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Smart, sweet and adorkable, Oka was bound for greatness
from an early age. Of course, when he appeared on the
cover of Time magazine as one of "Those
Asian-American Whiz Kids" at age 12, a successful
performing career probably didn't seem like his destiny.
Although he always harbored acting ambitions, he
graduated from Brown University as a computer-science
major and quickly found work as a special-effects wizard
at George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic. While it must
have been a thrill for the self-declared geek to work on
the second Star Wars trilogy, Oka longed to be on
camera. In the early '00s, he began landing bit movie
parts and sitcom guest spots, even a recurring role as a
lab technician on Scrubs. But nothing prepared
him for his breakthrough role as Hiro, a space-bending,
time-traveling master on Heroes. While the sci-fi
series was a veritable smash, Oka was the show's
breakout star, earning a Golden Globe nod for his work.
Tapping into his real-life smarts (he reportedly has an
IQ of 180) and initially speaking only in Japanese, Oka
was convincing both as a nerdy office worker and as an
English-speaking, sword-wielding warrior. And yet
despite his overnight fame, Oka remained grounded off
screen, continuing to drive a modest car (a 2000 Honda
Accord) and consulting for ILM a few days a week.
Masi Oka Fast Facts:
- Although he was featured on the cover of Time
Magazine on August 31, 1987 as one of "Those
Asian-American Whiz kids," he wasn't mentioned in
the accompanying article.
- Chose Brown University over Harvard due to its
diversity.
- Turned down a position with Microsoft to work
for George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic.
- Worked with improv acting groups in San
Francisco while doing digital effects for movies
including The Perfect Storm, The Hulk
and War of the Worlds.
- Fluent in English, Japanese and Spanish.
- Masi Oka Awards:
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor
in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or
Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a
Drama Series - Nominee
- College:
- Brown University, Providence, RI (BS, Computer
Science & Mathematics, 1997)
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