Ito was a dancer with the
National Ballet of Canada before coming to Broadway and dancing in such shows as "Flower Drum Song" (1960-1961). He turned to acting in the mid-1960s, often playing Asian characters. He appeared three times (as different characters) in the 1970s TV series
Kung Fu; first as a Chinese rail worker in the two-hour pilot film, as a Chinese bandit named Captain Lee in the episode "The Way of Violence Has No Mind", and as a ninja in the episode "The Assassin". He likewise portrayed two different Korean characters in episodes of the TV series
M*A*S*H, in 1972 and 1976. Ito acted in the
1976 film
Midway as
Minoru Genda, the leader of the 1942 attack on
Midway Island. In 1976, he was cast as forensic lab technician Sam Fujiyama, a regular supporting role he played for seven years on
Quincy, M.E. As of April 2025, Ito is the last surviving major cast member of the show. His other film credits include
The Terminal Man (1974),
Rollerball (1975),
Peeper (1976),
Special Delivery (1976), the made-for-television film
SST: Death Flight (1977),
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984),
Pray for Death (1985),
Aloha Summer (1988) and
The Vineyard (1989). Ito guest-starred on the
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "
Coming of Age" as TAC officer Lt. Chang and on
Star Trek: Voyager as John Kim (
Harry Kim's father). Voice roles include such programs and films as
Avatar: The Last Airbender,
Captain Planet and the Planeteers,
Animaniacs,
Bonkers,
Batman: The Animated Series,
Jackie Chan Adventures,
Fantastic Max,
Superman: The Animated Series,
SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron,
My Little Pony and Friends,
Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?,
Biker Mice from Mars,
Quack Pack,
Capitol Critters,
ProStars,
Justice League,
Darkwing Duck, ''
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, Iron Man, The Karate Kid, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures, Rambo and the Forces of Freedom, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Savage Dragon, TaleSpin, Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos, The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, All Grown Up!, The Mummy: The Animated Series, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, The New Woody Woodpecker Show, The Wild Thornberrys, Jonny Quest vs. The Cyber Insects, and Gargoyles''. ==Filmography==