Soon-Tek Oh, voice of Fa Zhou, the father of the titular character in Disney‘s Mulan has died. He was 74-years-old.
Oh, who voiced the warrior in both 1998’s Mulan and it’s 2004 direct-to-video sequel, Mulan II, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. According actor Chil Kong, Oh’s passing comes after a battle with Alzheimer’s.
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Oh was born June 29, 1943 in what is now South Korea. He was a pioneer for Asian American actors, appearing in the original cast of the Stephen Sondheim musical Pacific Overtures. He also had several roles on television in Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*H, Charlie’s Angels and Magnum, P.I. In addition to his role as Fa Zhou, Oh’s movie career also included the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun in which he played Lieutenant Hip, an ally of Roger Moore’s Bond. He also played Sensei in 1997’s Beverly Hills Ninja opposite the late Chris Farley.
In addition to his acting work, Oh was active within the Asian-American theater community. In 1965 he co-founded East West Players, one of the first Asian American theater groups in the United States and later created the Society of Heritage Performers which later became the Lodestone Theater Ensemble, a group focused on counteracting stereotypes of Asian Americans in acting and the media. Oh was also a college professor, having taught at the Seoul National University of Economics since 2005.
A memorial service for Oh is set for April 14th in Los Angeles.
[ H/T: The Hollywood Reporter ]
