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| General Actor Information | ||||
| Birth Name: | Rodney Masao Kageyama | |||
| Born: | November 1, 1941 | |||
| Birthplace: | San Mateo, California, USA | |||
| Died: | December 9, 2018 (Age 77) | |||
| Deathplace: | Montebello, California, USA | |||
| Vitals | ||||
| Gender: | Male | |||
| Occupation: | Actor | |||
| Years active: | 1965–2018 | |||
| Personal/Family Information | ||||
| Spouse(s): | Ken White (2013-2018) | |||
| Series Involvement | ||||
| Character on MWC: | Restaurant owner | |||
| Episodes appeared in: | "Look Who's Barking" in Season 5 | |||
Rodney Kageyama (November 1, 1941 – December 9, 2018) was an American stage, film and TV actor. A Nisei Japanese American (second-generation), Rodney was a veteran stage, film and TV character actor.
Early Life[]
Born in San Mateo, California, he was originally interested in arts and crafts, working in stage and costume design during college. After being asked to fill in and say a couple of lines during a play, he gained more interest in acting.
He began his acting career in San Francisco in 1965 as one of the original members of the Asian American Theatre Company, and he attended the American Conservatory Theatre.
Career[]
Theatre[]
Rodney began his career in San Francisco as one of the original members of the Asian American Theater Company. While in San Francisco he attended the American Conservatory Theatre. In 1979 Kageyama moved to Los Angeles where he joined the Asian American theatre group, East West Players (EWP), working not only as an actor, but also as a director and designer.[1] In 1985 he received a Drama-Logue Award for Costume Design for EWP's Rashomon.[2] In 1993, Kageyama directed The Grapevine, written by Grateful Crane Ensemble founder Soji Kashiwagi, produced at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. In spring 2001 Kageyama played Erronius in an all Asian American production of the musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at EWP in Los Angeles.[3]
Film & TV[]
Rodney had acted in many films, notably The Karate Kid, Part II, The Next Karate Kid and Gung Ho. He was also featured in the Golden Dreams film exhibit which opened the Disney California Adventure Park theme park. He has appeared in many TV shows including Quantum Leap and Home Improvement.
Appearance on Married...With Children[]
As the Italian restaurant owner
He appeared on the season 5 episode, Look Who's Barking, as the owner of the Italian restaurant that Buck visits in search of food. One of the employees takes pity on him and tries to offer Buck some meatballs, but the owner stops him and screams out in anger when he found out that it was food for tomorrow's special. He then shoves the employee away from the door and shoos Buck away.
Community work[]
Kageyama was heavily involved in community activity, often volunteering for various organizations. He served as an emcee for several events in the Japanese-American community, including the Nisei Week festival and Tanabata Festival, both in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo district and the Monterey Park Cherry Blossom Festival. He had served as an emcee and directed shows for many charitable events.[4] He was a docent at the Japanese American National Museum, where he did story telling for visiting children. He was also an animal advocate and helped place dogs in homes.[5]
Personal Life[]
After being together for over 30 years, Kageyama married his long time partner, Ken White, in 2013 when California legalized same-sex unions. They had met in a bar in San Francisco in 1979 and remained together until his death.
He had faced many health issue during his life, including complications from HIV. In 2007, Kageyama was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy and by spring 2008 was declared cancer-free. He also had both hips replaced, using a cane to walk in his later years. In the final year of his life, he was on dialysis due to a kidney illness and had also been recovering from a stroke the year before.
Despite his failing health, he was determined to be active in the community and keeping a positive outlook with his sense of humor. He had preparing to be in a production of "A Little Tokyo Christmas" shortly before his death and volunteered to perform in a wheelchair.
Death[]
Kageyama died in his sleep on December 9, 2018 after a long struggle with numerous health issues. A public memorial was later held on January 12 2019 at the Nishi Hongwanji temple in Los Angeles.
Honors and awards[]
- 2006 "Community Treasures" Award, Cherry Blossom Festival of Southern California
- 2005 "Rae Creevey" Award (for volunteer service), East West Players 39th Anniversary Awards[6]
References[]
- ↑ Kageyama bio on "Pawns of the King" website
- ↑ EWP awards history on EWP website
- ↑ otherworks on IMDb
- ↑ History on Cherry Blossom Festival website
- ↑ Brief bio following "Daikon Ashi" by Kageyama at JANM online
- ↑ EWP 39th Awards on AA Theatre Revue
