Masi Oka on AllMovie

Emmy-nominated Heroes star Masi Oka got his start in the entertainment industry as a special-effects artist at Industrial Light and Magic before segueing into acting with appearances on Dharma & Greg, Gilmore Girls, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Though his behind-the-scenes work on such major motion pictures as the new Star Wars trilogy, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, War of the Worlds, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest found the Tokyo native helping to breathe life into some of the most ambitious fantasy films ever to hit the silver screen, it was Oka's role as the teleporting and time-traveling computer wiz Hiro Nakamura on the hit NBC series Heroes that ultimately brought him world-wide stardom among fantasy fans.

A Brown University graduate who studied mathematics, computer science, and theater art, Oka got into acting right around the time he was hired as an effects artist at ILM, and he has performed improvisational comedy at such well-known venues as Second City and The Groundlings. Since Oka had lived in Los Angeles since the age of six, it seemed only natural that he would become involved in the entertainment industry in some capacity, though few would have anticipated the remarkable success he came to experience on both sides of the screen. By the time he appeared in his breakthrough role on Heroes, Oka had already racked up an impressive array of film and television credits that included a recurring role on Scrubs and bit parts in such features as Austin Powers in Goldmember, Along Came Polly, and House of the Dead 2. In 2007, Oka could be seen in the comedy features Balls of Fury and Quebec, with a role in the big-screen adaptation of Get Smart following in 2008.