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 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- College:
- Brown University, Providence, RI (BS, Computer Science & Mathematics, 1997)
