Soon-Taik Oh Biography
Soon-Taik Oh was a Korean-American actor who left a lasting impact on the entertainment industry. He was born on June 29, 1932, in Mokpo, South Korea during the period when the country was under Japanese rule. Oh attended high school in Gwangju and later enrolled in Yonsei University in Seoul.
When the Japanese rule ended in 1945, Oh and his family immigrated to the United States where he continued his education at the University of Southern California. He went on to receive an MFA from UCLA. He was an early member of the East West Players, an Asian American theatre group founded in 1965, and appeared in the original cast of the Stephen Sondheim musical Pacific Overtures on Broadway.
Soon-Taik Oh’s talent and skills as an actor were evident from the very beginning, in only his fourth film starred in Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun as James Bond’s local agent in Hong Kong and Bangkok.
However, Oh is best known for his voice as Fa Zhou in Disney’s Mulan and the direct-to-video sequel Mulan II. He was also well-known for his portrayal of the sadistic Colonel Yin in Missing in Action 2: The Beginning. Throughout his career, Soon-Tek Oh starred in several films and acted in several popular television series, including Stargate SG-1, MacGyver, MAS*H, Charlie’s Angels, Airwolf, Magnum, P.I., Hawaii Five-O, Kung-Fu, Zorro, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and Touched by an Angel.
Sadly, Oh passed away in Los Angeles on April 4, 2018, at the age of 85, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Despite his passing, his legacy and impact on the entertainment industry will be remembered for generations to come.