Robert Ito is a Canadian film and television actor and voice-over artist of Japanese descent who is perhaps best known to television viewers for his roles as Sam Fujiyama on the NBC-TV series Quincy, M.E. and Lawrence 'Larry' Mishima on the CBS-TV night timesoap opera series Falcon Crest. He was nominated for a Gemini Award for his performance in Trial at Fortitude Bay.
Career
Ito was for many years a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada before turning to acting in the mid-1960s. With a long list of performing credits to his name, he is probably best known for his seven-year role on Quincy, M.E. as forensic lab technician Sam Fujiyama. He also appeared three times in the 1970s TV series Kung Fu; first as a Chinese rail worker in the two-hour movie that launched the series, then twice in regular hour-long episodes, once as a Chinese bandit named Captain Lee in the episode "The Way of Violence Has No Mind" and another time as a Japanese Ninja in the episode entitled "The Assassin". He likewise portrayed two different Korean characters in separate episodes of M*A*S*H in 1972 and 1976. Ito acted in the 1976 World War II film, Midway, as Minoru Genda, the leader of the attack on Midway Island in June 1942. His other film credits include The Terminal Man, Rollerball, Peeper, Special Delivery, Black Sunday, ', The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Pray for Death, Aloha Summer and The Vineyard. Ito guest-starred on the ' episode "Coming of Age |Coming of Age" as TAC officer Lt. Chang and on as John Kim. Ito starred in The X-Files episodes "Nisei" and "731". In 1999, he appeared in the episode "Hungry Man" on the sitcom The King of Queens.
Ito has voiced characters in many cartoon shows and films, including ', Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Animaniacs, Bonkers, ', Jackie Chan Adventures, Fantastic Max, ', ', My Little Pony and Friends, Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, Biker Mice from Mars, Quack Pack, Capitol Critters, ProStars, Justice League, Darkwing Duck, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, Iron Man, The Karate Kid, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures, Rambo and the Forces of Freedom, Savage Dragon, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, TaleSpin, ', The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, All Grown Up!, ', , The Woody Woodpecker Show, The Wild Thornberrys, Jonny Quest vs. The Cyber Insects and Gargoyles.
Selected filmography
Television
Get Smart
Women of the Prehistoric Planet as Tang
Dimension 5 as Sato
It Takes a Thief as Chief Aide
Some Kind of a Nut as George Toyota
Kung Fu Movie Pilot as Fong
Kung Fu Season 2 Episode 17. The Assassin as blacksmith/ninja