Harold Sakata for "Sarge" 1971 - Bobbie Wygant Archive

[@aidancampbell78]

Most actors who play villains are actually really nice people. Harold is no exception.

[@navylaks2]

And most actors who play good guys are usually pricks in real life

[@jubalcalif9100]

As I do when I take off my hat, you make a good point ! So many wonderful actors who played nogoodniks on the screen were kind, gentle & nice guys off screen (Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, Edward G Robinson, Dan Duryea, etc). :-)

[@zhuangsaur227]

Yet some of the actors or celebrities who portray heroes or beloved characters offscreen are far from always happy or pleasant personalities or comedians in particular

[@dapperdonny4051]

@@jubalcalif9100And I would include Margret Hamilton in that group.

[@MacJaxonManOfAction]

I had never heard Sakata speak before, but for some reason I always had the feeling that he would be a consummate gentleman. I'm not disappointed.

[@thomasthomas2418]

I had the pleasure of meeting Harold Sakata on the set of "Impulse" down in Miami in '75 or'76. there was a 10 year-old girl in the movie and the shoot ran past midnight. In between takes he sat with her on the steps of the camper reading to her while smoking his pipe. I spoke with him on the way back too the hotel and he was every bit as gracious and warm as you see him here. You would not have been disappointed.

[@MacJaxonManOfAction]

@@thomasthomas2418 That is a fantastic anecdote and I thank you from my heart for sharing it! Peace my friend :)

[@jubalcalif9100]

I was thinking the same thing (I just finished watching "Goldfinger" on BBCAmerica).

[@JosephMatkovich]

Harold quite a gentleman and very soft spoken.

[@StephenLuke]

RIP Harold Sakata (1920-1982)

[@theabbieox]

My husband won me one of those POP figurines. I chose Oddjob and he sits on my desk at work. Harold Sakata seemed like such a wonderful man. So kindly spoken, like a gentleman 😊

[@abevillanueva1974]

Hawaii's own Olympic medal winnah! As a teen, I remember seeing him wrestle for 50th State Wrestling. Yes, he was a terrific athlete and a great showman! Very gracious person...passed on too early.

[@christianorr1059]

So THAT’S what he actually sounded like! Thanks for sharing! R.I.P. and God bless, Sakata-san! 🎩🕵️‍♀️🎥🤼‍♀️

[@matthix2678]

Gilligan's Island brought me here. It's great to see an interview with him.

[@anton1990]

Such a gentleman!

[@jubalcalif9100]

I heartily concur ! Seems like an intelligent, articulate, kind, friendly & sweet fellow.

[@skylined5534]

I've only just realised, I've never heard his voice before!

[@trwent]

For a long time, all I thought he could say was "Ah, ha!!" when he found a golf ball!!

[@hoshimaruhajime7933]

He so kind

[@junheceta268]

Harold Sakata is yet another example that actors who play villains are in reality the nicest and gentlest people. Oddjob was the deadliest and most ruthless Bond villain in the franchise, and yet also one of the most beloved characters, especially by the kids.

[@firehawk584]

Legend

[@thomaschacko6320]

I remember the series “Sarge,” and was disappointed it didn’t last long. But then, I liked most things with George Kennedy. The pilot film was excellent: “Sarge: The Badge or the Cross.” For all my years as a Bond fan, this is the first interview I’ve seen with Harold Sakata! (Bobbie Wygant did a marvellous range of interviews.) He seems very pleasant and humourous, and happy with his fame. You might even say he was charming in “Goldfinger” - Sean Connery belted him twice, and he still smiled!

[@zhuangsaur227]

Sakata was said to be a very soft spoken personality 😮

[@billbergendahl2629]

It should be noted that the actor who portrayed Goldfinger, Gert Frobe, was a very jovial person.

[@jubalcalif9100]

Indubitably ! He has a great comedic part in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and is fun also in the movie "$" opposite Warren Beatty. I read somewhere that his accent when filming Goldfinger was still so heavy at that time that they dubbed all his dialog. But it was his own voice in his later English-speaking roles.

[@trwent]

@@jubalcalif9100 He was also in _The Longest Day_ about the D-Day invasion, but who WASN'T in _The Longest Day_ ?

[@tylerbushell2333]

He was so quiet in Goldfinger

[@NICK_1979]

He played a mute character. Hence the reason he was so quiet

[@jubalcalif9100]

Indeed ! He let his razor sharp bowler hat do his talking for him !

[@stevenrozakis5269]

You noticed

[@tylerbushell2333]

Oddjob only just said ah ah

[@WillScarlet1991]

@@tylerbushell2333 🤣🤣

[@zhuangsaur227]

Hmmm Sakatas accent ... soft and measured... always found the Japanese accent when speaking English is very unique and articulate 😊

[@travisfriedland9346]

If anyone's interested he once starred on Gilligan's Island we played a character named ramu who is helping Reuben Kincaid wanted to hunt Gilligan

[@WhiteJarrah]

Ironic: despite best remembered for playing a mute Korean, he speaks very good English.

[@BassPlyr23]

Born and raised in Hawaii. Was also a medal-winning weightlifter for the United States in the 1952 Olympic Games.

[@DIMP11]

But if he was Hawaiian, shouldn't his English have been better than this ?

[@anameofsomesort959]

@@DIMP11 still to this day there are Japanese communities that speak only Japanese and this can lead to an accent if English is only spoken in school. This was much more common in pre-WWII Hawaii, This isn't as prevalent today as English has grown in popularity amoungst such communities, but I have met Americans of Japanese ancestry from Hawaii who speak with a slight accent.

[@anameofsomesort959]

@@BassPlyr23 Also an American WWII veteran, a real badass on and off the screen.

[@joemartin1253]

@@DIMP11 Americans don't speak English they speak American.

[@tremorsfan]

His accent is interesting. He was raised on Hawaii but his accent is Japanese.

[@anton1990]

His parents were Japanese-American.

[@trwent]

And he played a Korean (Oddjob) in _Goldfinger_ .

[@isaacmoss9950]

A gentleman. He speaks good English 👍

[@蓝斯特0000]

He was born and raised in Hawaii…

[@Eyeofthetiger69]

Ngl, I thought he's really mute. This is the first interview of him I've ever seen.

[@kennyslg8914]

Seeing Oddjob talk is so weird lol

[@naturalstrongman81]

So he can actually talk and not just grunt Ar, Ar. I take my hat off to him (like if you see what I did there)

[@vashna3799]

Shame his character was mute in Goldfinger.

[@WillScarlet1991]

That's what made him iconic 👍

[@boyd-u9t]

I wanna hear Professor Tanaka talk, not just grunt.

[@juantarango5142]

Odd job speaking besides throwing his killer hat