LOS ANGELES — Trailblazing Asian American actor Soon-Tek Oh died on April 4 after a battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 85.
Soon-Tek Oh, born in what is now South Korea, provided the voice of Fa Zhou, Mulan’s father in Disney’s 1998 animated feature. He also acted in numerous television series throughout his career, beginning in the 1960s with credits on series like It Takes a Thief and I Spy and spanning the 1990s with repeat appearances on shows including Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*H, and Charlie’s Angels. He also had roles in Magnum, P.I., Cagney & Lacey, and Hill Street Blues and the mini-series East of Eden.
In 1974, Oh appeared as Lieutenant Hip in the James Bond movie, “Man With the Golden Gun.”
Oh was a founder of the East West Players, one of the first Asian American theater companies in the United States, which helped pave the way for other theater companies that followed. Notable alumni include BD Wong, John Cho, Daniel Dae Kim, and Kal Penn.