Teruaki “Jimmy” Murakami was born in San Jose California on June 5, 1933. Sadly, his family was moved into an internment camp during the 1940’s. The camp’s practice of screening Disney cartoons to the people held there is what first sparked Murakami’s interest in animation. After his family was released in 1946, they initially considered …
Tag: Asian Heritage Month
May 25 2017
Steve Wang
Self-taught artist and sculptor Steve Wang was born in 1966, but moved with his family from Taiwan to the United States in 1975. Thanks to exposure to Halloween (which was largely unknown in Taiwan at the time), he quickly became enamored with both collecting and making masks. Factor in a love of tokusatsu shows like …
May 19 2016
Takeshi Yamada
With roots which trace back to an actual samurai clan, the story of Takeshi Yamada begins in Osaka, Japan. He was born there in 1960 and his passion for artwork started at age 12 thanks to a gift from his father. The early paintings he created at that age led to him deciding on art …
May 20 2015
Robert Kinoshita (1914-2014)
Robert Kinoshita was born in Los Angeles, California in 1914. His architecture and design degree in from the University of Southern California prepared him well for his future career in film. Some sources claim the first film he worked on was One Hundred Men and a Girl in 1937, but his earliest confirmed work in …
May 12 2014
Free (Legal) Download: Guidolon The Giant Space Chicken
Frank Wu is a man of many talents. His artwork has appeared in more science fiction and fantasy publications than I can name and movies like Earthlings: Ugly Bags of Mostly Water and Worm Free Society. In addition to being an artist, he has written stories, scientific papers and articles. That last link also reveals …
May 31 2013
William F. Wu
There are many reasons I could devote my annual Asian Heritage Month article to Chinese American science fiction author William F. Wu. Having written thirteen novels and over fifty short stories (many having appeared in famed magazines like Omni and Andromeda), Wu has built up quite the body of work and won numerous honors for …
May 31 2012
Wah Chang Remembered
As it’s Asian Heritage Month, I thought it would be the perfect time to look at the life and career of an Asian American (Chinese American, to be specific) special effects artist who I feel hasn’t gotten the wide recognition he truly deserves: Wah Chang. Wah Ming Chang was born in the summer of 1917. …
May 31 2011
Oblivion
Given that May is Asian Heritage Month, I thought it would be appropriate to take another look at George Takei’s body of work. Based on my research, it appears that the subject of today’s review, the sci-fi western Oblivion, was the first non-Star Trek, non-TV science fiction movie that Mr. Takei had an onscreen role …
May 20 2010
Gemora Greatness
In honor of Asian Heritage Month, let’s take a look at the life and works of legendary gorilla suit maker/actor Charles Gemora. Charles “Charlie” Gemora was born on August 15th, 1903 in the Philippines. Stowing away on a ship headed for America, Gemora arrived in California and made money selling portraits on the street in …
May 28 2009
Oh May! George Takei and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
I recently discovered that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Seeing as the GdL strives to be all-inclusive, I haven chosen to celebrate by devoting this entry to the famous Japanese-American named George Takei. Although most people think of him as “Lt. Hikaru Sulu” from Star Trek or the funny guy who joked about …