His other credits include Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Armageddon, and Mulan II. Eventually, he would find his way into acting as a child when he was cast in The King and I at 6. These were people in their late 40s and early 50s, all of them feeling hopeless about how their lives had turned out., At the same time, we had friends at whom we marveled, added Burns. (2022 Update), Whatever Happened to Soleil Moon Frye? At that time, I had acting teachers who encouraged me to indulge. My agent at the time sent me the script. The actor also featured in a handful of blockbuster films. Gedde Watanabe is probably married to his girlfriend. You just might. For Mulan (1998), he had another person do his singing voice because his own voice was too good. However, his first credited role in television and film would be the 1976 TV movie Pacific Overtures. His birth flower is the white rose which signifies peace, purity and positivity. Gedde Watanabe Net Worth Gedde Watanabe Net Worth 2022, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography. Gary "Gedde" Watanabe (born June 26, 1955) is an American actor. The film would be John Hughes first directorial effort and lead to a string of teen films for which he is most famous. In addition to Burns, the series features Gedde Watanabe, James Campbell and Trevor LaPaglia. It would also raise Gedde Watanabes profile, but not without controversy. You want to try this? On screen, Watanabe is often seen as a romantic and flirty guy. On this week's On the Rocks, we chat with veteran actor Gedde Watanabe about his 45 years plus career that began with his debut in Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures and has included. Till date, Watanabe appeared in numerous film and televisions series, the first one of which was The Long Island Four (1980). I just did an autograph show in New Jersey and a screening in California with Debbie Pollack, who played Long Duk Dongs girlfriend Marlene. He has since appeared in a number of films and television series, the first of which was The Long Island Four in 1980. It's a mixed marriage. Gedde Watanabe and with his co-star from sixteen candles. I didnt really have a sense about my nationality all that much. He joined several dramatic productions in high school and took up both acting and singing. Manage Settings Gary started his career as Actor in 1976 when Gary was just 21 Years old. Parker Posey stars in this update of Chekhov, swapping familiar New York intelligentsia types for the Russian bourgeoisie. I am not surprised a lot of us end up on a similar path of this web series, gay life wasnt all flowers like is today, it was more like, me the problematic gay guy vs the world, a world full of rejection, out of any protection, lonely. By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. He was born on June 26, 1955 and his birthplace is Ogden, UT. Many of his roles are characters ofEast Asian with heavy accents, though he does not speak Japanese. "The gender roles are switched," Kent Ono and Vincent Pham write in their book, Asian Americans And The Media. Hence, the queries about his wife, past affairs, and children still remain as a mystery. Probably married someone blonde so his kids are mixed race. We have estimated Contents 1 Credits 1.1 Special guest voice 1.2 Also starring 1.3 Voice 2 External links Credits "What's happening, hot stuff?" The Ogden born kicked off his acting career in 1976 from Broadway cast of Pacific Overtuners. What's icky about this relationship is how the filmmakers present it. Gedde Watanabe is an American comedian and actor. After graduation, Watanabe left Ogden for San Francisco, where he hoped to make his living as a street musician while honing his acting skills. I would see that movie.I have a friend writing something about the Donger. Gedde Watanabe is 52 now. I was 28 so could drive, take trips to Chicago, go out on my own. The character initially appeared in Episode 2459 in season 19, as a friend of Bob's visiting from Japan. So that scene improved its way into the script. He was a founding member of the shows cast and originated the roles of Priest, Girl, and The Boy. More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Resume Born June 26, 1955 Add to list Awards 2 nominations Photos 15 Known for Sixteen Candles 7.0 Long Duk Dong 1984 UHF 6.9 Kuni 1989 Youve heard a thousand times that Long Duk Dong is an offensive stereotype of a young Asian man who just arrived in this country, Im sure.Yes, and all Ill say about that is that because there werent enough Asians onscreen, comedy was kind of looked down upon. Becoming serious about acting, Gedde enrolled at American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) and performed . In The Disappointments, the characters take action. Gedde Watanabe (born Gary Watanabe; June 26, 1955) is an American actor and comedian. , money, salary, income, and assets. I am glad we start a conversation about this very common issue on gay people from the 70s, like me. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. 6 Copy quote. Gedde Watanabe is American by birth. He had a starring role in Gung Hos film and its television spinoff. Gary "Gedde" Watanabe (born June 26, 1955) is an American actor and comedian. His other credits include Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Armageddon, and Mulan II. Till the date, he has not made any official announcement about being in marital life. He did several movies after that, including Armageddon (1998), On the Couch (2004), Fortune Hunters (2007) and 47 Ronin (2013). According to our Database, He has no children. It would be nice to see a series about gay men my own age. Born in Utah, Watanabe grew up in Chinatown, San Francisco, California. Long Duk Dong was an Asian-American cliche for a new generation. Weber State University would do these wonderful shows and had a really great theater department that I didnt know was well known. I was living in New York and had been in the original cast of [Stephen Sondheims] Pacific Overtures and done work with the Public Theater and Joe Papp. Things you buy through our links may earnNew Yorka commission. The last time it really came up was with Andy Fickman, who directed me on Parental Guidance. Most dates on his world tour have been canceled. L-R Gedde Watanabe, James Campbell, Rich Burns in The Disappointments (promo photo) "At the same time, we had friends at whom we marveled," added Burns. She wanted me for the role and said, Dont tell John. So we kept it a secret until the table read in Chicago when I took him aside and said, John, I have to tell you something He said, Wheres your accent? I was just so nervous telling him that I was afraid Id get fired and aware of my own embarrassment that Id told a huge lie. He is popular for being a Movie Actor. Then I came out (thinking I would never marry or have kids). He reminded me of John. After graduation, Watanabe relocated to San Francisco, where he worked as a street musician while honing his acting skills.[4]. Later, a crowd of baffled middle-aged white folks finds him sprawled face-down on the ground after a drunken night. ". I actually felt sorry for Molly [Ringwald] and Anthony [Michael Hall], who were 15 at the time and had their parents on set with them. You actually say in the DVD extras that one of the special things about Sixteen Candles is the innocence of Molly wanting to find the right guy and me wanting to find the right America.My training and my teachers had taught me that getting a character is about going for the intention. There are no records of siblings in Geddess life. See Shannon Elizabeth Now at 49. Gedde Watanabe, best known for being a Movie Actor, was born in Ogden on Sunday, June 26, 1955. A lot of people complained when the grandmother kicked me:Why does the Asian kid need to get kicked? Have you ever gotten as wasted as Long Duk Dong did?Of course I have, are you kidding? He is best known for his portrayal of Long Duk Dong, a foreign exchange student, in the 1984 movie Sixteen Candles. In 1976, Watanabes first role was as a member of the original Broadway castofPacific Overtures. There have been no articles or birth announcements concerning his having had children. Its subtle, but if you watch the movie now you can tell that some of us like Debbie and Michael [Schoeffling, who played Jake Ryan] were older than the Cusacks and Molly and Andy. In 1976, Watanabe's first role was as a member of the original Broadway cast of . He played Hiroshi on Sesame Street from 1988 until 1991. Gedde Watanabe, better known by the Family name Gary, was a popular Actor. But the Grandmother kicks Long Duk Dong because hes been out partying and not being the nice studious Asian boy she thought she was getting.Exactly. Career. I ended up getting cast in The King and I at age six and I was hooked. Gedde Watanabe is probably married to his girlfriend. hide caption. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Watanabe appeared on Sesame Street from 1988 to 1991 as Hiroshi and had a recurring role as gay nurse Yoshi Takata on the television drama ER from 1997 to 2003. His notable work in television series includes Gung Ho (1986), Sesame Street (1988), Murphy Brown (1988), Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1995 and 1997), Duckman (1996), ER (19972003), Batman Beyond (1999, 2000) and Model Family (2006). They asked, 'How could you do a role like that?' He is known for voicing the character of Ling in the animated film Mulan (1998) and its sequel Mulan II (2004), as well as playing Long Duk Dong in the film Sixteen Candles (1984) and Takahara "Kaz" Kazihiro in Gung Ho (1986), and Nurse Yoshi Takata in the NBC medical drama ER from 1997 to 2003. You grew up in Ogden, Utah, as one of the few Japanese families in town. Since his parents were Japanese-Americans (Watanabe's mother was placed in a Japanese internment camp during World War II), throughout his early life Watanabe felt an overwhelming sense that he was an outsider. In 1976, Watanabe's first role was as a member of the original Broadway cast of Pacific Overtures, originating the roles of Priest, Girl, and The Boy. It is, however, known that he was born to a Japanese American family, and his mother had been interned in world war II as a seamstress at the Utah tailoring company. Cristobal Soria: TV Host, Wiki, Height, Wife, Net Worth ! He is not dating anyone. He is perhaps best known for voicing the character of Ling in the 1998 animated film Mulan and its 2004 sequel, Mulan II as well as playing Long Duk Dong in the 1984 film Sixteen Candles, and as Nurse Yoshi Takata in the NBC medical drama ER from 1997 to 2003.. Gary "Gedde" Watanabe (born June 26, 1955) is an American actor and comedian. he asks Molly Ringwald's Samantha, eyebrows wiggling suggestively. Gedde Watanabe Height, Weight & Measurements At 67 years old, Gedde Watanabe height is 5 7 . Gedde Watanabe remains best known as Long Duk Dong in the 1984 comedy-drama Sixteen Candles for a whole generation. Gedde Watanabe is a comedian and actor best known for his roles in the 80s teen movie, Sixteen Candles. Watanabe is known for his acting style as well as his singing skills. Vote Now for . Gedde Watanabe (born June 26, 1955) is famous for being movie actor. How viewers can change the meaning of a great artists work. Rondi Reed: Actress, Age, Net Worth, Husband, Family! He is perhaps best known for playing Long Duk Dong in the teen film Sixteen Candles. Later, he moved to New York and took to street singing again. His element is water. Asian men have been fighting this on-screen stereotype for years: the socially inept mute; the lecherous but sexually inept loser; one part harmless Charlie Chan, one part mustachioed villain Fu Manchu. The Disappointments, from creator Rich Burns, is a new web series about three middle-aged gay best friends trying to figure out how to live their best lives. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. Especially when I was living in New York in the 1970s. Long Duk Dong is a fictional character who appears in Sixteen Candles, a 1984 American coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by John Hughes.Played by Japanese American actor Gedde Watanabe, the character is a Chinese foreign exchange student and a supporting character in the film set at a US suburban high school.The character has been called an offensive stereotype of Asian people. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Uploaded: 31 Dec, 2006. A gong sounds off in the background. And while I love an inappropriate joke . We will update the information in case of any updates. There were very few of us. 12,242 views Jun 15, 2010 35 Dislike Share Save theroomlivecom 6.37K subscribers Gedde Watanabe appears with Lyla KaRug on Lyla Live! The Crown Season 5: Release Date, Cast, Plot, Storyline, And More Update! Other film credits included UHF (with "Weird Al" Yankovic, as Kuni), Gung Ho (directed by Ron Howard), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (with puppets by Jim Henson's Creature Shop), Gremlins 2: The New . However, he has never spilled the beans about his love affairs and of being married. Last edited on 19 February 2023, at 06:28, The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald: The Visitors from Outer Space, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, "Long Duk Dong: Last of the Hollywood Stereotypes? Both Garys, probably without knowing it, were making use of a dialect feature of North American English, in which the phonemes /d/ and /t/ become a flap [] when they begin non-initial, unstressed . He is an actor and director, known for Sixteen Candles (1984), UHF (1989) and Parental Guidance (2012). The identity of the actors parents is under wraps. Oh, please, yes. While Gedde Watanabe did a fine job and was funny, he does have conflicting feelings about the role that made him famous. The Disappointments was inspired, in part, by actual events. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Clippers.". document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Randy, a senior editor, has been with Instinct Magazine since 2018. The actor has a net worth of around $2 millionas of2019 which he earned from his career as a television and film actor. He voiced a factory foreman in the season 8 episode "In Marge We Trust" and a Japanese man and waiter in the season 10 episode "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo". By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. I like to put on the mask. Gary "Gedde" Watanabe (born June 26, 1955 in Odgen, Utah) is a Japanese-American actor and comedian . He earns around 15 thousand dollars per episode in television series and 52 thousand dollars per year as an actor. Bless his heart, because we dont have him anymore. In 1976, Watanabe's first role was as a member of the original Broadway cast of Pacific Overtures, originating the roles of Priest, Girl, and The Boy. But John just had a big chuckle as if to say, Boy, was I duped.. "Asian Americans who grew up in the second half of the 1980s complained that they were called 'Donkers' in junior and high schools," Grace Ji-Sun Kim, a researcher at Georgetown University, wrote in the book Theological Reflections on 'Gangnam Style.' Gedde Watanabe is a Japanese-American actor popular as a voice actor for the character of Ling in animated film Mulan (1998) and its sequel Mulan II (2004). She worked at the Utah Tailoring Company sewing dresses, but also made costumes for the college in Ogden. Japanese-American actor and comedian, Gedde Watanabe is best known for voicing the character of Ling in the 1998 successful animated film Mulan and its 2004 sequel, Mulan II as well as playing Long Duk Dong in the 1984 film Sixteen Candles. There he attended the American Conservatory Theater for formal education. Gedde Watanabe as Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles. He is best known for voicing the character of Ling in the animated film Mulan and its sequel in 2004. In 1998, he was cast in two television shows, namely, Sesame Street, as Hiroshi and ER, where he portrayed gay nurse Yoshi Takata. He was part of the original Broadway cast of the play Pacific Overtures during the beginning of his acting career. In the years since, it seems like criticism has grown less pointed toward Watanabe for the part and more at the more significant time for which the role was one of the few ways an Asian actor could get work. He guested twice on The Simpsons: In Marge We Trust and Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo. 17-Down, Three Letters: Party for One artist Carly ___ Jepsen. In addition, he has appeared in several in television series includes Gung Ho (1986), Happily Ever After Fairy Tales for Every Child (1995 and 1997), Duckman (1996), ER (19972003), Batman Beyond (1999, 2000) andModel Family (2006). He was also an original cast member of the Stephen Sondheim musical Pacific . ASTRO will continue on as a five member K-Pop group. In 1976, Watanabe's . Click Here To Know More Anaridis Rodriguez, Jenilee Harrison, Marian Saastad Ottesen, Joshua Sasse, and Samantha Isler. Made him famous his first credited role in Gung Hos film and its television spinoff in their,... Living in New York sites Kent Ono and Vincent Pham write in their,! Whole generation per Episode in television series, the first of which was the Long Island in! Sunday, June 26, 1955 his birth flower is the white rose which signifies peace, and. 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