Masi Oka

Masayori “Masi” Oka was born in Tokyo, Japan, on December 27, 1974. His parents divorced when he was one month old, and he moved to Los Angeles with his mother at age six. Oka’s early life demonstrated a strong aptitude for academics; he appeared on the CBS game show “Child’s Play” at age eight and was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1987 as one of “Those Asian-American Whiz Kids.” He excelled in mathematics, placing fourth in the California state MATHCOUNTS competition in 1988. Oka attended Brown University, graduating in 1997 with a B.S. in computer science and mathematics and a minor in theater arts. After graduation, he began his career at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), George Lucas’ visual effects company, where he worked as a digital effects artist and technical director on major films, including the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (2006), and “War of the Worlds” (2005).

Oka transitioned into acting in 2000, driven by a desire to combine his technical skills with performance. He secured a Screen Actors Guild card through industry films and moved to Los Angeles. During this period, he took on minor roles in film and television, such as “Austin Powers in Goldmember” (2002) and a recurring role as Franklyn in the NBC comedy “Scrubs.” His breakthrough came in 2006 when he was cast as Hiro Nakamura in the NBC series “Heroes.” His portrayal of the time-manipulating character earned him significant recognition, including nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He also translated his own Japanese dialogue for the show, showcasing his multilingual abilities. Oka continued to contribute to ILM as a research and development technical director even while starring in “Heroes.”

Following his success on “Heroes,” Oka joined the cast of CBS’s “Hawaii Five-0” in 2010, playing Dr. Max Bergman, a role he maintained until 2019. He reprised his role as Hiro Nakamura in the “Heroes Reborn” miniseries in 2015. Beyond acting, Oka has actively engaged in production, founding the video game development studio Mobius Digital, known for the acclaimed game “Outer Wilds” (2019), where he served as an executive producer. He also co-produced the 2017 film adaptation of “Death Note.” His recent acting credits include voice work in the animated Netflix series “Blue Eye Samurai” (2023) and a role in the film “Bullet Train” (2022). Oka is fluent in Japanese, English, and Spanish and holds a black belt in kendō.