Yuki Matsuzaki

Actor Yuki Matsuzaki worked his way out of obscurity to establish for himself a fairly successful career. A veteran of theater performance in his native Japan, Matsuzaki opted to chase his ambitious acting dreams abroad, and so moved to New York after graduating from high school. But before he could was able to make any headway, he had to struggle with basic survival, even performing on the street in order to keep his dream alive. Matsuzaki got his foot in the door in 2003 when he landed a small role as a soldier in the epic action drama "The Last Samurai" in his early 20s. From there he managed to secure a string of roles in Japanese-American films, culminating in 2006 with a major part in Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning war drama "Letters from Iwo Jima," in which he played Private First Class Nozaki, a role he prepared for intensely. That same year Matsuzaki had a cameo in the hit NBC thriller "Heroes." But the TV roles that followed were progressively smaller, including guest spots on "Better Off Ted" and "Melissa & Joey." In 2009, he brought his comedy chops to bear on the big screen, as an inspector and Japanese electronics expert in "The Pink Panther 2," the revamped version starring Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau. Matsuzaki continued to keep busy in Hollywood, peaking once again with a significant supporting part in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," playing the role of Garheng.