbury's Auntie Mame in Jerry Herman's Broadway musical hit Mame in 1966. This was followed by Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen (1970), The Chickencoop Chinaman (1972), and the role of Manjiro in Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince's Pacific Overtures (1976) – he would go on to play Lord Abe in the 2004 Broadway revival. He was in the short-lived 1978 musical Barbary Coast, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play for his leading performance in Philip Kan Gotanda's The Wash. In 2010, he appeared in the world premiere of No-No Boy by Ken Narasaki based on the novel by John Okada. He is closely affiliated with the East West Players and South Coast Repertory companies, appearing in a run of Julia Cho's Aubergine.
His film roles include Lt. Tomonaga in Midway, Saito in the 1986 comedy Gung Ho, Hiroshi Kawamura in the 1990 drama Come See the Paradise, the coroner "Painless" Kumagai in 1990's Presumed Innocent, Dr. Max Shinoda in 1993's Suture, Lord Norinaga in 1993's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, and in Old Dogs, alongside John Travolta and Robin Williams, as Japanese billionaire Yoshiro Nishamura. He played Dr. Tam in the 1994 film The Shadow. He can also be seen in Asian American independent films Americanese (2006), The Sensei (2008) and Life Tastes Good (1999). Shimono performed the voice of Subotai in the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian, dubbing actor Gerry Lopez.
On television, he starred on the 2008 ABC family miniseries Samurai Girl. Shimono provided the voices of antique-shop owner/Chi Wizard Uncle on the television series Jackie Chan Adventures, the elderly version of the Emperor (Jack's father) on Samurai Jack, Airbending Master Monk Gyatso and Master Yu in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Mister Sparkle ("In Marge We Trust") and Master Sushi Chef ("One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish") on The Simpsons and Mr. Murakami on 2012's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. He also appeared in Royal Pains, season 3 episode "But There's a Catch", as Jono the gardener. In 2007, he appeared in the episode "Don't Worry, Speed Racer" on Two and a Half Men. Shimono appeared in two episodes of the television show M*A*S*H.
Personal life Shimono is gay and has been in a relationship with writer Steve Alden Nelson since 2001. The couple registered their domestic partnership in April 2005 and married in San Diego on June 23, 2008.
Theater credits Year Title RoleCompany Notes1964Flower Drum SongWang TaMelody Fair Theatre1965South PacificHenryNew York City Center1966-68Mame Ito (original cast)The Shubert Organization1968Mame (West Coast) Ito (replacement)The Shubert Organization1968-70Mame Ito (replacement)The Shubert Organization1970-71Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen Ancient Man, Mr. Keora, Okinawan, Mr. Oshira (understudy)Majestic Theatre1972The Chickencoop ChinamanKenjiThe American Place Theatre1973OthelloThe ClownAmas Musical Theatre1973-75Santa Anita '42Commissioner, MichaelPlaywrights Horizons Company1974Ride the Winds YamadaMajestic Theatre1976Pacific OverturesManjiro, Ensemble MemberThe Shubert Organization1978Barbary CoastCaptain ChungOrpheum TheatreLA Weekly Theater Award for Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role1980The Music LessonsKaoru KawaguchiThe Public Theater1983MameItoGershwin Theatre1985-86As the Crow FliesP.K.Los Angeles Theatre CenterThe WashSadaoMark Taper Forum1988-89Yankee Dawg You DieVincent ChangPlaywrights HorizonsDrama-Logue Award1990-91The WashNobu MatsumotoManhattan Theatre ClubNominated- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play1995-96Ballad of YachiyoPapaSouth Coast Repertory1998RedHuaIntiman Theatre2000FolliesBenEast West Players2001Yankee Dawg You DieVincent Chang2002Sisters MatsumotoHideo2003The Nisei Widows ClubTak2004The Wind Cries MaryDr. Nakada2004-05Pacific OverturesLord AbeRoundabout Theatre Company2008The Pleasure of His CompanyToiOld Globe Theatre2008A Majority of OneKoichi AsanoWest Coast Jewish Theatre2010No-No BoyPaMiles Memorial Playhouse2011WrinklesGrandpa HarryEast West Players2014The Orphan of ZhaoGongsun Chujiu, Ensemble MemberAmerican Conservatory Theater2015tokyo fish storyKojiSouth Coast Repertory2016AubergineMr. ParkBerkeley Repertory Theatre2019South Coast Repertory
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1970Loving Byron1971The Hospital Operating Room Staff Member Uncredited1972Parades Togo1976Midway Lt. Joichi Tomonaga1978Rabbit TestChinese Leader1981Nice DreamsOriental Bus Boy1982Conan the BarbarianSubutai (voice)UncreditedThe ChallengeToshio Yoshida1983Where the Toys Come FromKenji the Designer1986Gung HoSaito1987Blind DateMr. Yakamoto1988The WashSadao1990Presumed InnocentDr. "Painless" KumagaiCome See the ParadiseHiroshi Kawamura1993Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IIILord NorinagaSutureDr. Max Shinoda19943 Ninjas Kick BackKoga Murder Between Friends Dr. LeeRoberta Bernstein, "Murder Between Friends", in Variety and Daily Variety Television Reviews, 1993-1994, January 11, 1994, p. 12The ShadowDr. Roy Tam1995WaterworldElder1997Paradise RoadCol. Hirota1998The Big HitJiro Nishi1999Life Tastes GoodHarry Sado2000LuminariasLu's Father2001Ice PlanetKarteez A. Rumla2003Robot StoriesJohnSegment: "Clay"2004Worlds ApartTeijo2006AmericaneseWood DingSouthland TalesHideo Takehashi2008The SenseiTaki Nakano2009Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai SwordTakagawa (voice)Direct-to-video A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.Old DogsYoshiro Nishamura2011The ArcadianMoto2013Yellow FaceHYHSex & MarriageMike2016The WatcherWendell
Television Year Title Role Notes1962Armstrong Circle TheatreFather ChenEpisode: "The Cross and the Dragon"1964East Side/West SideSamEpisode: "If Your Grandmother Had Wheels"1967Coronet BlueStudentEpisode: "Tomoyo"1973PuebloCapt. RheeTelevision film1976Pacific OverturesManjiro, Ensemble Member1977Baa Baa Black SheepJapanese Bomber CommanderEpisode: "Divine Wind"1977–78The Krofft SupershowHuliMain cast1978And the Soul Shall DanceMurataTelevision film1978, 1980M*A*S*HKwang, Jin2 episodes1979How the West Was WonCookEpisode: "The Gunfighter"MandrakeHoTelevision filmWhen Hell Was in SessionCao1980, 1981Quincy, M.E.Ito, Governor3 episodes1981The WaltonsCpl. KiyomoEpisode: "The Last Ten Days"Palmerstown, U.S.A.Yeung-LeeEpisode: "Epidemic"1982Bring 'Em Back AliveNakamotoEpisode: "Seven Keys to Singapore"Cagney & LaceyCunninghamEpisode: "One of Our Own"Hart to HartKojiEpisode: "Rich and Hartless"Modesty BlaiseWengTelevision film1982, 1986Remington Steele Kenji Ito, Sam Kuromatsu 2 episodes1983Knight RiderHito OsakaEpisode: "Give Me Liberty... or Give Me Death"Tales of the Gold MonkeyGen. AnagoEpisode: "Mourning Becomes Matuka"1984Call to GloryDiemEpisode: "Go/No Go"Santa BarbaraCaretakerEpisode #1.581985AirwolfKoEpisode: "The American Dream"Street HawkMr. ChenEpisode: "Chinatown Memories"HotelInspector James MatsuokaEpisode: "Identities"1986Our HouseVeterinarianEpisode: "Choices"A Year in the LifeKwanMiniseries; 1 episode1986–87Gung HoSaito9 episodes1988Max HeadroomPed XingEpisode: "Neurostim"1989Knots LandingPharmacist2 episodes1990NewhartSuntaraEpisode: "The Last Newhart"Hiroshima: Out of the AshesShizuoTelevision filmDear JohnCharlie MouraEpisode: "Hot Lips Lacey"1991PlymouthHiroTelevision filmAmerican PlayhouseTakahashi HosoumeEpisode: "Hot Summer Winds"1991, 1997The Simpsons Master Chef, Mr. Sparkle (voice) 2 episodes1992RavenMr. KoyosakaEpisode: "The Death of Sheila"1993Silent CriesNatsumeTelevision film1994All-American GirlSammyEpisode: "Yung at Heart"The X-FilesGung BituenEpisode: "Excelsis Dei"1996The Steve Harvey ShowBobby WongEpisode: "Loose Lips Sink Friendships"SeinfeldExecutive No. 1Episode: "The Checks"ERDr. Richard OkidaEpisode: "No Brain, No Gain"1999Jack & JillMr. TanakaEpisode: "The Awful Truth"2000–05Jackie Chan AdventuresUncle (voice)Main cast2001–17Samurai JackThe Emperor (voice)5 episodes2006Justice League UnlimitedMonk (voice)Episode: "Dead Reckoning"Popcorn ZenKan OgawaEpisode #2.12005–07Avatar: The Last AirbenderMonk Gyatso, Master Yu (voice)6 episodes2007Two and a Half MenHiroshiEpisode: "Don't Worry, Speed Racer"Clark and MichaelMan at Driving Range2 episodesLegion of Super HeroesK3NT (voice)Episode: "The Man from the Edge of Tomorrow"Ben 10: Race Against TimeHubbardTelevision film2008Samurai GirlNoriyukiMiniseries; 2 episodes2010The BoondocksLong Dou (voice)Episode: "The Red Ball"Mad MenIchiro KamuraEpisode: "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword"2011–12Hawaii Five-0Keako Kelly3 episodes2015LongmireFrancis IgawaEpisode: "War Eagle"2012–15Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesMr. Murakami (voice)4 episodes2016FlakedWild BillEpisode: "Palms"Legends of TomorrowIchiro YamashiroEpisode: "Shogun"2017The BlacklistDaniel NakamotoEpisode: "Dembe Zuma (No. 10)"Ave 43Dr. DyeWeb series; 4 episodes2017–18Stretch Armstrong and the Flex FightersGrandpa Park (voice)Recurring role (seasons 1 and 2)2019The Terror Kazu Episode: "Into the Afterlife"2023Magnum P.I. George Nakamura Episode: "Appetite for Danger"
Video games Year Title Role Notes2009Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Archie Tan
References
External links
Sab Shimono at New York Times Movies