Gedde Watanabe

• Name — Gedde Watanabe • Birth Name — Gary Watanabe • Born — 26 June 1955 • Birthplace — Ogden, Utah, U.S. • Education — American Conservatory Theater • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1976–present

Watanabe was born and raised in Ogden, Utah, in a Japanese-American family. His mother worked as a seamstress at the Utah Tailoring Company. He performed in several dramatic productions in high school, both acting and singing. After graduation, Watanabe relocated to San Francisco, where he worked as a street musician while honing his acting skills.

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. He has since appeared in a number of films and television series, the first of which was The Long Island Four in 1980. Many of his roles are caricatured East Asians with heavy accents, though he himself does not speak Japanese. Watanabe became well known for his role as Long Duk Dong in the film Sixteen Candles (1984). He had a starring role in both the film Gung Ho (1986) and its television spinoff. In the 1989 movie UHF starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, Watanabe co-starred as Kuni, a karate instructor and abusive host of a TV game show called Wheel of Fish. He later reprised this role on The Weird Al Show. Watanabe appeared on Sesame Street from 1988 to 1991 as Hiroshi and had a recurring role as gay nurse Yosh Takata on the television drama ER from 1997 to 2003. During the nineties, Watanabe studied acting at Theater Theater in Hollywood, California, with Chris Aable, who introduced him to fellow actors Jon Cedar and Steve Burton. He voiced various Japanese characters on the animated television comedy The Simpsons. In 1998, he voiced Ling in the Disney animated film Mulan and reprised the role for the 2004 direct-to-video sequel Mulan II and the 2005 video game Kingdom Hearts II.

While living as a gay man and in a relationship since 1986, Watanabe did not speak much about his sexuality. It was not until receiving his role in the 2020 web series The Disappointments that Watanabe spoke of his life as a gay man on the record in a conversation with Disappointments co-stars Trevor LaPaglia and Rich Burns.

Television performances • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1976 — Pacific Overtures — Priest / Girl / Boy — Television film • 1978 — Life at Stake — David Kootook — Episode: "Somewhere Between Cambridge Bay and Yellowknife" • 1986–1987 — Gung Ho — Kaz Kazuhiro — Main role • 1987 — The New Adventures of Beans Baxter — Ho Hum — Episode: "Beasn' Home Life Gets UGLI" • 1988–1992 — Sesame Street — Hiroshi — Recurring role • 1989 — Booker — Max — Episode: "Someone Stole Lucille" • 1990 — Grand — Taki Mifune — 3 episodes • 1990 — Murphy Brown — Guru Prem — Episode: "The Bitch's Back" • 1990 — Newhart — Mr. Tagadachi — Episode: "The Last Newhart" • 1990 — On the Television — Various — 2 episodes • 1990–1991 — Down Home — Tran — Main role • 1991 — Pacific Station — Ram Sha — Episode: "Operation!" • 1992 — Miss America: Behind the Crown — Takeo — Television film • 1994 — Count On Me — Unknown role — Television film • 1995–1997 — Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child — Nuri / Emperor — Voice, 2 episodes • 1996 — Duckman — Unknown voice role — Episode: "The Mallardian Candidate" • 1996 — Mad About You — Speech Writer — Episode: "The Grant" • 1996 — Seinfeld — Mr. Oh — Episode: "The Checks" • 1997 — The Weird Al Show — Kuno — Episode: "Back to School" • 1997–1999 — The Simpsons — Cartoon Squid / Japanese Father / Japanese Man / Factory Foreman — Voice, 2 episodes • 1997–2003 — ER — Nurse Yosh Takata — Recurring role • 1998–1999 — Rugrats — Zack / Kangaroo — 2 episodes • 1999 — Home Improvement — Nobo Nakamura — Episode: "Home Alone" • 1999–2000 — Batman Beyond — Dr. Suzuki / Principal — Voice, 2 episodes • 2000 — Secret Agent Man — Ling #2 — Episode: "Uncle S.A.M." • 2000 — Sabrina the Teenage Witch — Kenji — Episode: "Welcome, Traveler" • 2001 — Jackie Chan Adventures — Gangster #1 — Voice, episode: "Mother of All Battles" • 2001 — The Proud Family — Mr. Min — Voice, episode: "EZ Jackster" • 2001 — E! True Hollywood Story — Himself (Interviewee) — Episode: "Sixteen Candles" • 2002 — L.A. Law: The Movie — Cyril — Television film • 2002 — My Wife and Kids — Dr. Phil Ling — Episode: "Diary of a Mad Teen" • 2002–2007 — Kim Possible — Professor Bob Chen — Voice, 2 episodes • 2003 — What's New, Scooby-Doo? — Vincent Wong — Voice, episode: "Lights! Camera! Mayhem!" • 2003 — Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? — James / Bear / Co-worker — Voice, 3 episodes • 2003 — I Love the '80s Strikes Back — Himself (Interviewee) — Documentary (10 episodes) • 2005 — Everwood — Art — Episode: "Oh, the Places You'll Go" • 2005–2007 — All Grown Up! — Nar-do / Nar-Do, Cyber Clause — Voice, 2 episodes • 2006 — Model Family — Terrence — TV Short • 2006 — Family Guy — Long Duk Dong — Voice, episode: "Mother Tucker" • 2008 — American Dad! — Chicken Hatchery Manager — Voice, episode: "Pulling Double Booty" • 2010 — Proposition 8 Trial Re-Enactment — Hak-Sing William Tam — TV documentary • 2012 — The Seven Year Hitch — Mr. Fujimura — Television film • 2014–2017 — Bravest Warriors — Hamster Mitch / Tourist Alien — Voice, 3 episodes • 2016 — Pickle and Peanut — Additional voices — Episode: "90s Adventure Bear / Parking Lot Carnival" • 2019 — Puppy Dog Pals — Reo — Voice, episode: "Land of the Rising Pup" • 2019 — Perfect Harmony — Glenn — Episode: "Pilot" • 2020 — The Disappointments — Gary Chen — Recurring role • 2021 — Call Me Kat — Henry — Episode: "Eggs" • 2021 — The Sex Lives of College Girls — Professor Harpin — Episode: "Parents Weekend"

Video game credits • Year — Title — Voice role — Notes • 1998 — Disney's Animated Storybook: Mulan — Ling • 1998 — Mulan Story Studio — Ling • 2005 — Kingdom Hearts II — Ling — English version • 2007 — Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ — Ling — English version

Stage performances • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1976 — Pacific Overtures — Boy, Girl, Priest, Sailor and Townsperson, Proscenium Servant — Broadway debut • 1982 — Poor Little Lambs — Itsu Yoshiro • 1994 — The Good Person of Setzuan — Water Seller • 2001 — A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum — Pseudolus • 2008 — Pippin — Grandmother Berthe • 2009 — Ixnay — Tadashi Ozaki • 2016 — La Cage aux Folles — Albin • 2016 — The Fantasticks — Hucklebee